It remains to be seen...

Its been awhile since I posted, but I'll try and catch you guys up on how training and everything has been going. Running has been going really well lately. I did a 6 mile tempo on Saturday and felt great the whole way. The last 3 miles were slightly uphill, and I slipped off pace, but felt super controlled and looking forward to what the future has. The team is looking real good as well. Everyone is in great shape, and we have our first meet this weekend. Its a low key meet at Berry, so there is not too much pressure. But, it will be fun to just get out, race, and see what happens. Yesterday, I did the longest run I've done in about 2 years. I ran for 2 hours, and got in about 17.5 miles. It felt great, and I'm excited about trying a half marathon soon...maybe after cross season, but we'll just see. School is back in session now, and it has not been too bad. Its actually a pretty good schedule cause I can take a nap almost every afternoon, which is a true benefit for me. I gotta have my nap time. Anyways, It should be a great year, everyone is fit and excited but it remains to be seen. As long as we can all focus on Christ and pour ourselves out for him, the outcome should be good.

-Josh

Check this out!!

So, the sports editor at Shorter asked Jared and I if we would write an article about our experience in Mammoth and meeting Olympian Ryan Hall. Here is the article that we wrote. It is on the Shorter sports website, the NAIA sports website, as well as some newspapers, and the Shorter College magazine!

http://goshorterhawks.cstv.com/sports/m-xc/spec-rel/082008aac.html

Monday Long Run

We'll, I just finished up a 14 mile long run, and it went really well. I have been back home for almost a week now, and my legs are finally starting to come back to me. Once you leave altitude and return to sea level, it takes a while for your legs to feel fast again. It is nice being back home, but I miss Mammoth alot. When I was in California, I was able to focus all my attention on my running. But, being back in Atlanta, it has been pretty chaotic. I have been working everyday since returning, so I am enjoying my day off today. Anyways, nothing real exciting for the day, but I will keep posting blogs and giving updates on how the season is going. Bye for now!

-Josh

Ryan Hall Story and Workout!

Here is a video of Hall speaking to us last week, as well as him doing one of his final workouts before the 2008 Olympics!!
Part 1




Part 2

Back in Atlanta

Well, the Mammoth trip is over and was a huge success. I have to say that I do miss being in Mammoth, but it sure does feel great to be home. I met some really amazing people out there, and was able to strengthen my relationships with those I already knew. I have said this over and over again, but it will truly be a trip I will never forget. I am super tired now, and so I am going to bed now, but I will post some more tomorrow, and put up some pictures as well. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading the blog, and I will talk to you all soon!

-Jared

New Lab Record for Max VO2 Test

So today I went to the Mammoth SPORT Center to have a Vo2Max test done. I can explain in more detail about what this test means, but just to know the higher the number the better. It was a pretty tough workout, but it went very well. I hit 68 for my VO2 max test, which converts to a 75 at sea level. That was a new Lab record. I was pretty excited about it, because I had no clue on what to expect going into it. So the point is to max your body out while on the treadmill. I went for 12:47. I started at 6:15 per mile pace, and every 2 minutes, they dropped the pace by 15 seconds. I got down to 5:00 per mile pace and ran at that for 2 minutes to finish up the test. The hardest part about the test is 1. Running on a treadmill, because you feel like your working so much harder, and 2. Running on the treadmill with this huge tube in your mouth and headgear strapped to you. Plus, my nose was pinched off with a clip so that I was forced to breathe only out of my mouth. It very fun, if thats the right word to use, simply because people have always asked me what my VO2 is and I never knew. In a few weeks we are going to do the test again back at sea level so that we can compare the numbers. Alright well I need to go pack and hang out with everyone before we leave bright and early in the morning. Last day in mammoth....then its back to the ATL!! Its been a great ride, and I have loved every minute of it. See everyone soon!!

-Jared

Running with olympians and visiting Yosemite National Park

Well the past few days have been pretty exciting in Mammoth. On Friday I got to run with Ryan and Sara Hall, and also Josh Cox. It was a moment I will never forget. I never imagined I would be out on the trails in beautiful Mammoth Lakes running 10 miles with Ryan and Sara Hall. Oh, and I can't forget their dog, Kai. She also ran with us. Then after the run, I got a ride back to the condo with the Halls. It was pretty sweet to say I have ridden in Ryan's car. And the best part about it all, was that it was so chill and relaxed. For a while I actually forgot who it was I was talking to. We rarely talked about running. We talked about school, life, God, and so much more than running. It was awesome!

