Efforts in Futility

Means or ends?

2011-11-30T22:28:00.001-07:00

Is it the means or is it the ends that count?

Dammit! I can wax pretty poetical until it comes time to actually put it all down in writing. Once that happens--I pretty much dry right up.

But all my thoughtfulness had to do with the ends justifying the means.  Do they?  Can they?  Is it all just a bunch of rationalization?

If I end up getting to where I want to go, does it matter how I got there?

If my kids all grow up to be good and decent people, does it matter that I fudged a bit here and there in my efforts to push and encourage them along?

~

The boys cap, gown, and graduation announcements cost me $77. I think I got off pretty good.

Oh, and he called from work at 10 saying he might need stitches in his finger.

Turkey Loaf and pseudonyms...

2011-11-11T19:03:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving is approaching and I'm hungry from some turkey loaf!  A friend of mine says it's the gravy.  Whatever it is, I need me some.  And some instant potatoes. Along with a can of corn.  The ultimate trailer park thanksgiving meal.  Mmmm.

And there's some uproar in the area that was caused by a mayor using a pseudonym to publish stories in some of the local media--newspaper and online stuff. If Ben Franklin was OK using one, why not a local mayor? I mean aside from the fact that one of the sites he was publishing through apparently prohibited it... I've thought of writing under a pseudonym. And dishing out a lot of dirt. What should my moniker be?

Sitting, contemplating, feeling the mind atrophy...

2011-07-14T19:53:00.004-06:00

Here I am, sitting in front of the worst invention EVER--the computer.  It sucks away time and life.

Kinda like the TV used to.

And I think my cell phone does the same thing!

Who was the genius?

Let's keep the TV, but lose the computers and cell phones.  Let's go back to the days of rotary telephones and communication processes that took hours and days rather and seconds.

Seriously, if I fail to answer my phone, or respond to an email, people start to assume that I've either died or been abducted by aliens.  The outer space kind, not the ones across the street in the trailer park.

Maybe I should somehow play that abduction thing up a bit and see if I can't find a little "me" time.  But it would probably come back and bite me in the butt eventually.

The time wasted watching funny news clips and the latest viral video or looking for some old and obscure CD--for crying out loud!--it should take 5 minutes but it always takes an hour.

Or two.

I need to go out and run.

No, I don't smoke

2011-07-12T18:37:00.001-06:00

It's a metaphor.

Quitting smoking bites!

2011-07-11T19:14:00.002-06:00

Still, today makes 3 days.

At least I think it's been 3 days. If I get through the end of today.

I need to go run. I need to go run. I need to go run. I have a marathon in 2 weeks.

The therapists were wrong!

2011-07-10T23:24:00.002-06:00

Or I'm just a total and complete wash-up.

I went to bed early tonight. Like at 7:30. I had (have) a head-ache. Woke up at 9:00 after having been told, again, how completely and utterly useless I am.

I will stop having those dreams eventually, right? Won't I?

On a positive note, I've decided to give up smoking. It's just not good for me.

Run in the morning.

2011-07-08T21:50:00.002-06:00

There's a run in the morning at 6. I need to go to sleep.

And, FYI, I don't like me so much. If I keep saying that, do you think it'll have a negative affect on my sense of self worth? Because other than not liking myself much, I really am the bomb.

2011-06-12T15:54:00.000-06:00

2011-06-08T22:37:00.002-06:00

Weird...

2011-05-29T23:26:00.003-06:00

when you get so close to something that big--you can't see anything at all.

And for me, the something that is that big is represented by the contents of a green binder.

Busted finger

2011-01-18T20:47:00.002-07:00

Maybe. I can't type though--that's for sure. Finger splint gets in the way.

And tonight, my head hurts. Badly.

Oh, and a complete stranger commented on one of my posts!

I got a new son-in-law and a new grand-daughter--both on the same day.

2010-12-19T15:02:00.002-07:00

Guess that makes me special.

