Trying to Find My Footing Again

I just want to quickly revisit my post from last week and give some status on where it is going, then I'll get to the real post. First, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my new professional plan. It will be a very long road, but the end result will literally be a dream come true. I've had several people approach me about opportunities to speak. I hope they all pan out. If you are interested and have any connections please contact me. I have presentations that are as short as 10 - 15 min and can go up to and even over an hour. I am comfortable speaking to youth groups, adults, businesses, or anyone else. I've developed my presentation in such a way that it can be easily tailored to meet the needs of whoever I'm speaking to. It's all very exciting. The topic of the presentation is "A Life Worth Running" and "A Business Worth Running".

I will be moving into this long-term project with friend and previous coworker Matt Williams. He has years of corporate training experience and a wealth of knowledge that I really believe is integral to the overall success of the project. He brings a background that is different enough from mine that he will be able to reach a totally different audience from me in a way I may not be able to. Together I believe we can change lives.

Ok, so back to the topic at hand. Obviously, recovering from any very long run is a slow process and one that requires more patience than I probably possess. It's been clearly proven that extended rest is integral to proper recovery of muscles and joints and that more is often better than less. I tried, I really did, but unlike previous 100s I've run I came off of Zion feeling amazing and close to fully recovered within a week. Even with the running I've done since then I've felt like I was taking it very easy and not pushing it. I don't feel injured or sore any more and for the most part have even seen my speed come back on a couple of runs. But the reality is that I probably shouldn't have been running, at all, until this week. Teaching note of the day - if you run a marathon and that is your limit take a good week off after your race. For ultra-marathons consider taking up to two weeks off, definitely if you've just run 100 miles. Rest people, it does a body good.

Well, yeah, I haven't been resting. Saturday I ran a 5k (that's kind of like resting, right?) which was no big deal. However, before the race their was a crossfit booth and they challenged me to try their little timed workout. I kind of killed it, shocking the people working the booth. The problem is that even for how little I did it completely crushed me. I was so sore in my inner thighs the next morning it hurt to walk normal. It must have been the box jumps.

When Matt and I went out yesterday to hit up the first section of the Wasatch 100 trail up to Chinscraper I was wrecked from the time we left. Not only did my legs hurt, but I had no energy. We had eaten a good breakfast, I just didn't have any energy. Within 3 miles I was taking a gel. I then had a 200 calorie fruit bar not long after. We weren't pushing the pace and even though the first 8 miles had 4000+ feet of vert I can usually push a decent power hike. Yesterday I just had nothing. Even running down I wasn't my usual self. And by the time we got back to the car I was ruined. Moral of the story? REST, REST, REST. It's good for the body and the soul.

 Our turn around point. We were about a mile from cresting Chinscraper.

 Matt running down through the trees

Antelope Island in the distance