Today, we went to Yosemite National park. It was an awesome day trip! I had never been there before, so I took tons of pictures. I went for a run when I got there, had some lunch, and then decided to hike up to a nearby waterfall. The view at the waterfall was unbelievable. It was the largetst waterfall I had ever seen. The hike was very steep but it was so worth it. I can't wait for everyone to see pics. Well I'm going to get some sleep now. It has been a long day and tomorrow is my last full day in Mammoth. Its weird to say that because I have actually gotten used to living here now. I must say I will miss this place, but at the same time I am really looking forward to getting back home too. I feel like this month has been an experience I will never forget. It has been amazing, and I have loved every bit of it. I also need to get some sleep tonight, because tomorrow afternoon I am getting a max v02 test done. It should be interesting because I have never had that done before. It should be fun, but challenging at altitude. I will have a tube in my mouth, my nose pinched off, a computer hooked up to me, and I will have to run on a treadmill for atleast 10 minutes, and will have to get down to 5:00/mile pace. Alright well I'm out now, but I will see you guys all this week!!!

-Jared

Training Run w/ Olympic Athletes

So, we are on a technology fast and I'm not supposed to be on the computer, but I had to tell you about todays run. Yesterday, Ryan and Sara Hall came over to talk to the group about their running and training. Afterwards, I was talking to Ryan about doing an easy run and he suggested we run together this morning! So, this morning, Ryan and Sara Hall picked up me, Jared, and our friend Brent from our condo and we headed up to Lake Mary (9000 feet) to run. We met up with Josh Cox, along with Meb Keflezghi (2004 silver Olympic Medalist) and Dan Browne (2004 Olympian). We ended up running about 10.5 miles together and it was a great experience. We had some great conversations about life, and I learned alot from both Ryan and Josh about staying positive even when things aren't going well. Its crazy cause a few days ago when I got a picture with him I thought that was a big deal. Today, I'm riding in the car with him just having regular conversations about life and random stuff. It was definently the best experience of the trip! After the run, Ryan and Sara drove us back to our condo. Their dog Kai joined us for the run as well and stayed with us the whole time....that dog is fit!! I've got a picture from today, so I will put it up as soon as possible.

-Josh

Another Technology Fast

Well tomorrow starts the 2nd week of camp, which means 3 days of no technology. Just wanted to let everyone know. Its late and I dont know why I am still up, so Im going to bed!

-Jared

Workout Wednesday!!

We'll its Wednesday afternoon and I'm chilling outside of starbucks. This morning, I had a great workout! I did 2x2 mile at 9000 feet. I was a bit nervous about doing this workout because the altitude is so high that even easy runs are tough. Anyways, I was super excited once I finished. I ran between 5:18-5:28 pace for the entire workout! Me, Jared, Martin, and Fuller are all in such great shape...its going to be a really good year. Last night was alot of fun. Ryan Hall, his wife Sara, and their mini husky Kai came over to worship with us, while Ryan spoke to us about his life with Christ. It was very inspirational to listen to him talk and tell us about his life. You would think that someone like him would be totally satisfied with the Olympics, or an American record, but he said the only thing in life that is satisfying is a relationship with God. After he spoke, I got a picture with him, along with his wife Sara and their dog Kai. After the run this morning, Ryan happened to be finishing up his run, so we hung out for a little bit and played with his dog. Alright, we'll I'm heading back to the condo to relax for a bit before my afternoon run. There is a new group of campers coming tonight, so it will be fun to meet all of them.

P.S- I will try and get the pictures from last night on here soon. It might not be till next week when I get back to Atlanta.

