#we started hanging out more last april. like. a lot. and it tapered off a bit for a while but it wast mostly work and stress on both our

[heir-of-the-founders]

Vent in tags uwu

[josephkgoeson-blog]

Ironman Canada - A 1st IM Race Report

Well, my 1st full distance Ironman was full of surprises and all around a great experience. The whole week before the event I barely slept with my mind already racing by visualizing each aspect of the day to come from packing all the various gear bags, to pacing strategies, and to how would I keep myself fueled, hydrated, and electrolyted? (new product idea: Electro-Lit) I re-watched Youtube videos about Ironman Canada (thanks Todd Malcolm!), transitions, special needs, etc. After a week of worrying, I must've gotten all that anxiety out of my system because by race day morning I was calm, focused, and cool as a cucumber.

Apologies for the length and occasional wonkiness, but I needed the mind dump.

The Swim

In most of my previous triathlons I've panicked when the gun goes off and swimmers are thrashing all around me jockeying for position in rather impolite ways. In these situations my wetsuit seems to shrink and my heart feels like it will explode right through the stretched Yamamoto rubber. Thankfully Ironman Canada instituted a rolling swim start where athletes self-seed in a queue according to their anticipated speed and your official race clock doesn't begin ticking until you cross the timing mat. So, while the gun sounded for age-group athletes ‪at 6:50 am, the competitive herd didn't drive me into Alta Lake until 7:02. As I positioned myself towards the rear, my experience was as chill as any of the 10 races I'd done to date.

In May I crashed my bike for the first time around mile 80 of the Oregon Gran Fondo, a 117 mile ride in Cottage Grove. Fortunately I was able to finish and went home without any injuries besides an enviable (assuming you're into scars) amount of road rash. Anyway, I was able to continue my bike and run training, but I didn't swim for 3 weeks while my left leg, side, and shoulder gashes healed. This really hurt my swim fitness and I made the mistake of easing back into training too gently, using the excuse of not wanting to get sore or some such nonsense. I regret not pushing myself more, but I mostly caught up by the time race day rolled around.

In the days before the race I swam in Alta Lake twice and both times the water was quite choppy. These practice swims were in the afternoon, though, and race day morning the water was pretty calm. I heard from 70.3 competitors that this was not the case for their race which started 2 hours after the full.

Going into the race I expected the 2.4 mile/3.8km swim would take me in the neighborhood of 1:25. I figured if I had a good day and caught on to a nice draft that 1:20 was possible but not likely. 1:30 was more probable considering how my times in training were. It turns out that tapering really works and I felt really strong in the water! There was no panicking and I saved energy by staying on other swimmers' feet. My swim time came in at 1:17:33, which I was excited about on my way to the bike racks as I pumped my arms and shouted to my wife and dad, "I feel great!"

I'm not sure how much faster I could swim in the future, perhaps 5 or possibly even 10 minutes with better technique and training. 10 minutes would, however, require a considerable effort, an effort probably better directed towards cycling where I have a lot more room for improvement. There's lower hanging fruit there.

T1

Exiting the water, a Japanese lady helped me strip off my wetsuit quickly which usually takes me an eternity. So, I'm pretty sure I'm getting t-shirts and bumper stickers printed saying "I love Japanese strippers". While I thanked her I didn't have the presence of mind to say arigato, though I did say annyeong haseyo to a Korean guy during the run. The rest of T1 went fine though my perception of how quickly I got ready for the bike and reality were very different. I must figure out how to transition faster and practice it if I'm serious about having a more competitive time. T1 time of 8:17.

The Long Bike

The bike portion is notoriously tough at Ironman Canada but is a gorgeous course with postcard views throughout the ride. My FTP is about 230 so my plan was to keep my watts at 70% of threshold which is about 160 watts. I've heard how hard it is to keep to this relatively low wattage at the beginning when you're all tapered and fresh and excited and it was true for me, too. I noticed several times that I was putting out 190 watts which is not sustainable for the ride, and a pending disaster for the run. I tried to back off, even coaching myself out loud. I haven't figured out how to upload my new Garmin Edge 520 data yet but I'm curious as to what my power numbers turned out to be.

Last September I did the Best in West Triathlon Festival in Sweet Home, Oregon, my first 70.3 race. I did the 56 mile bike in 3:09 with a normalized power reading of 190. The course is of course half the distance and roughly half the elevation gain as well, so I thought it could serve as a helpful predictor. Since I didn't want to put out 190 watts, I knew I'd be slower than 6:18, and so estimated about a 7 hour ride. Having set that expectation, I was happy with my time of 6:45:32 for the 112 miles.

