I have had the opportunity to get out into the mountains the last two weekends, so I wanted to post an update. On 2/13/10 Craig and I attempted to climb Lake Mountain, which is just west of Utah Lake. The weather was a little unsettled, and we couldn't actually see the summit because of the clouds. Neither of us had ever been there before, and we went up the wrong canyon. We ended up getting into a lot of snow, mud, and eventually we came to a gully that would have required a nasty bushwhack to keep going, so we decided not to push for the summit. We did get in 8 miles and had a fantastic day.
2/20/10 I Had the best run/hike of the year so far this morning with Craig. My son came into my room last night at 1:30 am barfing all over the carpet, my bed and himself. I had only been asleep for about 30 minutes and with the alarm set for 6:00 I was worried I wouldn't be feeling it today, but I felt great the whole time. We met my friend Matt at the trailhead to Big Beacon (Mt. Wire) at 7:00 this morning and it was COLD. Matt was taking a break from work, and wasn't dressed for hiking, but he is pretty hardcore, so he just came up in his jeans and leather shoes.
The first mile was really cold and the hose on my Camelbak froze and I couldn't get any water. We made good time to the summit hiking fast. We could have run, but we didn't want to leave Matt. We made it to the top in about an hour, and Matt bailed to get back to work. We took a few summit shots, and then decided to go down a different way that would take us over a minor summit and then take us over to the Red Butte summit ridge. The run over to Red Butte was so fun in the well packed snow.
The Red Butte ridge is a little scrambly (not bad) so it slowed us down some and we were soon on the summit while spying several deer (I think we saw at least 50 today). The run down from Red Butte is pretty steep and technical, but a lot of fun. We had a great time and moved really fast down to the saddle, where we decided to take the switchbacks down to the BST. Once we got back down to the BST it was another couple of miles to the car and by this time it was really hot. My Camelbak finally started working again, and I sucked down some water. This was an amazing day and I would go back and do that again anytime. The only bad part of the whole hike/run was my nose ran constantly, and I had to keep farmer blowing. Craig was incredibly strong, and considering he ran a marathon+ two days ago it was pretty amazing that he did so well.
So far for the year I have done 4 trail runs and climbed 5 mountains. I am doing well with that aspect of my 2010 goals. I'm hoping I can attempt/summit at least 52 peaks this year, but if I get a combined 52 mountains/trail runs I'll be happy.
I have added some pictures below.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
2010 goals.
I needed to get back into the mountains, so I climbed Mount Van Cott above the U this morning before work. It was a perfect short hike and had about 1200 feet of elevation gain in about a mile and a half. This is a perfect training hike, especially if there is high avalanche danger on the higher peaks. I didn’t know where the trail was, so I went up a gulch that had a faint trail, and ended up busting my hump up to the ridge through some sugary snow. Once I was on the ridge it was quick and easy, although it was a little steep.
I got to enjoy the sunrise from the top over the Wasatch and the entire Salt Lake Valley. I can’t think of a better way to start a day.
It took me a lot of work to finally bag such a little mountain. I took my dog and kids up there on one of the hottest days in the summer of 2009. We had some bad directions, and it took us about an hour of hiking before we ended up in Cepnalopod Gulch. After about 15 minutes heading up the dog wouldn't walk anymore and the kids were crying, so we had to turn back. My kids still call this mountain Mt. Van Hot.
Now for my goals. I have been thinking about the fitness goals that I want to accomplish this year, so I wrote them down, and I plan on looking at these weekly to make sure I am trying my best to reach them. If I can accomplish these I will be right where I want to be for all of the hikes and races that I have planned for this year.
2010 fitness goals:
My fitness goals for 2010:
-Do a trail run or climb a peak at least once per week
- Hike or run at least 30 miles every week
- Lift weights (upper body) twice per week
- work core/abs twice per week
- Workout every day
- Run 2 marathons
- Run 1 ultra
I got to enjoy the sunrise from the top over the Wasatch and the entire Salt Lake Valley. I can’t think of a better way to start a day.
It took me a lot of work to finally bag such a little mountain. I took my dog and kids up there on one of the hottest days in the summer of 2009. We had some bad directions, and it took us about an hour of hiking before we ended up in Cepnalopod Gulch. After about 15 minutes heading up the dog wouldn't walk anymore and the kids were crying, so we had to turn back. My kids still call this mountain Mt. Van Hot.
Now for my goals. I have been thinking about the fitness goals that I want to accomplish this year, so I wrote them down, and I plan on looking at these weekly to make sure I am trying my best to reach them. If I can accomplish these I will be right where I want to be for all of the hikes and races that I have planned for this year.