-Josh

Loving Mammoth Lakes

Well today is Tuesday, and its about 4:15 here in Mammoth. Right now I am just relaxing and waiting until we all leave at 5 to go on a short hike. We are going to hike up to the Panarama Dome they call it, to take pictures. It's just a high spot here in Mammoth where you can see the whole town. Really good place to take photos. Altitude camp has been really awesome so far, and I still have another week left. This past week has absolutely flown by. I have met so many new people from all over the U.S. Everyone here is really awesome. You can really build some great relationships with people up here. Well this morning, we went for a run to the hot springs. It was a great run. I love the route we took, because you're able to see a variety of scenery. Today's run was specifically fun and unique because every few miles we would stop and one of the counselors would read scripture to us. The last mile was awesome though. With a mile to go, we were all given a long piece of wood. The wood was used to symbolize the cross that Jesus carried. For the last mile we all ran carrying the wood across our shoulders. It was a very spiritual moment. We were able to run, see God's creating surrounding us, and realized the true sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Definitely a memorable moment. This afternoon a lot of us went walking around some shops, just hanging out with each other. I have also seen so many professional athletes while being here. Some of the country's best actually. Yesterday, I saw Josh Cox, whose most famous for being a 2:13 marathoner, posing on the front cover of running magazines, and being a cotestant on THe Bachelorette a couple years ago. Saw and met him today at this local pizza joint. He's going to come hang out with us tonight at our cook-out. Well I'm out for now, but I will post later, and put some pictures up. So far, I have over 300. Well hope everyone is doing well back home, and I will see everyone n a week. Although I love it up here and wouldn't mind staying a little longer, I promise I will be back in Atlanta a week from today!

-Jared

Back Online!!

We'll you've heard about the technology fast, cause Jared just posted about it, but I just wanted to get online and say hello. First of all thanks to everyone who is reading this, it means alot to me. So, ALTITUDE Project, the Christian running camp we are at is going great! I have met so many awesome people, and it is great to spend time with the folks from last year. I am learning alot about myself, life, and growing closer to Christ. My main prayer is that I can continue growing in Christ when I leave here. Being surrounded in God's creation enables me to focus on him so much. We have been super busy and by night, I'm exhausted, but I'm loving it. So, Friday night was pretty exciting. Ryan Hall, and his wife Sara came over to the camp to worship with us. It was great cause they both sat right behind me, so I got to meet Sara and have a good conversation with both of them. They are both such an inspiration and it was very exciting to have two of Americas best distance runners carrying on a conversation with me. They are both planning on coming back tomorrow to speak to the group, so I will hopefully get some photos with both of them. Anyways, I gotta go check my facebook and e-mail before worship, so I will HOLLA later!

-Josh

Life without Technology

Well, it's been almost a week since I have posted on here. For all of you reading this daily, I apologize. For a couple of days I did not have internet access, and then for the past 3 days, we have had a technology fast at the camp I am at. That meant no TV, computers, or cell phones. To be honest, it has been great. It is really cool to be up here in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, and not have any sense of what's going on in the world. The past week has been amazing. I don't have a ton of time now to talk about the past week, but I will later. Just wanted to get on here and give you the update on why there hasn't been a post in a week. Well, ALTITUDE project, the Christian distance camp Josh and I are at, started last Wednesday. It is awesome, I have loved every minute of it. The food is great, I have a bed to sleep in, and actually sleep at night, plus the people here are awesome. I have known these people for a few days and can already tell they are people I will continue to keep in touch with. My spiritual walk with Christ sure is getting stronger by the day as well. The people up here are so encouraging, and it is just a really awesome experience. Well, I have tons of pictures, great stories, and much more to write about, but for now I must go. Hope everyone back home is doing well. See you all soon!!

-Jared

Hot Springs

So tonight was the last night for our team camp. Those on the team that are leaving, and getting up at 4am and heading back to LA. I sure am glad that I don't have to get up that early! Anyways, for our last night together with the team we all drove over to the hot springs. Basically it's just a large natural hot tub. Last year when we went there were already people in there, so we decided not to get in. This year no matter what, we were determined to get in. All twenty-two of us walked down to the hot springs and found a few people already in there. There were so many of us though, I think we intimidated the ones that were in there and they left pretty quick. However...once we all got in the hot springs, we realized that those few people that were already in there, were butt naked! Atleast the girl that was in there was! There were two guys and a girl in there. They were all hippie-looking folks still living in the 70's. Needless to say, once we all got in there, they hurried up and got out. I think we made it pretty uncomfortbale for them to be in there. Oh well, it was funny though. So we pretty much chilled in the hot springs for like an hour, just talking and looking at the stars. The sky was dark and completely clear, making every star in the sky visible. It was also pretty cool walking down to the hot springs tonight. While we were walking down there, cattle was just freely walking around. There were no fences or any sort of boundary keeping them from us. They just looked at us and walked right in front of us. It was pretty cool. Alright well I'm going to bed now. Well maybe. It's 11:30 now, and I want to go to bed, but the whole team is still up, packing their stuff up. So I probably won't be going to bed anytime soon. Talk to you all later!