I've never really had digestive issues before but partway up the Callahan climb I popped a Salt Stick caps which my stomach did not enjoy even though previously I hadn't any trouble with the product. I'll have to switch to something else like Endurolytes or most likely go back to plain old lower case salt.

The bad stomach lasted about an hour or so and otherwise I felt pretty good until about mile 90 when the temperature hit 89F/32C and the climbing out of Pemberton started taking its toll.  I changed my rear cog from an 11/25 to an 11/28 to help with the hills, but I think an 11/30 would've been even better. My speed and cadence was slow, slow, slow.

The closer I got to Whistler, the temperature got cooler which was a blessing. Had it stayed that hot I would have had a much tougher run. My T2 time was 9:41 which is super super slow even though it included a bathroom break and a short chat with my wife (my teammate and the love of my life).

The Marathon

A half mile into the run, I saw my dad who in April finished 12 rounds of chemo after being diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer and whose doctor recently said that he's cancer free! He used to run marathons and was always interested in triathlon but never quite got the hang of swimming. He started jogging with me asking how I felt. I said I can't believe I have to run a marathon now! He also asked if I thought I could sustain the 8:45 per mile pace which was my pre-race goal. Like Deng Xiaoping said about the French Revolution, I answered that it was too soon to tell.

Actually, for the first 5 miles I averaged something like 8:10 or so. But, no, this was not sustainable. I started slowing considerably and had to take what seemed like a lot of bathroom breaks. I stopped at nearly every aid station and poured ice and water down the front and back of my trisuit which kept me cool (note to self: avoid pouring water in your shoes next time!). My half marathon time was about 1:55 or so which I was happy with.

At mile 18.6 I stopped at a port-o-potty (called port-o-lets here and Honey Buckets in Oregon) and, feeling weak and dizzy, I leaned against the door while trying to pee. I was worried I was hitting the wall and this turned out to be the low point of the race for me. But I followed the Ironman hashtag of #DSDQDGU, standing for don't stop, don't quit, and don't give up. I kept going (slowly at first doing the Ironman shuffle) and fairly soon got my energy back and gradually lengthened my stride. Several times on the run I thought that if my dad could beat cancer, I could at least beat this course.

My stomach was acting up a bit more which was annoying and slowed me a bit but didn't force me to walk at all. That was a goal of mine: to not walk except through aid stations. And I did it! I was hoping to finish in under 4 hours, but I'm happy with my 4:08:03 and I finished strong with a final mile of about 8:30.

The last 3 miles felt pretty easy as I knew I would finish and my body overflowed with endorphins. I'm going to do it, I thought as my eyes watered up. The last half mile was especially awesome as my legs somehow found another gear that I thought was only reserved for shorter races. As I entered the finishing chute I pumped my arms several times and the emotions of pride and relief started to overwhelm me. What a feeling! Zhang Yan met me at the finish line with tears on her face. We did it babe! We did it!

All in all, I played the expectations game well with my swim and bike times faster than I predicted and the run within range. But, boy did my transitions suck! A combined total of nearly 18 minutes? That's ridiculous!

My total time was 12:29:06 which placed me 66th among the 177 men aged 40-44 and 349 out of 1,404 overall.

Things I did right and areas for improvement

Most definitely my biggest mistake was taking so much time off after the previous season. Finishing the 70.3 in Sweet Home in September was a big deal for me and a week afterwards I did my first century ride (Cycle the Lakes – highly recommended). I continued training hard through the middle of October as I was planning on doing my 1st full distance tri in December in Palm Springs, the HIT series. But I missed on the early bird discount registration fee, and decided that the price and travel expenses weren't worth it as our business was also going through a rough patch. This decision took the wind out of my sails and to mix metaphors my training fell off the cliff. This off season will be different.

What I got right was my bike training. I followed the high volume, full distance triathlon plan from Trainer Road which helped me improve so much. "TR" helped me the previous summer go from a typical untrained cyclist's FTP of 150 in June to 210 in September. This dropped to 186 when I tested this past February before climbing to 230 at the beginning of July. This gives me a watts per kilogram ratio of 3.4. Hopefully by increasing my power and reducing my weight this ratio can be more like 4.4 next year which would be awesome.

