Lifestyle Experiment - June - Report Card

This month I set out to run 5 vertical miles. I had originally planned on doing a bit less but decided to make it a stretch and push myself.

The results...

27,108 vertical feet / 5280 feet per mile = 5.13 miles

\

 

 

I did it!

During the middle of the month I was lagging behind because of vacation, feeling blah, and having to shuffle around my run days to accomodate other things. I ended up swapping out a few of my pavement days to hit more elevation on the trails ( no complaints there )

 

I learned a lot more than I imagined I would during this experience.

 

It was a whole different kind of running and it required a completely different mindset. While speed and distance were still important to my overall training program, these goals took a backseat to the up and down. I learned to focus on conserving energy by keeping a consistant cadence. I learned to listen more to my body and recognize when to hike the hills instead of run them to not kill myself off with 10 miles to go. And, I learned that when you are the only one on the trail at 6:22 in the morning you will inevitably very narrowly avoid a head on collision with a fellow runner who shows up in your face out of nowhere. Screaming like a banshee is allowed in this scenario.

 

The most important lesson I learned while climbing to  26,400 feet is this

 

God is my Dad.

 

My entire life I've been taught this and I've really felt it here and there but it hasn't been a consistant thing. I think a huge part of this was the fact that I've always been taught to address God using the words Thee and Thou. Extreemly formal and uncomfortable and overly formal in my opinion. These words convey the requirement to be solemn in my conversation with the almighty. I understand and respect the idea of reverence and respect but I find it very difficult to feel those things when I'm feeling uncomfortable and awkward. Imagine asking someone for advice. Maybe a trusted friend, sibling, or, your Dad. "How art thou this morning? I have a question for thee." I imagine you would both feel pretty out of place.

 

When I'm running and I see something I like I stop, take pictures, and sometimes end up taking a break for 30 minutes. One morning as I sat on a big rock overlooking the beautiful Heber Valley

 

 

I was trying to have one of these awkward moments and I wasn't feeling any connection at all. It was strange. Then I just started talking. Out loud, almost shouting if you can picture it. I ditched the haughty Thee and Thou and kicked back and had a conversation with my Dad.

 

Conversation

/ˌkänvərˈsāSH(ə)n/

The informal exchange of ideas by spoken words.

 

The interesting thing about a conversation is it takes 2. As soon as I tore down the facade of reverence things became real. I had one of the most engaging and powerful experiences of my life.

 

I set out to run 5 miles. I made it so much further.

 

Too often in life we hide behind masks of insecurity, complacency, and social expectations. We take ourselves out of our element and things become awkward. Certain conversations scare us so we resort to phone calls, emails, text messaging, or not avoiding the interaction all together. We allow distance and convenience to become excuses for the degredation of our relationships, experiences, and life.

 

It's time to Burn that Script.

 

This is my goal for July.

 

Stay tuned....

 



Lifestyle Experiment - June - Run 5 miles

This months lifestye experiment is a physical challenge.

I'm going to run 5 miles in June!

I ran a little over 5 miles yesterday so I'm done. See ya lata!

.......(silence).......







I'm going to run 5 vertical miles in June!


I love to climb! It's hard, It burns, It is an incredible workout.

On my 5 mile trail run I climbed 1720 feet. Roughly 1/3 of a mile. Since I run solo most of the time literally every one of my runs is either an out and back course or a loop. I'm starting and ending at the same elevation every time. Which means my uphill = my downhill. Yesterdays run was 3440 feet of vertical change.

I am training for 2 marathons this year. I'll be running the Mid Mountain Marathon (trail race) again this year and helping my father in law celebrate his 30th running of the St. George Marathon (road race).

It's been a few years since I have run more than 7-8 miles on pavement so I need to get used to the more solid and less forgiving surface. Except for a handful of miles legendarily brutal Veyo Climb the St. George course is all downhill. Murder on the legs!