-Jared

Too many coccoa puffs

So, If you just read the previous blog that Jared posted, we did our long run today. I typically feel the same way with long runs as Jared. Normally, once I get about 6 or 7 miles, I start enjoying the run and really start cruising. But, the run did not go as well as I hoped for. I felt ok for about 8 or 9 miles, but I ate way too many bowls of coccoa puffs last night and cramped up pretty bad hahah! Oh we'll, you live and learn, but those things tasted really good last night! I'm going to chill and take a nap, then do an easy 3 miles this afternoon!

-Josh

Long Run in Mammoth

So today was Monday, which meant Long Run Day!!!I really seem to have a love-hate relationship with long runs. I hate starting them because its hard to convince your body that going to run for more than an hour and a half could be fun, but once I get out there, I really start to enjoy them, especially up here. So today I had to run for an hour and 35 minutes, or about 14 miles. We did this out and back course. Our coach marked the miles out 6 miles, then we just added on when we got back. The run is very challenging. Starting at about 7000 ft and working its way to about 8000 or so. There are also several very steep hills. Once I reached the 6 mile marker, I turned around and started heading back. By this time, I was really starting to feel good, and started to just cruise back. It turned out to be a really good run. Tiring, but good run. I was happy with it. I still can't get over the scenery I get to see while running out here. Many times during the runs when I start to hurt, I just take a look around and realize I am in the middle of nowhere. I feel so appreciative for what I have in life, and how happy I truly am about my life and excited about what the future holds. I completely forget about the current state of pain I'm in, and just become overwhelmed with excitement. I become excited about my training, and where my fitness is going, and also just excited about my life and everything and everyone in it. The runs up here really allow one to lose themselves, and not worry about anything. Your able to just get some great quiet thinking time in. Can't ask for anything more! Well I'm probably going to go take a nap now, because I am really tired after the run, but hope everyone back home is doing well. Today is the last day of our team camp. Most people are leaving tomorrow, and then ALTITUDE PROJECT starts Wednesday, so I am very excited about that! Two more weeks up here, then I will be back in the ATL. Talk to everyone later, and I hope you guys are all enjoying the blog.

-Jared

NEW VIDEO!!!!!

Celebrity Spotted!

So today a bunch of us went down to the Polo Outlet store. While we were there walking around, Josh recognized this guy. After taking a closer look we realized it looked like the character Andy from the ABC show, "According to Jim." At the time, I had no clue what his name was, and I couldn't remember the name of the show he was from. When we got back to the condo, we looked him up, and it turns out he was Larry Joe Campbell from According to Jim. It was pretty cool to see him in there. He was just in there with his kids shopping. It's cool to see familiar faces up here. So far I have seen several professional runners, but it's just cool to also see actors. This afternoon on the run we took the cameras and got some video footage for you guys to watch, so check it out! Well I'm out for now, but talk to you guys later!!

-Jared

Green Church Road

So today we had a workout to do. For me, it was a 5 mile predator run. For those that do not know, a predator run is when we run for 5 miles continuously at a fairly quick pace. We went to this road called Green Church Road. I do not think that the road is actually called Green Church Road, but everyone calls it that simply because at the start of the road sits a, green church. We were somewhere between 6000 and 7000 ft today. Workouts at altitude always feel tough for me. I know that I just have to push through them though, because it makes me so much stronger and once I am back down at sea level it will feel so much easier. Anyways, ran 27:59 today for 5 miles at altitude. I was happy with it. That is about 5:35 per mile at 7000 feet, so I can not complain too much. The run we did today has got one hell of a view though. This road we run on sits in a valley with the mountains cascading around it. It really is an awesome place to run. I honestly forget where I am sometimes while out on the road running. Well I think I am going to go chill now, and rest up. Going to go over to a polo outlet this afternoon and get some new clothes, because the stuff at this store is super cheap. Well I'm out for now, but will talk to you guys later!

