There was a lot of people up there today, strange for the mid of the week, a few people putting there bikes together. I knew if I rode the 8k loop clockwise I wouldn’t see a person till around Big Springs. I haven’t been on the bike in over a week now and I could feel it on the dirt road up to the first big meadow. It was feeling pretty sticky and I stopped to check my tire pressure, they are about 5 pounds low but I let them go. It seemed to take me about 20 minutes to get into the peddle. I slipped out on the first little single track I climbed.

I got through the top gate and decided to take the climb up and over instead of taking the easy way down the road. I made it up over the climb without touching the ground and started to feel better, the downhill to the next meadow was a nice fast drop. Sam was doing her thing along the way chasing things but not killing them I hope! Before I knew it I was hitting the last uphill to Big Springs and I had already passed another female rider that I had seen at the base and was working my way past a large group of scattered hikers. I hit the top and dropped around to the campground and finished the loop and was heading down when I ran into the hikers again. The trail was full all the way down so I had to be careful and not hit anyone.

At the bottom I decided to take  a ride back up and cut across to the big meadow I had started with this added on about another 25 minutes putting me out just as the light was going down.

It has been a few months since I have done nothing and I was feeling a little guilty at first but guilt is not really my thing so I got over it. So today I’m trying to plan out where i’m going to go ride or run, I need to take a ride it has been over a week since my last ride. I really have been enjoying the runs so much that I have taken my bike out of the car and put it away. I’m thinking of giving it a bath and getting it dirty for today, or maybe I will just run?

What to do?

My lungs are recovering very well now that I haven’t smoked in 5 days and I stay very active every day I can. The ground was wet from the rain and there was a few sprinkles coming down as I cleared the first big meadow and about 2 minutes ahead of my normal time. Right away I have noticed I have better lung power going on, I don’t seem to be struggling to get air as bad as I did even just 4 days ago.

I got over the hill scramble and started down into the next meadow where there was a bunch of deer grazing and watching Sam and I very closely, just in case we got hungry. I toped out over the wood bridges of the springs in about 42 minutes and was heading down to the campground at the top when it started to rain. There were tow people kissing in the rain on the bridge at the camp site as I crossed it, scaring the hell out of them, sorry about that! The trip down only took me about 14 minutes, I was running as fast as I could to get out of the rain but at the same time it felt so good and cool.

I hit the bottom at about 1 hour 2 minutes and the rain stopped, great run in the rain!

On the way I did get some great photos of the Big Horn Sheep that live up there. What I have heard is they weren’t always there but brought in from Wyoming or maybe it was Montana but my point is they really don’t belong there, the ones on Nebo are gray not white like theses.

Mount Timpanogos is the second highest mountain in Utah’s Wasatch Range (second to Mount Nebo). Timpanogos rises to an elevation of 11,749 feet (3,582 m) above sea level in the Uinta National Forest (now part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest). With 5,269 feet of topographic prominence, Timpanogos is the 47th-most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States.

The mountain towers over Utah Valley, including the cities of Lehi, Provo, Orem, Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Lindon and others. The exposed portion of the mountain is made up entirely of limestone and dolomite from the Pennsylvanian period, and is about 300 million years old. Heavy winter snowfall is characteristic of this portion of the Wasatch Range, and avalanche activity is common in winter and spring.

The word Timpanogos comes from the Timpanogots Ute tribe who lived in the surrounding valleys from A.D. 1400. The name translates as rock (tumpi-), and water mouth or canyon (panogos).

Mount Timpanogos is the second highest mountain in Utah’s Wasatch Range (second to Mount Nebo). Timpanogos rises to an elevation of 11,749 feet (3,582 m) above sea level in the Uinta National Forest (now part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest). With 5,269 feet of topographic prominence, Timpanogos is the 47th-most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States.

1234567►

| Download | iTunes | Archive |  RSS |  Submit Music |  Contact |

Another week here in the New Artist Radio studio we have had a tons of new artist submitting to the station. Summer is defiantly here with this show packed full of talent featuring artist Adam D Tucker, Finespun, JOSE ALVAREZ, Eyes of Every, Chigger Red so stick around and listen. The bonus is you will hear from John Anderson and Elley from The On The Horzion Radio Show of coarse Elley has great taste she knows who has the good music on the Music Smackdown.