I learned a lot this year and made several mistakes I hope to correct so I can have a speedier season in 2018. This was my 2nd year doing triathlons and with wanting to do IM Canada, I did a lot of LSD, perhaps even overdosing. Of course LSD standing for long, slow distance, but you already knew that. Since I didn't have a great base of fitness, I thought this was the right approach, with the downside being longer recovery times when I could have been improving my speed instead. In any case, I now have the expanded capillaries needed for all day events and so can shift some focus towards strength and speed going forward.

In preparing for Ironman, I ran the Bend Marathon in April, my first. It was also my first podium as I placed 3rd in my age group (I turned 40 in January!), which made a special day even specialer, even if liberal usage Webster's doesn't acknowledge that as a word. My 3:39 time was better than expected especially considering the course was a bit long at about 26.5 miles.

Already mentioned was the Oregon Gran Fondo in May and in June I did the Tour de Fronds, another 117 mile ride but with about 10,500 feet/3,200 meters of climbing. It was a bit of a beast for someone who started cycling the previous summer. I did these races so I knew I could handle the distance and climbs in Whistler, and they definitely were confidence builders, but they may have hindered my training as fatigue overstayed it's welcome, making itself a nice home out of my legs. Anyway, I don't intend on doing a marathon or century rides next year so I can be more consistent as my training progresses.

So while I don't regret all the LSD and the trail flashbacks are great, I do wish I had started doing strength work earlier. Through the Facebook group Oregon Wild Swimming, I signed up for a "strength training for swimmers" class at Evolution Fitness in Portland. It was just what I needed even though it started less than 2 months prior to IM. I credit it with helping me drop more weight and tighten up my core. I plan on 2 or even 3 days of strength classes there after my wife and I get back from a camping trip around Jasper and Banff.

This coming winter will certainly be different than last when we spent 2 months back in Beijing where we had lived for about 6 years. I gained about 11 pounds/5kg through not exercising because of the smog (I like the term 'Airpocalypse') and too many visits to Burger King and Cold Stone Creamery (yes, there's several locations in Beijing). Even once we got back to Portland and resumed healthy eating and was training in earnest, the weight was really hard to shed. So, staying on top of my body composition is definitely a lesson learned. For the record I'm 5'8"/172cm and eventually came down from 158 pounds/72kg to 145 pounds/66kg 5 days before the race.

Besides the late addition of strength training, I also should have been running more intervals or some other speed work. This was a suggestion from my new riding buddy Phil, who I met during the Tour de Fronds. In his younger days when he had knees, Phil was a competitive runner having clocked a 2:42 marathon during Reagan's first term. He was spot on. My endurance really improved this year, but my speed suffered. My 10k last year at the Hagg Lake Olympic Triathlon was 45:43 and this year was 48:44, a significant drop. So, another lesson: more speed work!

Finishing Thoughts

Before the race I thought I would do a 1:25 swim, 7:00 bike, 4:00 marathon, with a total of 10 minutes for transitions. So, all in all I think I think I played the expectations game pretty well and really I'm thrilled with my time and the whole experience of Ironman Canada. There were so many, I mean so so many terrific volunteers who did so much to help those of us out on the course that even repeated thank you's don't do them justice. I hope they know how much they're appreciated.

What's next? In September I'm doing the Best in the West 70.3 again so I can see how I've improved from season 1. Then my last race this year will be in October when I'm running the Oregon Coast 50k, my first ultra marathon where the first 10k or so are on the beach before heading into some gorgeous wooded trails.

I hope to continue doing a full Ironman each year, but I haven't decided which one. I plan to sign up Ironman 70.3 Victoria for early June but afterwards is up in the air. I was thinking of the full in Los Cabos in November 2018, but I read on Slowtwitch that the race has been canceled which is unfortunate. Maybe Mont Tremblant near Montreal in July? Well, we'll see for all those plans because my real focus will be on the birth of our first child! Raising her will be our next great adventure and Zhang Yan and I can't wait to meet our baby girl who is expected January 26, 2018. We are naming her Madeleine Elizabeth after each of my grandmothers. Perhaps she'll be interested in Ironkids in 2021!

[quboblu]

Mobile leaders wary on spending as sales taxes stagnate

Mobile has had its share of positive economic news in the last 18 months, including the start of production at the Airbus Final Assembly Line in the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. Despite such job-creating developments, however, city sales tax revenues haven’t taken off — and that’s a trend that could make for hard choices if it continues. (Courtesy of Airbus) (bn)

Mobile seems to be out of sync with the rest of the state when it comes to sales tax revenues, and a lack of growth is leading city leaders to step cautiously as they shape the city’s 2018 budget.