-Jared

More PHOTOS!!!!

Photos from California

Here are some photos from Cali....most of them are either Venice Beach or Mammoth Lakes

The Dark Knight

Well, just finished up a run this morning at Inyo Craters. I really love to run at that place. It is the same place that we got lost at last week. Today, however, we just went out and back, so I did not get lost which was a good thing. Actually had a really good run. The first half I didn't feel all that great, and then once we turned around, the terrain got very hilly, and that part really hurt. I'm telling you, these hills at altitude really get you breathing hard, but it makes you so much stronger. The last 10 minutes of the run were great though, because the trail has a slight downhill to it. I was just cruising back to the vans, and feeling good. Turned out to be a really good run. After the run I went to the creek to soak, which makes my legs feel so much better after a run. Then it was off to breakfast, and now all of the guys on the team are heading over to the movie theater to see the new Batman movie..The Dark Knight!! I am actually pretty physced about seeing this movie. It should be good. Well I gotta go now, the rest of the team is already over there buying tickets. Talk to you guys later!!

-Jared

Well we've been in Mammoth for over a week now. It's about 10:45 in Mammoth now, and I'm just chillin in the living room watching country music videos on TV. Today was my day to take off from running and bike instead. It felt good to bike today and give the legs a rest. However, biking up here is not always fun. There are hills absolutely everywhere! So today Josh and I were biking down this asphalt bike path which wasn't that bad, but then it turned into a dirt road. The road started to go straight down, which makes you feel like you're not getting much of a workout because your not biking, you're just coasting down a steep hill. Well after several minutes of biking down hill we never reached a road, so we just decided to turn around since we weren't sure where we were going. Well turning around meant biking straight up hill now, which was not fun. The trail was very sandy and it felt like we were biking on a beach. We finally made it to the top and then just biked alongside the road. On the way back to the condo we saw Deena Kastor, the women's olympic marathon trials champion and favorite to medal in Beiijing, running down the road. It is really exciting and inspiring to be out training on the roads and to see all of these professional athletes out running as well. Alright well I'm off to chill for a little bit, then might go out into town and get some pictures or sometihng, who knows. This afternoon I will be doing a pool run, and then tonight I think we have a talent show. I better hurry and think of a talent, because as of now, I've got nothing. There is an area up the road called Mammoth Village, with a bunch of shops, restaurants, and condos. It is a really nice area, and I noticed yesterday that each night they have some sort of activity going on. Tonight they're showing a "movie under the stars", tomorrow night there is a concert going on. So maybe some of us will go up there and check it out. Well I'm out for now, talk to you guys later!

Workout Wednesday!!

We'll I just got back from my first workout since I have been up here, and it went really well considering the elevation. We drove down to Bishop, California which rests at about 4000 feet. The workout was 1 mile on the road, 6xhill repeats, 1/2 mile on road. I split 5:14 for the mile, then ran 6xhills, and then finished with a 2:40 1/2 mile to finish the workout! This place where we ran today was in the middle of nowhere, but its still real nice. It looks like the place cousin Eddy from the vacation movies lives haha. We'll I'm off to wash clothes and chill before the afternoon run!

Ryan Hall

This is a photo of Hall winning the Olympic Marathon Trials in a record time of 2:09.02. And this is a video we got of him working out!!!

9,000 Ft.