1. JOSE ALVAREZ – Down At Turner’s Lounge
2. Finespun – Against The Fallout
3. Big Monster – Enemy Enemy
4. Adam D Tucker – Honky Tonk USA
5. Otis My Man – Pieces of Myself
6. Dollar Book Floyd – Rosewood
7. Tyesha Williams – Rededication
8. Blue Condition – Lady From The Delta
9. Robert James King – Time Flies
10. Chigger Red – High Society
11. Mosthatedink – Is This Love
12. Eyes of Every – Day to Day
13. Luke Hilleard – Shivers

To get on next weeks show just make great music and click here.

From what I understand the carbon monoxide has now left my blood stream and tissue and is now being replaced by oxygen. The oxygen is working on faster cell recovery, so when I push it over a hill my recovery time is faster. This is not only showing up in the run itself but after the run I notice that I’m less tired and recover from the run much faster than when I smoked!

I also have noticed that I’m sweating less on the run now, I use to just pour it on uncontrollably but on this past run I was pretty dry when I got back. Again I would think that the oxygen is playing a big part in that. My lungs are clearing out and I can now take a deep breath without hacking all over the place, still hurts just a little but that should get better soon.

Day 2 was harder than the first day, I have been sick to my stomach for most the day and I’m sure it is the gum causing it, would love to go for a run or ride right now! For the past 5 days I have been running about 8k every day, I want to go for a ride but for some reason I keep doing trail runs. Big Springs Hollow is my favorite place to run. There is a 8k or 5 mile loop there that just rocks! It has a bit of everything going on for it, from grassy meadows and big open fields to tight covered in trees and plenty of water for your dog. That all adds up to a really diverse run or ride but I love to run that loop.

It looks like day 3 and 4 could be the worst of this, I have plenty of gum to back me up and I’m hoping to get out and do something to get my mind off the stress. A long ride or run/hike would work good for me.

Please leave me a comment and help me get through this, need the help right now!

How Did I Get Here?

I use to have a very poor lifestyle, I partied and played and ate whatever I wanted and in turn I got fat and I’m not talking about just a few pounds over weight. At one time not to long ago I weighted well over 300+ pounds and hated myself, life sucked and I knew I had to do something about it, but what was a fat guy to do! That is when it happened after a long weekend of drinking and partying I got sick and for two days I was very sick to the point that someone loaded my fat ass up and took me to the E.R. and that is when my first secret was reveled to me and it took my by surprise!

The nurse came up to me why I was laying there and ask me if I knew I was diabetic? My blood sugar was around 650 and my kidneys were failing and if I hadn’t come in I would have been dead by morning! That hit me a little hard as it would have anyone but I survived and there you have my first secret, I’m a full blown insulin dependent diabetic. So they taught my how to shoot up insulin and kicked me out to figure it out for myself and in the past 15 years that is pretty much what I have done. I knew I had to loose the weight in order to get myself under control but I never told anyone about it, only my closest friends know this.

Now For My Dirty Secret!

This one is a bit harder to understand, I’m very active and I eat great food in fact I’m in the best shape of my life! So this one won’t make much scene to you! After I go mountain biking or trail running and even skiing I come home and smoke cigarettes! I know what you are thinking ‘what the hell are you thinking” and I have told myself the same thing for years. I go all day playing on the trails for hours and never think of having a smoke but after I get home it just happens!

For years I have seemed to balance my active lifestyle with something so bad that it comes with a warning. Well that balance has shifted now, I can’t do the things I like to do and keep smoking, I have to quit smoking today!

Day 1 Smoke Free!

I had my last smoke just before midnight on the 21 of July 2010 and it has been 24 hours now, first day wasn’t so bad. I picked up some nicotine gum and signed up for a online program to try and help me through this. I plan on posting everyday how I’m doing and will tell the truth If I cheat on myself. What I need is anyone to leave me comments of hope and encouragement or anything that can help me get through this.

Wish me luck – Bill Messick

http://www.thedealwith44.com