As yet, there seems to be no sense that drastic cuts are required, or that the city will have to consider diverting money from a capital improvement plan that has been funding a three-year wave of infrastructure work. But there’s also no guarantee that the current sales-tax trend will change in time to save the city from painful choices.

Mobile’s finance director, Paul Wesch, sounded a note of concern when he addressed the Mobile City Council at the end of April. There was "good news and bad news, he said, "the bad news being revenues not where they need to be, primarily because of the failure of sales taxes to get to where we had projected they would be.

"Sales taxes actually are about $3.3 million dollars under projections at this point," he said. "Christmas was very damaging for sales taxes. We were about a million (point) eight under projections and a million under 2016 Christmas. What that means, obviously, is that people are doing much more shopping online during holiday periods."

The state has a Simplified Sellers Use Tax plan that directs some revenues from online sales to cities, and Mobile has received a little over $400,000 over the last two quarters. Wesch has been vocal about his view that the state set this tax up in a way that’s great for the state, but which shortchanges cities, and it’s a view he still holds. State leaders, including former revenue commissioner Julie Magee, maintain the view that whatever amount the cities get from the arrangement, it’s better than the nothing they’d get without it.

Speaking to the council in April, Wesch said the good news was that significant savings elsewhere in the budget – particularly in the city garage – were offsetting the lack of revenue. But that didn’t mean the sales tax issue was going away. "It’s liable to continue, at least that’s what we’re starting to be able to come to you and project."

The big picture

Curiously, Mobile’s affliction doesn’t seem to be statewide. The sort of sales tax growth that Wesch and others projected for Mobile – usually in the 2 to 4 percent range – seems to have been a shared expectation in Huntsville, Birmingham and the state as a whole. But they’ve gotten it.

According to numbers provided by Huntsville’s Finance Department, general fund sales tax revenue rose from $96.6 million in the 2014-15 fiscal year to $101.4 million in 2015-16. The projection for the current fiscal year was $103.3 million, or a little over 2 percent growth. As of early May, receipts had shown 1.8 percent growth, but according to information provided by Director of Communication Kelly Schrimsher, that was close enough that revenue from the Simplified Sellers Use Tax made up the difference.

In Birmingham, operating budget sales tax revenues grew from $114.4 million in fiscal 2015 to $120 million in fiscal 2016, to a projected $126.2 million in the current year. (That bullish estimate of 5% growth was offset by a lower projected increase in use tax, for a combined total growth of 3.6 percent.) In May, city Finance Director Tom Barnett said his projection was that the city would come in "very, very slightly up" above projections in the fiscal year ending June 30.

Most of the state’s sales tax revenue flows into the Education Trust Fund. According to information in the 2017 budget, ETF sales tax revenues were $1.70 billion in the 2014-15 fiscal year, and estimated $1.77 billion in 2015-16 and a projected $1.83 billion in 2016-17. (That’s approximately 4 percent growth in each case.)

Magee, speaking before she left the post of revenue commissioner in May, said the state’s sales tax revenues were on track. Bright spots included rapid growth in the Simplified Sellers Use Tax – "this is new money," she said – while less helpful areas include corporate income tax revenue, which has dropped.

Mobile saw an actual decrease in sales tax revenues in the 2015-16 fiscal year; for the general fund, sales tax revenues dropped from 150.4 million to $147.5 million. For the current fiscal year, planners had projected a rebound to $151.5 million, or growth of about 2.7 percent. Instead, revenues have been flat.

The obvious question is, why? The answers are complex.

Trends and timing

Reid Cummings, an assistant professor of finance and real estate at the University of South Alabama, said national figures do show that the 2016 Christmas season saw a jump of more than 11 percent in online spending. Brick-and-mortar retailers saw a corresponding drop in traffic and sales, and the repercussions of the slump are still being felt in terms of lower stock prices and store closings.

But he said that while such trends affect the entire country, they don’t necessarily impact various areas the same way at the same time. Mobile could be experiencing "a combination of a shift mirroring what’s happening nationwide to online sales, and possibly a shifting population."

Cummings spoke well before the recent release of census figures showing that Huntsville has rocketed past Mobile to become the third-biggest city in Mobile, while a slight but persistent decline has dropped Mobile to fourth.