So today we drove up to Horseshoe Lake to run. Horseshoe Lake is located at about 9,000 feet. I love running up there though because you feel like you are completely alone up there. The scenery is amazing. I'll get some photos of it up soon. This place we run has several large lakes located within a couple miles of each other. So today we started at Horseshoe Lake and ran a loop around it, then ran down the road to Lake Mary. There is a road that loops around the lake and it is a really nice place to run. Today was the first day that the altitude was really hitting me. So far I have been okay but today I was really feeling the altitude. Being at 9,000 feet might have a little something to do with it haha. It took me about 30 minutes of running today before I started to feel good. So, just as I was breathing hard today and feeling the effects of 9,000 feet, the run got pretty exciting. So you guys who have been reading this have heard us talking about this runner, Ryan Hall. Well today while a group of us were running down the road to Lake Mary, we saw Ryan's coach Terrance Mahon biking up the road with cones in his hand. Immediately we knew that he was probably out marking the road for a workout for Ryan. We finished up the run and never saw Ryan, however we saw cones marked out on the road every 1/4 mile around Lake Mary. Once we finished the run, we soaked in the Lake and then drove back to the condo for breakfast. However, we first convinced our coach's wife to drive down the road where we saw the cones set up. So our van full of about 12 of us drove down the road that circled around Lake Mary. As we came around the turn, there he was! Ryan Hall was on the side of the road with his coach in front of him on the bike. For us runners, this was like seeing some famous Hollywood celebrity. As we drove by, he was just fixing to take off for his workout. We all yelled to him out the window, he threw his hand up and waved, and then he took off! We got it on video so everyone can see it. It was pretty exciting to see. As we drove down the road, we then saw Deena Kastor, who is an olympian and the women's olympic marathoon trials champion. She was in the middle of a workout as well. We yelled at her too and she waved back. After that we drove back to the condo and chowed down on breakfast. Well, I'm off to shower now and chill until our second run this afternoon. Hope everyone is doing well back home. Talk to you guys later!

Check the blog later today...the video will be up soon!!

Jared

So, this evening I went out for an easy 3 mile run. There are some days when you are just in the zone and can really use the time to escape and think. Running has become such a huge part of my life, and sometimes I enjoy it and other days it feels like a hassle, but no matter what I always climb back up. Over the past few years, I have had a lot of struggles with this sport and it got to a point where running was controlling my life. When I was injured, or not running well, it was affecting me as a person, and I got to a point where I couldn't find the fire to compete like I used to. But, the most important thing I have learned from this sport is to stay discipline and dedicated to what you do. Everytime I fall down, something inside of me doesn't let me quit. In life, giving up seems like such an easy escape, but things always get better and there is always something better at the end of the finish line. I do not know how long I will continue competitive running, but I know that wahtever I do after college, I will devote the same amount of effort to it. Being in Mammoth enables me to escape and appreciate this crazy sport of running. I feel so dedicated and committed to my task while up here. I wish all of you could see what I get to vision everyday while up here. Alright, we'll enough preaching for now, take care and I'll catch you later!

-Josh

ok, so I'm super tired right now! I just got back from an 11 mile run at about 8000 ft. altitude. Typically, 11 miles would not be a big deal for me but when your running at 8000 feet at a quick pace it makes you pretty tired. The first 2.5 miles were ok, but from about mile 3 to mile 5.5, it climbs straight uphill. The way back, I was able to pick up the pace and started clipping 6:15 miles pretty easily, but when I finished, I felt like I had just completed a marathon. Running uphill at altitude is so tough. It is kind of hard to explain the feeling. Its a pain that feels good though because you know you are going to benefit from the work, even if your running slow. We'll I am off to take a nap now, and will do another 3 or 4 miles real easy this afternoon. HOLLLAA!!!!

This picture is taken down the street from the condo we are staying in. The view doesn't get much better than this!

-Josh

We'll its Sunday evening about 10:30 and I just got home from church. It was a really good service. When we first arrived at the church, we were a little hesitant about going in. Ryan Hall, one of the best distance runners ever, told us about this church. It was located in the middle of an open field at a horse stable nestled in the valley surrounded by rocky mountains. The church had a guest speaker tonight, Ed Tandy Mcglasson, who is an ex-NFL player, and his message was very inspirational and motivating. He discussed having a personal relationship with Christ and defining yourself through Christ and not by your job, interests, activities, etc. It really hit me, and opened my eyes. The service was alot different than I was expecting. There were a lot of young folks there, and lots of snowboard bums, and these people really know how to get down and worship. It was kinda like a rock concert. Also, we were supposed to hangout with Ryan Hall tonight, but he ended up doing a 26 mile long run and spent the afternoon resting, but he is coming to hangout with us sometime soon, either tomorrow or the next day. Anyways, I will get some photos up when he comes to chill with us. We'll I've got a 15 mile long run at 8000 ft. altitude in the morning, so I better go get some rest.

