Running Again...

I have a deep confession to make. Two years ago I started this blog as a journal. I wanted to record my training for my first race. I admit, it was a short, simple race, but a big deal to me. I've never been the athletic type & at the time, I'd never run in a race. I recorded all my training days and posted all the pictures from race day. When it was over, I stopped blogging for a while & I stopped going to the gym. It didn't help that school had started again & I was working alot. I kept thinking I would go back, but it never happened. I've visited the gym occasionally over the last 9 months; maybe a total of 10 days since last August. But obviously it doesn't do any good unless you do it consistently. Because of this, I have gained a lot of wieght & fallen out of shape.

Maybe it's the good weather that has inspired me, or the wonderful examples that I have from my family, but I've decided to start training again. There are plenty of 5k races over the next few months & I would like to run in a few. Not to be a world-class runner, but to give myself a reason to go to the gym. I need to exercise & I need a purpose besides work. And, I know that if I don't post my progress & check in with my blog, I won't perform as well. It's easy to talk yourself out of doing something if nobody knows you were going to do it in the first place. So, thanks for listening & holding me accountable.

NEWS FLASH: Today I left work at 3:10, headed to the gym, ran/walked 2 miles & came home. It wasn't my best work out, and I've lost alot of endurance, but at least I did it.

MOAB!!

I love spring break. It always comes at a much-needed time. Saturday, my family & I drove down to Moab to break-in our new camping trailer. We stayed in a group campsite near Dead Horse Point with several other families. Saturday was spent listening to conference & hanging around camp. I took my bike for a spin & walked around the local trails. Sunday we listened to more of conference & took a drive on the BLM land around our campsite. On the drive we saw an old well, a bunch of cows, & spectacular scenery. We drove all the way to the Green River overlook. Then we came back for dinner. Monday, we drove into Canyonlands & hiked up to Mesa Arch. About noon I had to drive home so I could get ready for work on Tuesday. It was fun to hang with family, see beautiful sites & relax a little bit. The weather was partly cloudy & little cold sometimes, but much better than Salt Lake's weather. The rest of my family is lucky. They get to stay for a couple more days.

Our Campsite (Circle of Trailers)...


Proof I can ride a mountain bike...


The old well in the middle of nowhere...


Picture taken from the truck...


The weather did cool things...


The Green River overlook...


Canyonlands, view from the visitors center...


Being blind doesn't stop him...


Mesa Arch...


The View through Mesa Arch...

My iPod's Not Big Enough!

Well, its finally happened! I have more music & videos than will fit on my iPod. Considering I have the 120 GB iPod, this is quite an accomplishment!! Now I have the fun task of selecting the files I want to take with me & the files I have to leave at home. :( Summary: I have 45 GB of music, 25 GB of movies, 5.6 GB of TV Shows, 4.6 GB of Podcasts, and 19.4 GB of audiobooks. Pretty cool, huh?

Kid-Friendly Me

Today for lunch, I stopped at the local Subway restaurant. After buying my sandwich & filling my Diet Coke, I sat down, pulled out my iPod & started to enjoy my chicken teriyaki sandwich. Within minutes, I feel I'm being watched. I look to my right & I see a cute little hispanic girl, around two years old, watching me eat. She just keeps staring at me. I smile, and she smiles back. I try to go back to eating, but she just keeps staring. After a minute, she starts to play with the garbage can flip door, occasionally glancing back at me. I keep smiling until her mom calls her back. I think, that was weird...why me? Twenty minutes later, I've finished my sandwich and start to eat my cookies. I feel I'm being watched again. Turning to my right and expecting to see the same girl, I'm surprised to see a different girl, around 2 years old, with blonde curls. She's staring at me too! I smile, she smiles back and continues to stare until her dad calls her back to the checkout line. What's the deal?! Did my nose turn green or something?! I couldn't decide to take it as a compliment or an insult. :)