Mmmm, ribs...



Wednesday, June 15th menu



Today's hike started off in Snow canyon at the Scout Cave trail head. I had done this hike before and so was prepared, or so I thought. This week I have really been pushed and today was no different. We hiked about 3 miles in to Scout Cave at a pretty quick pace. We didn't stay long before we took off again to the top of the bluff overlooking Entrada. From there, I expected to return...like we did before. Instead, the guides said we were going to go all the way through and come out near town on the Chuckawalla trail head. So, we took off...and began trail running along the bluff. The group separated into 3 separate groups until there was a guide, myself and two others. Because of our pace, we added on an extra few trails on the way. With a mile to go, one of the gals in the group took off running ahead of the guide...so I followed. My goal was to run at her pace and then pass her on a hill. Every time I got close, she would speed up. Until finally, on the last hill, we were sprinting up about a 1/4 mile to the parking lot. She beat me, I had nothing left. We had just finished an 8 1/2 mile trek and I was spent. But man, did it feel great!



Beet soup



My brothers and I used to run through the hills of ElkRidge, specifically in Loafer Canyon where I grew up. There was only us and one neighbor in the canyon at the time. Every day, we would run up the side of the mountains building forts and hiding out to shoot people with our BB guns if they dared enter our canyon! You see, we thought we owned the canyon...had no idea what an acre was but to us, that meant everything in sight. I thought about how great it was and felt to have that much freedom, so long ago. And, here I was, running down a trail in Ivins, UT...feeling free and ever excited at my cardiovascular progression!





Pesto Pizza with Sun dried tomatoes

I've been nursing a back issue for a couple weeks now. I visited the resort Chiropractor a while ago and he said I had a rib out of placement, near the center of my back making it a little difficult to get a good breath. He was not able to pop it into place but referred me to the masseuse. I had a deep tissue massage, which was great, but she was not able to get it back in and referred me back to the Chiropractor. So, I called one in town today, told him the deal and went in. What he did, hurt like the dickens. At one point I began to laugh. Naturally, he wanted to know what was so funny. I simply explained to him that my choices at that moment were to laugh or cry, and I chose the former since I'm not comfortable with the latter. My back feels much better but is a bit sore from the beat down he put on me. This should make a pleasant difference for tomorrow's hike and schedule.


French toast with raspberry sauce, turkey sausage and scrambled eggs

Because of todays quick pace, I did not get any photos of the hike. So, I have posted pictures of today's menu, breakfast and lunch. All the food was great but I must admit, 1200 calories today feels like, well...1200 calories! I watched Man vs Food  for a while today and his challenge was to eat 17 chili dogs. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Chili dogs? And, what makes it more difficult...chili dogs love me too!

Tomorrow is Thursday, the week is starting to move quickly now. Sunday morning I will learn my new numbers and totals to this point. And, most importantly, I will head home to see my kids. I miss them, my house, friends and clients...basically I miss real life. I'm not as nervous as I once was to go home and screw this all up. I think first because, I spent one week home with success and second, because I have been living this way now for almost 5 weeks...perhaps I have some new habits by now? At the very least, I have new found confidence, energy, knowledge and understanding and way too many people watching...failure is not an option!