Jam Packed Fourth Startin with a 17 mile run

The past fourth of July weekend was jam packed of adventure, intrigue, hair-raising and spine tingling moments. There was definitely some romance and mystery involved mixed in with a lot of sweat, heavy breathing and definitely some groaning. It would be a shame to cram all this information into one post, so this may be a two or three parter..there is a lot that occurred.

Holidays in our home have different events that take place. For instance, Memorial Day means weeding the gardens, mowing the lawn, making an annual trip to the cemetery where we will wander around for 20 minutes saying things like "I remember it was right by a tree" before we go and get a map. 

Christmas means we get up about 7:00 am with the kids (no way am I getting up at 3:00 am), lounging around the house until I get in the shower about noon and then maybe a family dinner or sledding.

Father's Day means I get to sit in my favorite chair and read a book while the kids and my wife cook dinner. 

Fourth of July: This is probably the busiest holidays in the year. I feel like we have got to get our money's worth out of this holiday. Just like shopping for the best deal on fireworks, it's a matter of importance to squeeze every ounce of juice out of this holiday. This fourth of July was no exception.

July 2-5:30 am

"I really really don't want to go running this morning...." I groan as I turn off the alarm and look down at my running clothes. I know I set them out last night as my reminder that I am running 17 miles this morning. I pull on the shorts, throw on the shirt, rummage through my myriad of running socks to find the "right pair" for the day. I get myself a peanut butter sandwich and a thinner mix of protein drink. By 6:00 am, I'm leaving the house. I've left a map of my run so in case I'm not back, my wife can direct the police on where to pick up my body. I really am looking forward to the run, I just don't like running in the morning..come to think of it, I don't like getting out of bed in the morning either.

The cool air of the morning was fantastic. By the second mile, I'm glad I got up and out the door. I hit a good groove and my pace stayed in the 8 min/mile to 8:30 min/mile. In order to avoid the road construction going on, my route looked like and EKG, but I enjoy going through new areas. There are a few hills during the course of my run with a long uphill climb at the end (that's what I get for living at the top of a hill).

I arrived home in time to refill my bottles, eat something quick and down another protein drink then we were off to meet my sister-in-law and her family for a hike up to Timponogos Cave (a popular attraction in the area). The hike is 1 1/2 miles each direction with a climb of 1,250 feet. At the end of the hike, my legs were definitely feeling like Jell-O.