Paul Wesch

Wesch said that a few years back, Mobile entered a recession somewhat after the rest of the country, and even after other big cities in Alabama. It came out of the recession later, and enjoyed the post-recession rebound a little later. It might be that Mobile is still riding the same waves as everybody else, it’s just catching them a little later.

In the 2013-14 and 2014-15 fiscal years, "we were ahead of most other cities" in the state, he said, riding high on the post-recession rebound they’d already seen. For Mobile, things started to flatten out in late 2015, as that rebound tapered off.

So far, he said, he sees it as a cause for concern but not a cause for alarm: Mobile hasn’t seen plant closings or excessive loss of retail centers. The trick is to manage expenses and expectations – and that’s no small trick, when costs such as the city’s pension obligations are guaranteed to grow. So as work proceeds on the 2018 budget, the word to departments has been to hold the line. "Currently we are not projecting growth," Wesch said.

"What we are not doing is accessing any reserves," he said. "We’re not adding general fund expenditures by robbing capital."

Wesch’s good news to the council – the seven-digit savings at the county garage – didn’t just happen. It was the result of a sustained investment in new fire trucks, police cars and other rolling stock, which paid off in dramatically lower maintenance costs.

Asks if there are other such windfalls ahead, Wesch said there will be, though they might not be as conspicuous. The ongoing switch to a single citywide system for many records will result in some savings, he said. In the long run, the city’s three-year, multimillion-dollar capital improvement plan is making substantial road and drainage improvements that should cut down on maintenance and repair costs.

None of that solves the sales tax slump though, and that’s a problem.

Mobile City Councilman Joel Daves

Joel Daves, head of the Mobile City Council’s finance committee, said that regardless of what’s causing the slump, "we have to deal with the reality of the situation." He largely agreed with Wesch’s view that the answer was to keep a lid on expenditures, while resisting the temptation to dip into reserves or capital funds.

"Our reserve is at the minimum we need it to be," he said, and when a government raids its own capital fund, it piles up problems in the future. "That’s a path to disaster, and frankly a path the city followed too long," he said.

Daves credited Mayor Sandy Stimpson with leading a belt-tightening push that had reduced city expenses by millions, after he took office in 2013. "In government, reducing operating expenses at any time is a difficult, painful matter, so it’s rarely done," he said.

The problem with belt-tightening, Daves said, is that the belt can only get so tight. "A lot of the low-hanging fruit has been picked," he said, and further cuts aren’t likely to come without a fight.

Mobile has had some very positive economic developments in the last 18 months: expansion at Austal, the start of production at Airbus, the announcement of major projects by Walmart and Amazon. One problem, however, is that those have little direct impact on sales tax receipts. And if the people who work those jobs drive in from Baldwin County or Mississippi, they might not even have much indirect impact.

"The problem we have is that the jobs are in Mobile, but the money’s being spent elsewhere," Daves said.

"What’s good for the region is good for Mobile," he said. But the challenge for Mobile will be to retain the residents it has, and attract new ones.

Decisively winning that fight could take decades. But Mobile is making some steps in the right direction, Daves said, citing the capital improvements to streets, parks and drainage that ultimately make the city a better place to be.

"We’re not Baldwin County," Daves said. "But that doesn’t mean we can’t be as attractive a place."

Lupin pharmaceuticals has recalled birth control pills due to a packaging error that could result in them not working correctly. (Contributed photo/Lupin Pharmaceuticals) Alabama State Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, poses for a picture on a tractor sold at his tractor supply company in Daphne, Ala. Pittman is one of 10 GOP candidates seeking one of Alabama’s U.S. Senate seats during this summer’s special election. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

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[nursekaylaetl-blog]

