Would You Run For 236 Hours For One Minute of Airtime With Bob Barker?

A Blast from the Past     

I did just that ten times over when I visited CBS Television Studios for a taping of The Price is Right at the end of my solo run across America on trails in 1998. I ran for roughly 140,000 hours in my run across the country and was rewarded with 10 minutes of airtime with Bob Barker on the show. During the taping, he stopped the show three times to ask me questions about the trip. It was over so quickly; I was in complete shock the entire time. No one knows who will be picked when they sit down in the frigidly cold studio audience after waiting outside for hours. Everyone hopes they will hear their name but in each show, only 9 out of more than 300 get called to "come on down". I was the first in the second half to get to jog down the aisle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=autFqYoRk1Q 

Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 Mile Race Report: 2011

Is it shallow of me to want to elevate my overall rank in the results by including the nearly 40% of registered runners who didn't show up for the start? Out of 200 runners who each paid a Benjamin to register for the self-proclaimed hardest 50-mile trail race in the nation, 72 of them changed their mind.

Whatever. I'm including them.

Great News! Out of 200 registered runners, I finished 61st!

(wink,wink) Special thanks to MAP Photography for their great shots this year. This was my fourth time doing Zane Grey and my third time to finish. (The other time I was pulled off the course at mile 44 because I was told to stop early.)

Last weekend would have been really exciting on the course. The high temperature just one week before was 34F and almost a half-inch of rain and snow fell that day.

Pre-Race: Too Much Thinking!

As I prepare for a rugged 50-mile trail race this weekend, my thoughts run amuk.

Whether you're gearing up for a 5k or 50 miler, there's always those inevitable days leading up to the race when all you do is think about it. Have you trained enough? Almost always 'no'. How will it feel? Usually painful. And the ultimate: How will you do? It depends.

I've been very happy with my training since January. I've run over 500 miles since then and until last weekend,

Jumping Castles as Physical Therapy and Brian Finds Gollum in a Tunnel!

(Photo above is of Camelback Mountain, near our neighborhood).

Quite a week. My wife has been working out of town more often and that means low mileage weekdays. To keep my weekly mileage climbing, it also means I need to hammer the miles when she's around. It actually works out well since I'm trying to prepare for big back to back days in Nevada this June (50 miles/day for 10 days).

It's "Leave Your Car at Work Week"

Wednesday evening: After a 12 hour day at school with both classes and parent-teacher conferences, I decided to leave my car at school and run the 13 miles home at 8 pm. I've found it's a remarkable way to clear my head after a full day in the classroom. Now that I've gotten home (10 pm), I also realize it will be a great incentive to run back in just 8 hours, as I don't have much choice in the matter with my car there now. Favorite moment running back tonight? Passing a digital "Your Speed" display built into a speed limit sign. The sign clocks drivers speeds as they go through the 40 m.p.h. zone. "45" - "48" - "42" - "6" ... At first, I thought it was a speed gun glitch but then I realized who it was clocking. Classic.