2010 fitness goals:
My fitness goals for 2010:
-Do a trail run or climb a peak at least once per week
- Hike or run at least 30 miles every week
- Lift weights (upper body) twice per week
- work core/abs twice per week
- Workout every day
- Run 2 marathons
- Run 1 ultra
Monday, January 25, 2010
2009
2009 was probably the best year I have ever had in terms of staying fit, working out, and climbing peaks. I set some lofty goals for myself and I think I had a successful year. I wanted to just post some of the highlights. You can find reports for most of these adventures on my exercise blog. I only typed up a few trip reports last year that I posted on summitpost, and this year I need to take some time to write a few more than I did last year.
Mountain stuff- I set a goal early last year to try and climb a peak every week in 2009. I knew that I would probably miss a few weeks because of work and family commitments, but I just wanted to try and do whatever I could to get on top of a peak every week. I reached the summit of 31 peaks in 2009, which is probably the most that I have ever done in one year, so even though I didn't get out every week, I had some really great experiences and saw some incredible places in 2009. I did have some major knee issues after my marathon, so I wasn't even able to hike anything in September and October, so if you throw those months out, I made 31 summits out of a possible 43 weeks.
I started off the year on New Years Day hiking to the top of Grandeur peak via the West Ridge with Jackson and Matt Van Horn. We got to the top just as the sun was setting, and it was a great way to start 2009.
I got caught in a full white out on Little Black Mountain with Matthew Van Horn. It had to be one of the most memorable trips of the year on Valentines Day. You can see a trip report here:
http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/514408/A-lot-of-white-on-Little-Black.html
The most difficult climb of the year was definitely a winter climb of Lone Peak with Matt Van Horn. The final push to the summit was a dodgy proposition, and it definitely got the adrenaline flowing. You can see a photo album from the climb here:
http://www.summitpost.org/album/498007/Lone-Peak-winter-2009.html
I had some fantastic spring mountaineering adventures. The most memorable were doing the Beatout hike with the Wasatch Mountain club, and climbing North Timpanogos via the cold Fusion Couloir. The Beatout was a fun day, and we went really fast because of the threat of inclement weather. We didn't even stop for a breather until the summit of Pfeifferhorn, and I was a little behind because of a wardrobe malfunction, so when I got to the top I barely had a chance to get a drink, take a picture and slam down a packet of gu. We hit 4 summits that day, and had an amazing experience traveling from the White Pine trailhead in Little Cottonwood all the way on top of the ridge and out Bells Canyon. Cold Fusion was also a memorable climb with some of the best views I have ever seen. It wasn't extremely technical, but there were a few places where you had to take care because I fall could be serious. I did have a scary glissade on the way down, and had to self arrest because I was going so fast down the hard snow slope. I'll add some pictures later
Some of the best memories I have from 2009 are from early morning pre-work outings with Matt. We tried to get out every week, although it wasn't always possible. We would meet at the various canyon park-n-rides or trail heads usually at 4:30 - 5:00 and would try and be down by 7:30 so that we could make it to work on time. We climbed several summits, and had many memorable experiences. I also learned how to shower using my Nalgene bottle or by using the sink in the bathroom of the Park-n-rides. Not ideal I know, but you have to do what you can to get some adventure. I hope we can continue these outings in 2010.
I set a goal in 2009 to workout every day that I possibly could. I know from experience that there will be days that it just won't happen for you because of work and family, so most of the time I would usually get in 6 days per week, and I am ok with that. This was my 'typical' routine from 2009:
Monday- Weights at the gym
Tuesday- Soccer
Wednesday- Peak in the morning or treadmill/elliptical
Thursday- Peak in the morning or treadmill/elliptical
Friday- Weights in the AM before work
Saturday- Hike or run in the AM or treadmill/elliptical at night
Sunday- Treadmill/elliptical
Running- I started running in 2009 to get in shape for the Spring mountaineering season, and I discovered that I actually enjoyed it. I set a goal to run a marathon, but I knew that I probably should run a half marathon first, so I decided that I would do my first half in the summer, and then I would probably do a full in 2010. I joined a running blog for motivation, you can see it here: http://scottw.fastrunningblog.com/
I signed up for the Provo River Half marathon on August 8th, and I was running 2-3 times per week t get ready for the race. There had to be at least 3,000 people running, and I was excited for the challenge. The course started up Provo Canyon, and then ended at the Riverwoods shopping center. The adrenaline was really pumping, and i think it carried me for the first 5 miles. I kept up a really fast pace until about mile 10, where I kind of ran into a wall. My legs were so tired, and every step hurt. The next two miles I slowed down a lot, and I tried to push it hard when someone would pass me, but my brain was stronger than my body. I just couldn't push it anymore. When I got out of the canyon and started to see the crowd of people I got another shot of adrenaline, and I really picked up my pace. I sprinted the last 1/4 mile to finish in 1:49. It felt great to finish, and I changed my mind and decided that I wanted to try a marathon in 2009, so a few weeks later I signed up for the Provo River Marathon, which follows the same course as the half but then continues on to Utah Lake State park.