It was on Friday--December 17th. 'Twas a good day.

Bradley D. Johnson

2010-11-28T20:58:00.003-07:00

Dude--ever wonder why you're not getting any of those emails sent to the email address you created using your name? It's cause it's not your email address.

It belongs to someone else and he's getting your email.

Stop using that email address.

Thank you.

Gettin' up early to go for a run...

2010-11-07T18:26:00.004-07:00

Before you start laughing and shouting, "Bull!" why don't you give me the benefit of the doubt and think positive and encouraging thoughts, such as, "You can do it, man!" "Go get 'em big guy!" or "You are the man!"

This shifting back and forth from standard to daylight savings time is getting old. Personally, I'd prefer we were on daylight savings time year round--I like it lighter later in the day--but I'd content myself with standard time year round. I could adjust.

And once I adjusted I wouldn't ever have to worry about switching the clocks--the real clocks and the one in my head that tells me when it's time to go to bed.

Anyways, I've got the alarm set for 6:00 a.m. I'll get up and get dressed to run and pack a bag with my work stuff. Good plan!

And I'm looking for a shoe and apparel company to sponsor me. Preferably Saucony on the shoes. And if they wanted to pay for all my registration fees, that would be cool too! (Yeah, a mid-pack runner can aspire, can't he?)

Those cool necklaces all the baseball players are wearing nowadays...

2010-10-30T20:30:00.002-06:00

Just in case you haven't seen them yet, turn on the World Series and there they'll be.

Want to know what they are? Or what they're for?

Well, they are Phiten Titanium Necklaces. You can find out what they're for here.

Runners, golfers, tennis players, football players, as well as all the baseball players are wearing them.

Cause they're cool!

Which is why I have one. But I had mine before most everybody else.

Seriously!

So when you see me with it and you're thinking I'm just trying to be like everybody else, well, I'm not--at least with my super-cool Phiten Titanium Necklace in red and black. I'm one of the legitimate non-famous trend setters.

These aren't the droids we're looking for...

2010-10-26T22:21:00.004-06:00

Went to lunch yesterday with my Hay. That makes me special, indeed!

We had a window seat at one of the more popular franchises in the area--there were a lot of people coming in and out.

Two in particular caught my eye. Both were wearing scrubs. One, caught up in the moment and not looking where she was going, plowed right into the rear view mirror of a parked car they were walking by. It had to have hurt--and her pride too a bit. I got a good laugh out of it.

Lunch and a laugh--can't beat that!

Rain + construction = one big A mess!

2010-10-24T20:40:00.003-06:00

I've got a 45 foot long trench within feet of my front door--and the dirt that filled the trench is piled up along side it and has served, over the past couple of days, as sponge for all the rain. I now have mud in the house and in the trailer

I'm growing weary.

More than weary.

It's going to be a long winter.

I'm looking for free room and board in the American Fork/Pleasant Grove area for the winter--anybody know of anything?

Me and Imelda Marcos

2010-10-19T18:05:00.003-06:00

You remember Imelda Marcos? Wife of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos?

She had 2700 pairs of shoes.

I have, probably, less than 1% of that number. Yes, I have fewer than 27 pairs of shoes. But it's close. I'm probably pushing close to 20 pair.

And most of them are running shoes.

Which really isn't that surprising--at least to me.

What kind of boggles my mind is this: I have probably 7 pairs of running shoes that I currently rotate through. Some are road shoes and others are trail shoes, but still.

There was a time, not so long ago, that I was rotating 1 pair of shoes. Which means there was no rotation. I wore the same pair of running shoes day in and day out until they wore out.

So what happened?

Has less than 1% of me been taken over by the spirit of Imelda?

Caught up in a run...

2010-10-18T22:27:00.004-06:00

I went running today after work. I missed running on Saturday on account of me being busy doing other things. And kids.