I came really close to tapping out of the Mid Mountain race last year. After 16 miles there is a climb for 5 miles. From bottom to top their is 500 feet of elevation gain but with the sawtooth up and down of the trail the actual climb is 1600 feet. I enjoyed myself through the pain and it was honestly one of the most spiritual experiences of my life.

I want to enjoy my races to the fullest this year. I want to minimize the pain and recovery time. I want to be kinder to my body. So I'm going to run hills.

2.5 miles up + 2.5 miles down

I'm basing this off the average vertical change of my trail and road runs this spring. I had originally planned on 4 vertical miles but that didn't seem to be pushing myself like I wanted to.

I stick mostly to the roads for my weekday shorter runs and our town is pretty flat so I am relying more on my longer weekend trail runs to meed this challenge.

My training schedule has me running 109 miles so doing the math I need an average of 242 feet of vertical change per mile.

In order to strengthen my core and make my runs easier I am going to be doing body weight exercises on my non run days and swimming when I can fit it in.


We all have different mountains to climb in life. Many are physical like the one I'm challenging myself to this month. But let's not forget the inner struggles we all face each day. The obstacles that stand between us and our dreams are their to make us stronger. They are their to help us to appreciate more what it is we are fighting for.

Enjoy the CLIMB.


Don't forget, I'm continuing my April challenge to be a Ruthless Life Editor.

Lifestyle Experiment - May - Report Card

Full Disclosure

This month's lifestyle experiment was pretty close to a total bust.

My motivation and desire to make it happen were there and chomping at the bit. I did make some good progress clearing out our garage and getting my office back in order. But I wasn't able to get into "editing" like I wanted to.

- I started late in the month with no true goal or vision in mind. I was also playing catch up from being away for our amazing 11 day vacation.

- I was able to spend a day on a field trip with my daughter.

- We got our vegetable garden in the ground.

The month of May was definitely not a loss. But, I'm taking a mulligan on being "ruthless".

For June I'll be doubling up on the challenges. I'll check back in with that on Monday.


In other news.

I noticed the other day that almost everything I have written about over the past several months has had to do with these lifestyle experiments and I'm getting pretty bored with it. I love challenging myself and pushing myself to do cool things but I have so many other things I would rather be sharing with you.

I'm not going to quit doing the challenges and I'm not done sharing them with you. Just expect to see more and better content that's all.

So... What Do You Do?

We've all asked and been asked this question a million times. It's part of our default protocol when meeting someone new or catching up with an old friend or relative.

This often contrived and impersonal interaction has bothered me for a really long time. A couple years ago, I got an idea for a social experiment. I decided to take this question out of it's pre-programmed social context and tell people what I'm really doing with my life. I don't do it every time the question comes up, but when I do the reactions are interesting.

So Brandon, what do you do?

... Last month we were able to go on an amazing Scandinavian adventure.
... I'm really excited to be running trails again. I was going through major withdrawals this winter.
... I'm enjoying simplifying my life and getting rid of most of what I own.

Great... but really, what do you DO?

Well....

... We became debt free last year and have been loving the financial freedom.
... I started lap swimming recently.  Not just flailing my arms and legs to stay afloat takes practice.
... I created this blog called Burning the Script and I'm writing about.....

NO!

What do you... Grrr... What do you do for $$$???

Oh....

In what line of work I am gainfully employed in order provide for myself and others?
(Sounds pretty boring when it's phrased that way doesn't it?)

Why is it that when this question gets thrown around people aren't looking to hear about what is really going on in our LIVES? How has our profession/vocation/job become the main way we identify ourselves in this culture. Why is the barometer of a person's perceived success pre-set based on what they do "for a living" and not HOW they are LIVING?

Is this the best we can do?

I have met so many amazing people who are in what might be considered the less glamorous lines of work yet they were happy to be providing a service and genuinely engaged in what they were doing. I've met even more people who have the "dream jobs", are making the big $$$, and show all signs of a "successful" life, yet below this facade they are completely miserable.