6/4/17

Starting tomorrow, Monday, June 5, 2017, I'm starting a lifestyle change based on Dr. Joel Fuhrmann's book, Eat to Live, and I plan to journal my progress here. This is how I got here: I watched Forks Over Knives years ago, and my best friend was a vegan. After that, I attempted veganism many times with a goal of eventually being whole foods, plant based to be healthier and lose weight. My weight has went up and down my entire life, but I've never been "thin." I know veganism and WFPB aren't necessarily the same thing, but I always ate too much vegan junk when I was on the vegan train to consider myself WFPB so I called myself "vegan." I never made it longer than a month or two until 2016. I had a baby in March 2015 and in January 2016 was still about 30 lbs more than my pre-pregnancy weight, and about 60 lbs overweight. So in January 2016 I decided that was it, I was doing it for real this time. To stay motivated, I decided to gross myself out. I had always used my health for motivation in the past but evidently that wasn't enough, so this time I started watching animal cruelty videos. And what I saw not only disgusted me but saddened me as well. I watched every documentary I could find and gave up meat and eggs immediately. In April I cut out dairy too. Dairy was a lot harder for me, I loved cheese, ranch, sour cream, etc, but I easily found vegan substitutions for these items. The only thing that wasn't quite the same was pizza, so I told myself I could eat cheese pizza once a month (which I ended up only doing about every 3 months, any every time I did I felt guilty, lethargic and usually ended up with a headache). The great thing was I still ate vegan junk food (fake meats and cheese, Oreos, etc) and I dropped weight effortlessly! 20 lbs came off faster than ever in my life and I didn't even feel like I was trying hard to lose. Around July the weight loss started to taper off and I started exercising. By October I had lost 44 pounds. But then that was it. It is now May 2017 and I haven't lost a single pound since October. I've also lost some of my motivation, I don't feel like I can even call myself a vegan anymore because lately I cheat with dairy a lot. I eat cheese at least twice a week. I've had eggs probably 5 times in the past 2 months. We constantly have drug reps bring donuts, cakes, things like that to work and I eat that. I'm nowhere near WFPB, in fact I'm going backwards. So last month I went to a book sale found and Dr. Fuhrmann's "Eat to Live" book. I'd been interested in reading it so I brought it home, and after reading it cover to cover I'm starting the plan tomorrow. I know to some people 20 lbs isn't a lot, I've lost 44 already so I've been someone who had over 60 lbs to lose. When I had that much weight to lose I rolled my eyes at anyone saying they needed to lose 20 lbs. But the weight on my stomach DOES NOT BUDGE. My BMI has went from 29.8 to its current 23. That's not even overweight, yet I still wear a size 16. None of my clothes fit because I have to buy them so big to go around my stomach that they hang off my arms, legs, and butt. I went to the store yesterday and bought nothing but veggies, fruits, and beans. This morning I meal-prepped for this week. The plan calls for: unlimited veggies (at least one pound per day raw and one pound per day cooked); one cup per day starchy veggies or whole grains (but says to maybe skip this during the first six weeks if you're diabetic or have trouble losing weight and since I'm just trying to get rid of this last stubborn 20 lbs, I'm opting out); unlimited low sugar fruits, at least four per day; and unlimited beans or legumes. The fruits will be easy, I love fruit. Same for beans, I already eat a ton just because I don't eat meat. The three things I think will be the most difficult are: 1. I don't love raw veggies; 2. Giving up hard cider; and 3. Giving up my hot, sweet coffee at work. I can do without caffeine, I gave that up when I went vegan, but it's just so cold in my office at work that I started drinking it again a few months ago to stay warm. As far as the alcohol goes, I don't mind not drinking alcohol I just LOVE the taste of hard cider! I missed it when I was pregnant too. Every Angry Orchard has 20 grams of sugar though. So, I'm ready! And I'm excited! I really hope this works, not only to get me back on track to a WFPB lifestyle but to get rid of the last of this weight. I will try to post daily what I ate and any progress that I make.

[phatjosh180]

RACE #145: Saltair Half

Going into this race — I wasn’t having a very good week. Last weekend during the Riverton Half I started having a little pain in one of my molars. I didn’t think too much about it, because it was cold and I just have very sensitive teeth.

But, this was the same tooth that my dentist couldn’t work on because he couldn’t get me numb. It needed a crown, but he just couldn’t do anything with it. So, he filled what he needed to do and felt that we could wait a few months and try again. He didn’t feel like it was close enough to my nerve to worry about a root canal.

Well, it got to that point of needing a root canal.

By Sunday evening it was throbbing and I couldn’t chew on that side at all. I knew I was going to need a root canal. So on Monday I called my dentist and he ended up referring me to a endodontist to do the work. But, the endodontist couldn’t see me until Wednesday. So that left me with about three days of dealing with the pain.

A post shared by (phat) josh (@fight4phat) on Apr 15, 2017 at 6:43am PDT

Luckily, my dentist gave me a prescription for some Lorotab. It helped. But, I won’t lie, I kinda hate that stuff. I hate the drowsy feeling and with most pain medications I always get itchy from it. But, come Wednesday I was BEYOND ready for the root canal.