So I knew that I really ought to get a run in today. So, I packed my running bag and took it to work with me. Shorts, socks, shoes, shirt--check. Garmin/watch--that would be a big negative. Oh well. Ever noticed that shorts, shoes, and shirt all begin with the letters S and H? Add socks to the mix and they all begin with the letter S! How cool is that?

Anyways, I managed to get through the day at the office and donned the 4 S's and drove up to the mouth of Provo Canyon.

I wore my Vibram Five-Fingers for 4 miles. Probably a bit much, but I actually enjoyed it at the time. Right now my calves are crying foul, but at 5:45 I was having a good time. I ran the first 4 in the Five-Fingers and then changed into my Saucony Kinvaras and ran 4 more.

I was in the zone. I could have run all night if I had the time and the inclination.

Well, actually, I think I did have the inclination and I probably could have made the time--but it was getting close to dark and I didn't have a flashlight. I thought about coming home and hopping on the treadmill, but the house has no power except for a single extension cord that is currently feeding electricity to the fridge and this computer.

Got home and didn't run any more. But I really wish I could have. And then my calves got all tight and cranky. Something about barefoot running and calves... I like it!

Didn't get my laundry done either. Needed to, but I didn't. The laundromat in town closes at 9:00 p.m. The boy and I were both somewhat surprised by that. Laundromats should have late hours or should be open 24 hours.

Yeah, the boy. I was unlocking the door to get in the house, but found it unlocked. Walked in cautiously and found the boy poking his head around the corner. What a turd! I need a little warning.

But anyways, the point of this blog was to mention the fact that I had planned on giving careful and considerate thought to my daughter. She's expecting. Pregnant. Due in early January. But this has been a difficult pregnancy for her. She has what is called a velamentous cord insertion. Google it--I'm not going to explain it. Needless to say, it can be troublesome. I was going to give some thought to this subject and my daughter on this run.

And I spaced it.

It didn't even cross my mind once.

Until I was home.

I'm such a poor father...

So I'm making up for it now, by signing off on this blog and considering what I meant to earlier.

Is this heaven?

2010-10-09T19:20:00.002-06:00

I ran through a bit of heaven today.

At least it felt like heaven.

Most of it.

It was, oh, I don't know--awesome?

Totally awesome!

And I live 13 miles away from 24/7/365 access.

And me such a bitter and angry person. Really?

2 miles up the Bear Canyon trail, hop on trail 150 and/or 151--The Great Western Trail--and then it hooks up to the Pine Hollow Trail. 8 miles of heaven. At Salamander Flat there's the option to go up some more and hook into trail 157 before diverting down on the Pine Hollow trail and you've added what I hope turns out to be 2 more miles. I'll let you know for sure when I find out.

Aside from the close proximity of the Alpine Loop road and the fact that motorcycles (of the dirt variety) are allowed on the trail, this really is one of THE best trails I've run on.

I was starting to hurt a bit during the last mile, but it was hurting soooooooo good!

The only bad thing? It's October--there's going to be snow up there perty soon and that's going to severely limit access.

Aw hell!

2010-10-07T20:54:00.004-06:00

I read somewhere that having a back bone is a good thing.

I wouldn't know--I don't have one.

As evidenced by the fact that I wasn't going to run any more races this year, but I've already been 94% talked into another one--one that's 360 miles to the southwest.

A tough one.

Really tough.

Almost brutal even.

Cool race though.

Way cool.

What is it?

It's the Valley of Fire Marathon.

Extremely scenic.

I haven't run the new course, but I believe it may be more scenic than the old one.

You should check it out. It's November 20th in the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.

Could it?

2010-09-27T00:45:00.003-06:00

“Could switching to GEICO really save you money on car insurance?”

I don’t really know for sure—I haven’t called—but I’m tempted.

Really tempted.

Why?

Because a former drill sergeant makes a terrible therapist.

Because the little piggy cried wee-wee-wee all the way home.

Because Abe Lincoln was honest.

Because having a snowball fight with pitching great, Randy Johnson, is a bad idea.