The week before the marathon I climbed Kings Peak, the highest point in Utah in one day (26 miles and over 4K elevation gain). The weeks prior to this I had done something major every week including some peaks with a lot of elevation gain/loss. My knee (IT band) had been getting a little sore, and on the Kings Peak trip it really started to hurt me. I did a peak jump on the summit of Kings, and it hurt really bad the rest of the way down. I tired to stay off of it the next week leading up to the marathon, but it didn't help much. I also picked up a brace at Wasatch running that is supposed to help with IT band issues.
The marathon was September 12. I was running with my friend Amy and her nephew Michael. There was not as many people as the half the month before, and when we started there wasn't as much adrenaline, but I was excited to see if I could make it. After a few miles Amy's foot was starting to bother her, and I was having a little pain in my knee. Between mile 5-6 I tripped on a screw on a bridge and fell hard. I must have still had a lot of adrenaline because I didn't feel anything even though I could see a few cuts and scrapes. At mile 7 Amy had to stop because she had a stress fracture in her foot. I felt so bad for her because she had been training so hard. it was sad to see her drop out. Right after that my knee took a turn for the worse, and after mile 7 the course made an uphill detour for a few miles. The next 6 miles were as hard as anything I have ever done in my life. My knee was throbbing, and every step I had a shooting pain in my knee. I told myself that if I could keep running I wasn't going to stop. I had to stop to adjust my knee brace several times, but nothing seemed to help. I was getting very discouraged because I was being passed by everyone it seemed. It was a mental low point for me, and luckily I was able to push through it. Those 6 miles were so incredibly bad, that the rest of the race was actually easier. Once I made it out of the canyon (mile 13.1) I noticed that my knee felt much better because I wasn't on the downhill slope. It still hurt, but was nothing like the pain I had been feeling. I actually picked up my pace, and mentally felt great. My half time was about 30 minutes slower than it had been just a month before. Those 6 miles had just killed me. At this point I didn't care at all about my time, I just wanted to finish.
Miles 15-20 hurt pretty bad, but I was still feeling really good. My knee was still throbbing, but at least it was bearable, but now my legs and feet started to hurt as well. It seemed like there wasn't much on my body that wasn't hurting. I had some great tunes in my iPod, and I knew that if I could just get to mile 20 I would make it.
Miles 20-23 I just got into a groove. I think all of my years of mountaineering paid off here because I am already used to grinding physically all day. It was very similar to doing a long peak in the Uintas. My body was tired and hurt, but you just take yourself to a place that gets you into a rhythm, and you just push through. I thought about a lot of things, and I was mostly in a really good mood because I knew I was going to make it.
Miles 23-26.2- After I went through the last aid station I was running completely alone. I didn't see any other runners. The course follows a paved trail that goes through Utah Lake State park, and is right next to the Provo River. At this point the pain wasn't bothering me because I was used to it. I was just tired. My body wanted to quit, and it did take everything I had to keep pushing. When I finally reached the park I was so relieved. There was a few people there cheering me on, and I knew I had done it. My time wasn't great, but finishing this race was a big accomplishment for me. It took everything I had mentally and physically to fight through the knee pain, and I was elated to cross the finish line. As soon as I stopped my leg locked up, and it was hard to even walk to my car. I took an ice bath when I got home for 20 minutes, took ibuprofen and tired to rest. That night at 2:00 AM my knee woke me up with a shooting pain that felt like I was being burned with a branding iron. the pain was unbelievable, and as bad as anything I have ever felt. It took me two months to be able to run again. I am glad that I pushed through the pain, but I am not sure if I would do that again. I will definitely run more marathons, but not if my knee feels like it did. My body was trying to tell me to stop, and next time I will listen. Hopefully I will train smarter in the future and I won't have the same problems. I have learned that I need to taper my training before a big race.
