Mix it up trail runs

I am not much of a runner. Matter-o-fact I will not run on asphalt at all, I absolutely hate it. But I do enjoy trail running, it is much more of a work out and more adventurous, plus the scenery is amazing.

This year however, my Brother and I want more of a challenge, something to push us harder. So we have been looking into the spartan races, Warrior Dash, Dirty Dash and Runner Cross.

The Spartan is what we really want to do, but at 8+miles, 20+ miles and 30 Burpees per obstacle you can't complete...it is daunting. Admittedly I could run the miles (slowly) do the obstacles, but Burpees...they kill me...2 sets of 30 and I would be done. So we have put that off until next year.

So this year were looking at The Dirty Dash and Runner Cross being held in Salt lake city.

Training for this has been very different. You have to run, but also add Pushups (sometimes every half mile) Rock carries (10-15 lbs for maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile for me), Burpees (Ugh), Squats, pull ups, push ups, etc. 

I have to say, I find it very refreshing and very challenging. I'm not even close to where I want to be, But I've lost ten lbs in a month and gained much more upper body muscle.

Next stop....Spartan 2012

Dawn wants me to look like wolverine in Xmen.

 

My Response...I guess I have to get a little white mustache, and claws.

Orem Summerfest 2011

In the past Orem Summerfest Always looked like a disaster...tons of people, a long parade, more people, carnival and finally more people. This year we decided to go...and...I can;t believe we haven't gone before the Kids loved it.

They had many free activities including; Crafts (they could make one each day), Balloon animals (amazing ones), face painting, games, car show, etc. The kids loved it all.

Black Bear

Cougar (BYU)

Dog with two different colored eyes.

Even mom got into the fun.

Maceys had a free Breakfast- flag raising - prize drawing - live band - fun time in the morning.

Monkey climbing a tree

Snake

Purple Dog

Besides all the free kids fun, there were all sorts of rides for the younger and older children, which were very reasonably priced. We stayed with the younger kids as they rode and the older ones went off on their own.

My favorite part of the night;

Text from Esther: "I hate the zipper"

Me: Why?

Esther: I just threw up.

Me: Ha ha ha

Esther: Come get me.

Me: Where are you?

Esther: By the Garbage can.

After the day we went to the Parade...I hate parades...this was no exception. After about 20 minutes Our youngest Boy turned around and said, "Dad, this parade is a waste of our time."

We left immediately.

After arriving home the fireworks started, we had a perfect view from our front yard!!!

It was a great day and a very successful summerfest. It is now one of our kids favorite summer activities.



Miner's Run...the trail with no trail

Okay, here it is, I love to bike.

 There it is finally out.

It sure feels good after so many years of keeping it in

to get that out in the open.

One of the things I love about biking is the adventure of finding and riding new trails, or non-trails in this case.

riding along the Rim

We heard about this trail through Utah Mountain biking.com. It is basically on the edge of the San Rafael swell, right off I-70 in the middle of nowhere. Its unique because there really is no trail and it winds in and out of old mining claims and equipment.

It begins on a dirt road then just takes off into the hills. No trail, only Gps tracks to follow.

This is an example of the non-trail, trail.

The trail itself is only about 11 miles long so we figured 1-2 hours maximum ride time. It took us four. Yes, we could have walked it faster. We got lost countless times and had to backtrack and find the right way, couple that with the rain the night before and sinking in about 3-4 inches, it made for a much longer more difficult ride.

The riding is very unusual, except for the return via dirt road there are no sitting sections. It is all on rough slickrock which required constantly changing of body and hand position.

On the way Back, Guthrie wanted to rest so faked a flat. I always believed that the moon landing was real until I pedaled through this place. Now...I'm pretty sure it could have been faked.

Now I know you are thinking...

"That ride sounds horrible"

O' Contraire...We loved it and plan to return next year. That is the adventure that leads us to bike.

Sometimes it's a lot like life. You know where you want to go, or think you want to go, but getting there is the real fun and it may require backtracks, retracing of steps, or just riding into the dark...