I was beyond surprised how quickly and painless the whole procedure was. I was zonked out and didn’t feel a thing. Sure, my jaw hurt for the next couple of days, but by Friday I was feeling 100% — or close to it.

I’m telling you all this, because it’s framing the context of this run. The past week was brutal on me. It shot my planned workouts and runs I wanted to get in — I got only two miles of running in and FAR less walking miles than I like. The week just sucked.

So on Saturday morning I was just ready for this run. I knew it was going to suck. Not only did not I get the wanted training in the past week, but the course isn’t my favorite — especially when it comes to speed. It’s an out and back flat course along the frontage road running west to east along I-80 in Magna.

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 15, 2017 at 11:51am PDT

I’ve done the Saltair Half a number of times before — so I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew I wasn’t going to be fast, I knew it was going to be tough on me mentally, but I knew I also needed the miles and it wasn’t race toward my 180 goal.

So there I was in Magna at the Great Saltair ready to run.

Despite having only 38 runners for the half marathon the race had pacers — many whom I know. The sweeper was Julianna who I’ve ran with countless times. With that few runners I knew we’d probably be hanging out a lot during the race — if not the whole race.

I had a feeling I was probably going to be the last runner, but I didn’t care. I’ve stopped caring about that where I finish years ago. As long as I do my best for that day and finish, I am happy.

Once the gun sounded Julianna and I started off together. We walked a good part of the first two miles — mistakingly keeping pace with one of the slower dualathletes. We picked up our pace once he turned around at the 5K turnaround, but I won’t lie — it was more like a run/walk for a bit. Something that would probably make Jeff Galloway proud.

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 15, 2017 at 11:54am PDT

Early into the race I noticed that there weren’t any port-a-potties along the course. Like none. In the past there had been at least one at the aid stations. But, there weren’t any — which made me a little anxious. Even if I don’t use it, I know if there isn’t one — I’ll end up needing it.

I tried to not think much about it and just enjoyed the company of Julianna. Once we got to the turnaround point we met up with another runner who was walking at this point. She wasn’t feeling well and had just tanked out. I felt bad for her, because she really could have used a restroom.

After walking with her and Julianna for a bit, I decided to pick up my pace and go ahead. I wanted — well needed — to run. So, I sprinted off around Mile 8. Well, it wasn’t much of a sprint. I didn’t have much spring in my legs, but I decided to keep my walking to a minimum and just push myself past my comfort level.

I felt really good about my last five miles even though I knew I was well past my sub-three semi-goal. But, this race wasn’t about a time goal anyways — it was my therapy from a tough past week. It was my therapy away from the stress of the past week. And, it was my therapy helping me to mentally prepare myself for my 50K in a couple of weeks.

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 15, 2017 at 11:58am PDT

The last couple of miles were brutal. I had no spring whatsoever — and on a flat course — it shows. My sprint was a mall walkers pace. But, I pushed myself through that pain, kept my walking to a minimum and just kept focus on the finish line.

And, I made it.

I made it in 3:26:11. Not my best time. By far. But, I wasn’t disappointed. I wasn’t necessarily happy with it. But, it was what it was — therapy.

After being handed my medal and a bunch of bananas (you gotta give it to them that they know me!) — I hopped in my car and just headed back home. On the drive home I reflected on the run and how tough it was on me. And, how difficult this past week was on me mentally and physically. I was proud of myself for pushing through it all and doing the run. Because it wasn’t easy.

And, now my mind is fully on my 50K in a couple of weeks. Luckily, I don’t need to rely too much on my speed. The speed I was at during this race is probably even a bit too fast for my 50K. So, as discouraging as my time might feel for my half marathon — I feel good about where I will be physically during the 50K.

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 15, 2017 at 12:18pm PDT

The next couple of weeks I am just focusing on my workouts and runs. I’ve been working out at home the past couple of months — well lots of physical therapy exercises for my back (which is a non-issue now) and my sprained ankle. But, I am going to get back into my boot camp workouts at my gym and add some more weight training.

Plus, the good thing about training for my 50K is that I am technically tapering. So with PrepperCon this weekend my runs don’t have to be long. I am going to do five miles on Friday or Saturday — on top of the mileage from walking around the convention. I’ll either run around the Sandy area or just hop on the hotel treadmill. Either way — it’s no 20 miler.

But, I am excited for the next couple of weeks. And, as difficult as this past week has been, it’s nice to be able to acknowledge it, process it and then — move on.  Which I am doing now.