I am really excited for 2010. I have several goals that I want to reach, and I am really looking forward to a fantastic year. Hopefully I will get to experience the great outdoors with my friends, and have some epic adventures that we will remember forever.
Mountain stuff- I set a goal early last year to try and climb a peak every week in 2009. I knew that I would probably miss a few weeks because of work and family commitments, but I just wanted to try and do whatever I could to get on top of a peak every week. I reached the summit of 31 peaks in 2009, which is probably the most that I have ever done in one year, so even though I didn't get out every week, I had some really great experiences and saw some incredible places in 2009. I did have some major knee issues after my marathon, so I wasn't even able to hike anything in September and October, so if you throw those months out, I made 31 summits out of a possible 43 weeks.
I started off the year on New Years Day hiking to the top of Grandeur peak via the West Ridge with Jackson and Matt Van Horn. We got to the top just as the sun was setting, and it was a great way to start 2009.
I got caught in a full white out on Little Black Mountain with Matthew Van Horn. It had to be one of the most memorable trips of the year on Valentines Day. You can see a trip report here:
http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/514408/A-lot-of-white-on-Little-Black.html
The most difficult climb of the year was definitely a winter climb of Lone Peak with Matt Van Horn. The final push to the summit was a dodgy proposition, and it definitely got the adrenaline flowing. You can see a photo album from the climb here:
http://www.summitpost.org/album/498007/Lone-Peak-winter-2009.html
I had some fantastic spring mountaineering adventures. The most memorable were doing the Beatout hike with the Wasatch Mountain club, and climbing North Timpanogos via the cold Fusion Couloir. The Beatout was a fun day, and we went really fast because of the threat of inclement weather. We didn't even stop for a breather until the summit of Pfeifferhorn, and I was a little behind because of a wardrobe malfunction, so when I got to the top I barely had a chance to get a drink, take a picture and slam down a packet of gu. We hit 4 summits that day, and had an amazing experience traveling from the White Pine trailhead in Little Cottonwood all the way on top of the ridge and out Bells Canyon. Cold Fusion was also a memorable climb with some of the best views I have ever seen. It wasn't extremely technical, but there were a few places where you had to take care because I fall could be serious. I did have a scary glissade on the way down, and had to self arrest because I was going so fast down the hard snow slope. I'll add some pictures later
Some of the best memories I have from 2009 are from early morning pre-work outings with Matt. We tried to get out every week, although it wasn't always possible. We would meet at the various canyon park-n-rides or trail heads usually at 4:30 - 5:00 and would try and be down by 7:30 so that we could make it to work on time. We climbed several summits, and had many memorable experiences. I also learned how to shower using my Nalgene bottle or by using the sink in the bathroom of the Park-n-rides. Not ideal I know, but you have to do what you can to get some adventure. I hope we can continue these outings in 2010.
I set a goal in 2009 to workout every day that I possibly could. I know from experience that there will be days that it just won't happen for you because of work and family, so most of the time I would usually get in 6 days per week, and I am ok with that. This was my 'typical' routine from 2009:
Monday- Weights at the gym
Tuesday- Soccer
Wednesday- Peak in the morning or treadmill/elliptical
Thursday- Peak in the morning or treadmill/elliptical
Friday- Weights in the AM before work
Saturday- Hike or run in the AM or treadmill/elliptical at night
Sunday- Treadmill/elliptical
Running- I started running in 2009 to get in shape for the Spring mountaineering season, and I discovered that I actually enjoyed it. I set a goal to run a marathon, but I knew that I probably should run a half marathon first, so I decided that I would do my first half in the summer, and then I would probably do a full in 2010. I joined a running blog for motivation, you can see it here: http://scottw.fastrunningblog.com/
I signed up for the Provo River Half marathon on August 8th, and I was running 2-3 times per week t get ready for the race. There had to be at least 3,000 people running, and I was excited for the challenge. The course started up Provo Canyon, and then ended at the Riverwoods shopping center. The adrenaline was really pumping, and i think it carried me for the first 5 miles. I kept up a really fast pace until about mile 10, where I kind of ran into a wall. My legs were so tired, and every step hurt. The next two miles I slowed down a lot, and I tried to push it hard when someone would pass me, but my brain was stronger than my body. I just couldn't push it anymore. When I got out of the canyon and started to see the crowd of people I got another shot of adrenaline, and I really picked up my pace. I sprinted the last 1/4 mile to finish in 1:49. It felt great to finish, and I changed my mind and decided that I wanted to try a marathon in 2009, so a few weeks later I signed up for the Provo River Marathon, which follows the same course as the half but then continues on to Utah Lake State park.