And because a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!

Yeah, it’s kinda been a long night. So many things going through my head right now—and not a darned one of ‘em makes a lick of difference.

The St. George Marathon is coming up this Saturday. In the words of Enrico Pollini, “It’s a race!” and, “I’m getting goose pimples!” (Rat Race, 2001, Paramount Pictures)

Lost it

2010-09-23T22:06:00.003-06:00

Have you ever come up with the perfect subject to blog on about, but you're at work or driving or something and you can't actually act on it right there and then?

Yeah, me too.

Like today.

And now that I'm home and on the computer I don't even remember what it was all about. The only thing I remember is thinking about something incredibly novel to write about.

And now it's gone.

I'll probably remember what it was tomorrow. While I'm at work, or driving, or something.

Top Of Utah Marathon 2010: There’s a right way and a wrong way to do things…

2010-09-19T22:50:00.002-06:00

...and once in a great while, going about it the wrong way will get you where you want to go.

But…

There will be consequences.

The Piper will have to be paid.

I knew that going into the Top of Utah Marathon this year.

My longest run since mid June was 13.1 miles and I knew there was a pretty good chance—almost guaranteed—that the second half of TOU would be difficult and painful.

And what do you know.

The week following the Spanish Fork Half, I ran all of 4 miles hoping to recover as best I could from that race and save as much energy as possible for TOU. However, my 4 mile run ended up being about 30 seconds per mile faster than I wanted, and Friday found me with tired legs. I was anxious enough as it was—you don’t jump back into running after a potential stress related injury by running 13 miles one week and 26.2 the next. There’s supposed to be a gradual build up of the miles, right?

But nobody has made a legitimate argument in favor of my intelligence, so…

Nobody has really argued in favor of my rugged good looks either, but still.

I spent Friday night with my daughter (a student at USU) and actually managed to get a good 4 hours of sleep—a rarity for me the night before a race. Saturday morning she took me to the busses. I forgot and left my “breakfast” in the trunk of the car. Fortunately, a friend offered me half of her pop tart, and then I stumbled across a banana that was about to be tossed about 20 minutes before the start of the race. There’s nothing like starting a race on an empty stomach and I’m glad I was able to dodge that bullet.

About 6 of the first 13 miles were sub-9 and only 2 were on the plus side of 10 (courtesy of bathroom stops). I was feeling pretty good about that, but they all felt slow. Really slow. It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the actual splits that I realized I actually fared pretty well.

At mile 14 I was supposed to meet my good friend Smooth, but because of a bit of a mix up we ended up connecting between miles 16 and 17. From there on in to the finish I was pleasantly entertained, encouraged, and motivated by Smooth. What ended up being about a 2:10 second half could very well have been 3:00. My quads and calves were tired and sore. Each step sent an uncomfortable shock through my legs—it was almost as if all the muscle tissue in my legs had turned to glass and each time a foot would come down that glass was going to break. There were quite a few times I had to walk and while Smooth allowed me that, she was quick to get me running again each time.

Can I just say that running with Smooth is a complete hoot! If you haven't had the opportunity yet, schedule some time when you can—it'll be completely worth it!

As we approached the finish line, Smooth broke off to meet her family and I never got the chance to thank her properly. I owe her, at the very least, one big hug!

Finished in 4:15:57. Went and crashed at my daughter’s and then took in the first, and apparently best, half of the Aggies football game before heading home.

The next couple of weeks will be spent trying to recover and rest up the legs enough so that I can, hopefully, pull another sub-4:00 race out of the St. George hat.

Details of a 200 pound man running around in a pair of Kinvara's...

2010-09-16T18:43:00.003-06:00

These shoes are actually quite amazing. Light. Very light. Almost like I was running with EVA foam strapped to the bottom of my feet--which, I guess I was.

Not sure how they'll hold up to the 200 pound guy running around in them though. Durability has got to be an issue with these things. Only time will tell, I suppose. Hopefully more than less...