Like Miner's run.



Room to Grow...

Last year on our annual M.A.T. (Moab Adventure Trip) My three oldest and I rode Gemini Bridges which is about fourteen miles. On the trip I took a picture of them that turned out rather well. MBA Action Magazine, a mountain biking magazine I enjoy asked for some pictures with children biking so I sent ours in...

And they chose it.

So here it is and here they are in all of their Glory!!

Middle Picture!

Just a little update on our adventure family;

E (The middle one in the picture) wants a harness and helmet for rock climbing for her birthday.

C - Not in picture, he is 9 wants a sit on top Kayak for his.

My Personal Language. . .

You know how every family has certain phrases or words they use that have private or individual meaning?

Well apparently (my wife always says to me;  "when you say...It actually means...) I use many of those phrases and/or words and thought it might be useful for people so they can better understand me; 

Adventure: Anything dangerous, fun, exhausting, different, brings adrenaline or is fun.

Best Wife In The World: Lets me go on adventures, goes herself and lets me take the kids.

Vacation: Get ready for a workout, every minute we will be hiking, biking, swimming or exploring. There is no time to sit around doing nothing, (What some might call relaxation).

Relaxation: Biking, hiking, swimming or exploring.

Day Trip: Leave at 3 A.M., mountain bike, hike, canyoneer, or a combination, 20-100 miles (must do at least two separate trails or it is a waste)  then return home between 11-12 PM. Ex. Moab Hiking Trip: Leave 3 A.M. Hike; Delicate, Entire Primitive Loop, Professor Creek, Corona arch 27 miles total, home by midnight.

Easy Bike Ride: Aprrox. offroad 10 miles

Medium Bike Ride: 10-20 off road miles

Difficult Bike Ride: 20-100 off road miles

Adventure Bike Ride: No real map, I have only heard about the trail, and it is fairly long.

Yes: My response when asked if I would like to do an adventure ride.

Singletrack: Wide enough for one bike, what I like to ride.

Doubletrack: Wide enough for two bikes, it can ruin any ride very quickly.

Road Running: Satan's form of Exercise punishment

Trail Running: Not as bad as road running.

Wound: "Adventure Injury" received when being adventurous (it has many categories).

Scar: "Adventure Scar" - comes from good adventure wounds.

Whining/Complaining: What some do when they get an adventure injury - not tolerated unless a bone in sticking out of the skin then "some" is tolerated.

Someone I knew had that same problem and died the next day, so when you die, what should we do with your bike?: My response to whining or complaining about adventure injuries.

Some: Them - "oww this hurts (appropriate)" me - "That was a sweet fall and will leave an awesome adventure scar".

Celebrate: What we do when we get an adventure Injury

Doctor: 1- Who you go to for treatment of the best adventure injuries.

             2- Someone you go to when sick, so they can tell you "I don't know, it must be a virus."

Virus: Apparently anything that makes you sick with no explanation.

Into The Wild: My response when my wife asks me where I am going.

Cell Phone: The reason you go into the wild.

Camera: For documenting adventures.

The Average Man...: My response when asked about adventure related items. Ex; "Does your broken neck hurt?", "The average man would be screaming in pain, but I feel okay" /  "How was your ride?" "It was really good, but, "The average man" would have died."

Christmas tree hunt: 1-3 feet of snow, colder than 20  degrees, stiff wind blowing and everyone on snowshoes.

Walk Faster: My response to most people who have to walk with me. "A slow walk is no walk at all"  -President Gordon B. Hinckley to James E. Faust.

Blah, Blah, Blah: What I think when someone's story is boring or too long.

Reader's Digest Version: What I say when someone's story is too long.

We Are Leaving In Five Minutes: We really are leaving in five minutes, if you are not ready you will be left.

Easter Egg Hunt, Gillings Style...

GPS

7 Miles

8 Way points

168 Eggs and Even More Candy

The day dawned slightly threatening and cloudy, but nothing will make us give up our GPS Easter egg hunt...the kids wouldn't let us.