The week before the marathon I climbed Kings Peak, the highest point in Utah in one day (26 miles and over 4K elevation gain). The weeks prior to this I had done something major every week including some peaks with a lot of elevation gain/loss. My knee (IT band) had been getting a little sore, and on the Kings Peak trip it really started to hurt me. I did a peak jump on the summit of Kings, and it hurt really bad the rest of the way down. I tired to stay off of it the next week leading up to the marathon, but it didn't help much. I also picked up a brace at Wasatch running that is supposed to help with IT band issues.
The marathon was September 12. I was running with my friend Amy and her nephew Michael. There was not as many people as the half the month before, and when we started there wasn't as much adrenaline, but I was excited to see if I could make it. After a few miles Amy's foot was starting to bother her, and I was having a little pain in my knee. Between mile 5-6 I tripped on a screw on a bridge and fell hard. I must have still had a lot of adrenaline because I didn't feel anything even though I could see a few cuts and scrapes. At mile 7 Amy had to stop because she had a stress fracture in her foot. I felt so bad for her because she had been training so hard. it was sad to see her drop out. Right after that my knee took a turn for the worse, and after mile 7 the course made an uphill detour for a few miles. The next 6 miles were as hard as anything I have ever done in my life. My knee was throbbing, and every step I had a shooting pain in my knee. I told myself that if I could keep running I wasn't going to stop. I had to stop to adjust my knee brace several times, but nothing seemed to help. I was getting very discouraged because I was being passed by everyone it seemed. It was a mental low point for me, and luckily I was able to push through it. Those 6 miles were so incredibly bad, that the rest of the race was actually easier. Once I made it out of the canyon (mile 13.1) I noticed that my knee felt much better because I wasn't on the downhill slope. It still hurt, but was nothing like the pain I had been feeling. I actually picked up my pace, and mentally felt great. My half time was about 30 minutes slower than it had been just a month before. Those 6 miles had just killed me. At this point I didn't care at all about my time, I just wanted to finish.
Miles 15-20 hurt pretty bad, but I was still feeling really good. My knee was still throbbing, but at least it was bearable, but now my legs and feet started to hurt as well. It seemed like there wasn't much on my body that wasn't hurting. I had some great tunes in my iPod, and I knew that if I could just get to mile 20 I would make it.
Miles 20-23 I just got into a groove. I think all of my years of mountaineering paid off here because I am already used to grinding physically all day. It was very similar to doing a long peak in the Uintas. My body was tired and hurt, but you just take yourself to a place that gets you into a rhythm, and you just push through. I thought about a lot of things, and I was mostly in a really good mood because I knew I was going to make it.
Miles 23-26.2- After I went through the last aid station I was running completely alone. I didn't see any other runners. The course follows a paved trail that goes through Utah Lake State park, and is right next to the Provo River. At this point the pain wasn't bothering me because I was used to it. I was just tired. My body wanted to quit, and it did take everything I had to keep pushing. When I finally reached the park I was so relieved. There was a few people there cheering me on, and I knew I had done it. My time wasn't great, but finishing this race was a big accomplishment for me. It took everything I had mentally and physically to fight through the knee pain, and I was elated to cross the finish line. As soon as I stopped my leg locked up, and it was hard to even walk to my car. I took an ice bath when I got home for 20 minutes, took ibuprofen and tired to rest. That night at 2:00 AM my knee woke me up with a shooting pain that felt like I was being burned with a branding iron. the pain was unbelievable, and as bad as anything I have ever felt. It took me two months to be able to run again. I am glad that I pushed through the pain, but I am not sure if I would do that again. I will definitely run more marathons, but not if my knee feels like it did. My body was trying to tell me to stop, and next time I will listen. Hopefully I will train smarter in the future and I won't have the same problems. I have learned that I need to taper my training before a big race.
I am really excited for 2010. I have several goals that I want to reach, and I am really looking forward to a fantastic year. Hopefully I will get to experience the great outdoors with my friends, and have some epic adventures that we will remember forever.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
It's about time!
I have been meaning to start a blog for quite a long time now, but other things seem to always take up my time. The purpose of this blog will be to record all of my adventures, so that I can share them with friends and family. Growing up I used to keep a journal at times almost daily, and over the last 15 years or so I have really let that slide. Hopefully this will also be a place that I can record my thoughts, so that at a later date I can recall the way I felt and also remember the experiences that I had.