SALT FLATS OR BUST, BABY!

MY NEXT FIVE RACES

When I think of Easter, I often think of my angel Grandma — or Yia Yia. She was (and still is) a rock in my life. Her sense of humor, her love of family and her belief in me will always be a hallmark of her legacy. But, it’s one of the Greek Orthodox Easter traditions that she passed onto us, that I will always remember, do and say. In Greece, a common Easter greeting between one another is Χριστός ἀνέστη! (Christos Anesti) Meaning … Christ is Risen! But, instead of the greeted responding with the same greeting they reaffirm that saying with Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη! (Alithos Anesti) Meaning … Truly He Is Risen! Since her passing over two years ago, I ponder much on that saying. It is because of Him that I know I’ll see my Yia Yia again. It is that victory over death that we will ALL rise again. I am grateful for this Easter season and for what it means to me personally, for my family and us all. I stand in reaffirming to all that Christ has truly risen! Happy Easter!

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 16, 2017 at 9:30am PDT

RACE #145: Saltair Half Marathon; April 15, 2017 (3:26:40) This was a slow race for me. I was hurting. Between root canals and deadlines I didn’t get many miles in during the week, so this race was purely therapeutic. Didn’t care about time or pace, I just wanted a run. And, I got it. Stuck with Julianna, the sweeper, for about the first 8 miles and then went solo for the last five after we passed someone else. So, good news is I wasn’t last! Like I’d care if I was. But, I had a good time and it served its’ purpose. Therapy was only $40, three hours long and included a bunch of bananas at the end. Can’t beat that! #race145 #saltairhalf #running @fight4phat @josherwalla @extramileracing

A post shared by Josh Runs 180 (@joshruns180) on Apr 15, 2017 at 3:55pm PDT

This root canal and pain medication has got me all ready for my glam shots. I wonder if Glamour Shots by Deb™ is still running their 75% off special? I’m feeling so hot right now.

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 12, 2017 at 10:58am PDT

Happy National Siblings Day! 20 years later and I’m still the one responsible for making everyone else look good in this family. It’s the burden I’ve been called to bear.

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 10, 2017 at 6:30am PDT

This is the Utah way of saying … “I’m ready for summer, but I’m not sure if it’s here yet.”

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 14, 2017 at 7:15am PDT

We’re drawing self portraits tonight. We’re just like two Rembrandts in the making. It’s just a little harmless family fun. Well it’s harmless as long as we don’t delve into a little Van Gough (the knives are staying in the kitchen).

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 15, 2017 at 8:37pm PDT

With a mug like this, Adventure’s First Stop™ is usually the bathroom.

A post shared by 🔼That’s me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 15, 2017 at 4:14pm PDT

Teaching young Tatum the ways of the Hansen Egg Challenge. He's a natural.

A post shared by 🔼That's me. (@josherwalla) on Apr 16, 2017 at 7:55pm PDT

Weekly Review

As mentioned above, this wasn’t a good week for me — physically, mentally or emotionally. The root canal and tooth pain really threw me off. But, this upcoming week I am looking to make up for all of that. I don’t need huge mileage — because of my upcoming 50K — but, I want to get at least three good runs in, on top of the time on my feet that I’ll spend at PrepperCon on Friday and Saturday.

It should be a much better week. It’ll be physically demaning and a bit hectic, but that’s what makes it interesting — right?

Weekly Miles

Running Miles — 2.0 miles Race Miles — 13.1 miles Walking Miles — 21.61 miles TOTAL MILES — 36.71 miles Race(s) this week — Saltair Half.

April 2017 Miles

Running Miles — 6.0 miles Race Miles — 39.3 miles Walking Miles — 45.63 miles TOTAL MILES — 90.93 miles Races in April — Emigration Canyon Half Marathon, Riverton Half, Saltair Half, Salt Flats 50K and Tulip Festival Half

2017 Miles

Running Miles — 187.75 miles Race Miles — 135.42 miles Walking Miles — 371.09 miles TOTAL MILES — 694.26 miles Races done in 2017 — New Year’s Half Marathon, Sweethearts 5K, Jackpot Running Festival, SL Tri Club Indoor Half, March Madness Half, Lucky 13 Half Marathon, Emigration Canyon Half Marathon, Riverton Half and Saltair Half.

A post shared by The Runcast (@theruncast) on Apr 18, 2016 at 6:36am PDT

RACE #145: Saltair Half was originally published on PhatJosh | My Life Running.