-Josh

Well its been four days in Mammoth now and I'm loving every minute of it! I still can't get over how amazing this place is. Today we drove about 40 minutes south of Mammoth to a town called Bishop. It was located at about 4,000 feet. We went down there for the team to do a workout. We hung out down there at a park for the majority of the morning. We then drove back to Mammoth Lakes to cook up some breakfast. After breakfast I took a much needed nap. All the running and altitude sure makes you tired up here. The nap was just ok. Too many guys on the team were watching a movie and it was really loud. But oh well, it was still good to just relax and let my body rest. So this condo we are staying in is really convenient to everything, but I must say it is a little cramped in this place. There are 12 guys staying in a condo that has beds for about 9 or 10. There are a couple guys on the couch and in the floor. The condo pretty much looks like a frat house that forgot to clean up after a big party. Haha oh well. So tomorrow night should be fun. Ryan Hall, for those that don't know, is currently one of the best American distance runners. He won the Olympic marathon trials back in November and has a great shot at medaling this August in Beijing. Anyways he lives and trains up here in mammoth and is coming over to the condo tomorrow to hang out. He's going to come over and have dinner with us, speak to us, and then we are going to go to church with him afterwards. It should be a lot of fun. Don't worry I will get some pictures up very soon. Well its about 10:30 on Saturday night and I'm about to hit the bed now. Hope everyone is doing well back home. Talk to you all later!

ICE bath!!

We'll its Friday and I just got back from another great run. One of the best benefits of being at altitude is that even when your sleeping you can feel the affect of altitude. I just got back from another great run this morning. We headed over to Inyo Craters, which is about 8000 feet altitude. I was planning on running the 10 mile loop, but me and some of the other guys went the wrong way and got lost, so we ended up running close to 13 haha. It is a gorgeous run though. You have to make sure you start out easy, because you can die hard if you go out too fast. Around 30 minutes into the run, Me and Jared were really starting to roll. I know that the training up here is really going to benefit me when the season starts. We'll I'm off to breakfast now, but I will post later. Also, the picture if from yesterdays run. It was at about 7000 feet and we ran up the side of that mountain....I was breathing pretty hard.

MAMMOTH Bound!!

We'll we arrived in Mammoth Lakes yesterday around 7 p.m. It was a long day of traveling. We woke up at 4:00 a.m and were flying or driving all day, so we were all pretty exhausted when we got to Mammoth. We flew into L.A, and it was cool because I'd never been there before. The famous LAX airport where all the celebrities are spotted was a lot older than I expected, plus I didn't see any celebrities, atleast none that I recognized. Anyways, before we left L.A, we stopped by Venice Beach. That place is interesting. I've always heard stories of it, and everything I have heard was true. It was cool, but many interesting characters at this place. There were lots of homeless folks, people skating, and the wannabe rappers who try and sell their "beats" on the street. After we left Venice, we hit the interstate towards Mammoth Lakes. Driving through Cali was awesome. We didn't stop here, but I saw the exit for Hollywood, UCLA, and all the other places that make California so famous. California is so different than the east coasts with mostly all deserts and mansions sitting on top of the "hills." After driving for about 5 hours, we finally arrived at our destination. I was super tired and still am, but I did an easy 7 miles at shady rest trails when we arrived. It was a good run. This morning, I did about 8 miles straight up a mountain at 7500 feet altitude.....it was pretty tough, but I felt real strong on the hills. I've got some really good pictures, but I just gotta find a way to put them on here. Aight, we'll I'm off to eat, so I will post later.

Trip to Cali!!

We'll I'm in the middle of packing right now for California! I'm flying out early tomorrow morning to Mammoth Lakes California. We are actually flying to LA and then driving 5 hours to the mountains of Mammoth Lakes. I'm heading up to the mountains in the middle of nowhere to train at 8,000 feet altitude for a month, it should be a fun adventure. I will try and update as much as possible and try and get some photos on here as well, maybe even some videos, but we'll just see. Aight, Peace out for now!!!