After we attended the Mountain View High School Easter Egg hunt, Dawn and I set out to place the Gillings Family GPS Easter egg hunt.  We are always a little worried that someone will find the eggs before we get back, but this year there was no chance, they were nicely hidden in the foothills of Orem canyon. The first egg is always hidden at the house, it contains coordinates to the next egg, which in this case was 5 miles away. On the way up we hit Macey's for a 25 cent hot dog lunch...healthy.

And so it begins...

ON average it takes 5-10 mintues to find the egg, they are not easily coaxed from their hiding places. Many times, we forget where we put them, that makes it even more difficult.

Like this one...

But when they find one, they get excited.

Everyone has a chance to lead, even the smallest...

The final location, very difficult to find and then get the eggs...

She was poked in the eye by a stick, but still got the egg!

The other kids left this one for the oldest.

After we went to the park and climbed on the rock fixtures.

And raced...

It was a little cold, but we loved every minute of it. You know it has turned out well when many of the children procalim that in some ways Easter is more fun than Christmas.

Easter Day 2011

Normally Easter is a day spent attending church and visiting family, however this year almost all of the kids were sick with a sever Bronchitis that in once case became pneumonia, so that was out. So we stayed home, it was actually very nice.

72 Deviled eggs, 72 eggs to decorate, 72 Cookies to decorate.

I must like the number 72.

The first round we did tie dyed Easter eggs, the kids quit enjoyed those...I think because they made and were a complete mess.

After dinner, while I was making the sugar cookies, the older three children taught the younger four stories about the resurrection...The tomb, Doubting Thomas, and Christ visiting the Nephites from 3 Nephi 11, in the Book of Mormon, then they went outside and using sidewalk chalk drew the stories they learned about.

Most of the pictures were of Jesus Christ under a rainbow...I guess I missed that one, but they loved it.

Next it was cookie time, they went crazy and then ate them. We have many, many left. We thought about taking some to neighbors... But hen I thought spreading Bronchitis is not a good thing.

Finally, their favorite part was decorating the monster cookies - go figure. We bought a kit at the store, but I think next years we will just do our own. What follows are the outcomes of that event.

I thin he had the favorites.

That is some sort of helmet.

She named hers.

As did she, but they were a family...two boys, one girl. I think that is how she sees herself. Notice the glint of cockiness in her eyes...

Dad and two kids, Dad has huge arms. He must mean me.

Who knows, but he loved it...his have faces on the back.

She could be the poster Child for egg decorating.

It was a blast just spending the day with the kids at home. No fighting...okay very little. They were all joking around and we even listened to the Rebecca Black Friday song...and danced a little.

Mountain View High School Easter Egg Hunt 2011

The Queen looks so skinny in this picture, I swear we feed her. She doesn't have an eating disorder either, she can shove it down with the best of them.

Normally I am not a fan of organized Easter Egg Hunts. In my past experience they are crowded, always very late starting (hard for a time Nazi), seem to bring out the worst in people (arguing, stealing eggs out of other's baskets, pushing little kids out of the way so their child can get something...it goes on) However, much to my surprise to day I saw none of that. It was very enjoyable, well organized and fairly close to starting on time.

The line looks long but it went very, very quickly. They opened the gates, we lined up around the track and it began.

Each participant was given a insulated bag for the eggs plus a smaller bag of coupons for free items. The atmosphere was very laid back and I saw parents making sure children other than their own were able to get a fair amount of candy.

My kids technique; run to the top of the outer hill and work your way down. It was a success.

The two oldest didn't participate..they just came to have fun, see friends. Another thing I loved was that some eggs had numbers inside which were redeemed for prizes later. Esther found one such egg and won cinemark movie tickets and a free meal at Iggy's sport grill.

We will definitely be doing this one again. It was organized very well, the kids were loaded with candy when we left (except for little man *second youngest* who pronounced he was too tired to hunt, and would not even pick up candy or eggs lying directly at his feet) and there was a general spirit of fun and sharing.

It was a great start to a long but very enjoyable day.