I have always been a very active person. I enjoy almost every sport that I play, and I have always stayed in decent shape, so that I could participate in sports and other active pursuits. In the summer of 1990 I went on my first 'real' hike with my friends, Scott Thorstensen, and Jackson Ferguson. I had been on several hikes while participating in scouts as a kid, but I had never tried to climb a summit like this before. It was our quest to climb Lone Peak, which is one of the more difficult mountains to climb in the Wasatch mountain range. You can read about our adventure here:
http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/264520/Lone-Peak-Where-it-all-started-.html
This hike to Lone Peak is what started my addiction to climbing mountains. From that date on I have had something in the back of my mind that I want to climb. It has been like an addiction. Luckily, I am married to a fantastic woman that allows me to do these crazy adventures, and is very supportive in all of my pursuits.
In May 2009 I started keeping an exercise blog. At first this was to keep track of my running miles, weight, and the days that I worked out, but I found that it became a big motivator for me. I enjoy the interaction with all of the other bloggers. It is a lot of fun, and it helps motivate me knowing that others will see what I did (or didn't) do. You can see my exercise blog here:
http://scottw.fastrunningblog.com/
I started running in 2009 to stay in shape for mountaineering trips, and I found that I really enjoyed it. I decided that I wanted to run a marathon at some point, so in 2009 I ran my first half (Provo River Half), and full (Provo Canyon) marathons. They were unbelievable experiences, and I would say I got the same rush that I get when I get to the summit of a peak. Hearing the starting gun go off and crossing the finish line gave me a HUGE adrenaline rush, and I am definitely hooked.
Running races and climbing peaks are very similar. You have a goal in mind that will take a lot of work to reach. You have to plan and then train for the unknown. You can read about the experiences of others, and that only makes the anticipation greater. You put in a lot of hard work, sweat, and training, and then you push your body, at times harder than you ever have before to complete or finish. They both also require you to be strong mentally. Hiking or running 20+ miles in a day is not easy, and at times it hurts a lot. Pushing through pain is something that I have come to really love, and I get to experience it in climbing peaks and running races.
I also have a profile at summitpost.org. This is where I have been posting trip reports from my hiking/climbing trips. You can also see a log of the summits that I have climbed. I have posted over 300 pictures from my mountain adventures there.
http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php
I have always been a very active person. I enjoy almost every sport that I play, and I have always stayed in decent shape, so that I could participate in sports and other active pursuits. In the summer of 1990 I went on my first 'real' hike with my friends, Scott Thorstensen, and Jackson Ferguson. I had been on several hikes while participating in scouts as a kid, but I had never tried to climb a summit like this before. It was our quest to climb Lone Peak, which is one of the more difficult mountains to climb in the Wasatch mountain range. You can read about our adventure here:
http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/264520/Lone-Peak-Where-it-all-started-.html
This hike to Lone Peak is what started my addiction to climbing mountains. From that date on I have had something in the back of my mind that I want to climb. It has been like an addiction. Luckily, I am married to a fantastic woman that allows me to do these crazy adventures, and is very supportive in all of my pursuits.
In May 2009 I started keeping an exercise blog. At first this was to keep track of my running miles, weight, and the days that I worked out, but I found that it became a big motivator for me. I enjoy the interaction with all of the other bloggers. It is a lot of fun, and it helps motivate me knowing that others will see what I did (or didn't) do. You can see my exercise blog here:
http://scottw.fastrunningblog.com/
I started running in 2009 to stay in shape for mountaineering trips, and I found that I really enjoyed it. I decided that I wanted to run a marathon at some point, so in 2009 I ran my first half (Provo River Half), and full (Provo Canyon) marathons. They were unbelievable experiences, and I would say I got the same rush that I get when I get to the summit of a peak. Hearing the starting gun go off and crossing the finish line gave me a HUGE adrenaline rush, and I am definitely hooked.
Running races and climbing peaks are very similar. You have a goal in mind that will take a lot of work to reach. You have to plan and then train for the unknown. You can read about the experiences of others, and that only makes the anticipation greater. You put in a lot of hard work, sweat, and training, and then you push your body, at times harder than you ever have before to complete or finish. They both also require you to be strong mentally. Hiking or running 20+ miles in a day is not easy, and at times it hurts a lot. Pushing through pain is something that I have come to really love, and I get to experience it in climbing peaks and running races.
I also have a profile at summitpost.org. This is where I have been posting trip reports from my hiking/climbing trips. You can also see a log of the summits that I have climbed. I have posted over 300 pictures from my mountain adventures there.
http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php
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