Sadly, so many people are caught up in the rat race and doing a balancing act of making ends meet and still finding a way to afford the next big thing. Work becomes the central focus of their

With that in mind I guess it makes sense that people would automatically associate this so called livelyhood as what they "do" and even who they "are".


As part of this experiment I've also made it a point to ask different questions when I meet new people.

Hey "new cool person I just met", what's going on in your life?

... I'm in sales.
... I'm a pediatric dentist.
... I'm a software engineer

That's nice but tell me about yourself?

... I manage a team of 30.
... I clean tables after people are done eating.
... I deliver office supplies.

What do you REALLY do?

... I just told you
... I'm confused
... ?

Oh...

... After my shift at the Quickymart I'm headed accross town for band practice.
... I have 2 more haircut appointments then I'm volunteering at the local senior center.
... With my next paycheck I'll be registering for my first triathlon!



So tell me... what do YOU do?

Lifestyle Experiment - April - Disconnected and Fully Engaged.

Good morning!

My attic office window faces East and most mornings I watch the sunrise.

Pretty amazing!

It's hard not to wakeup and jump right into work. I have a lot to do. I've made commitments. Taking a few minutes each morning and throughout the day to pause, disconnect, and let life in helps to keep me energized throughout the day. I am more focused in my work and less irritable when I remember to do this.

I thought about doing an April Fools Day post and making up some crazy story but  I don't have anything to share that wouldn't be completely obvious.

Last night I deleted all social media and other timewasters from my phone. I didn't use them very much to begin with but I've found myself connecting more often lately. I've become part of a few pretty cool groups and started another. People have interesting things to say and I enjoy learning from them. I also enjoy contributing myself and it is really tempting to check in to see if anyone has commented on something I've shared.

I'm highly distractible. By now you know this. I was told by the psychologist who gave me the ADD under the table diagnosis that I have strong addictive tendencies and that I should be vigilant in life to keep them in check.

When I get an alert on my phone I've trained myself to not need to immediately see what's going on. But the notification takes up space in my mind. Knowing that I have something waiting for me takes up some of my focus bandwidth. I end up checking it a little while later just to get it out of my mind. By then there might be a handful of alerts all vying for my attention.

I don't like it.

I do like when I am able to learn from others and when people are interested in things I have to share. I love re-connecting with old friends and having a forum to bounce questions and ideas off of. What I can do without is the never ending connectivity. BING - BING - BING. Check it out, you don't want to miss anything!

EXACTLY!

I don't want to miss out on life because I was sucked up in the world of  anti-social media. I want to make genuine connections with real people.

I say this all while preparing a post to send out to facebook and the blogosphere. Hypocrisy? Maybe a little. The fact is I don't see these things as bad in moderation and when used to enhance opportunities in REAL LIFE. I use it for business. I use it to manage a community and I use it to connect.

Lately I've felt it's claws digging into me and I'd rather be free.

So for April, and probably indefinitely, I'm checking out of social media. It's gone from my phone and I won't connect from my computer except for 1 day a week for 30 minutes. Wednesday by default. During this small window I will do all  posts, status updates, replies, ... everything. Then I'm disconnected again for 7 days.

And not just social media. I'm going to look for ways to put the beat down on other time wasting garbage in life. I have so many important and meaningful things to do that I am just not getting around to doing. My TO DO list is hovering over my head like the anvil in a Wile E. Coyote cartoon.

I'm looking forward to catching more of the sunrises in life.

See you next week.

Lifestyle Experiment - March - Report Card

My last post pretty much summed up how I feel about this past mont. No more trying to force life and win the game on my own. I am going to allow my "teammates" to get into the game and play their part. If they are able to help me I am able to help them and together we establish Cadence in Life

Thanks trees! Why didn't you say so in the first place?

Cadence in Life - Lessons from the Black Locust Trees

In one of my first posts to this blog I told you all about our trip up to Heber City to check out this old house for sale. My first impression of the house was Big Old Piece of _____.

The yard was a completely different story.

I've said it before and I'll say it again 1000 times. I love trees. The front yard was awesome but after making our way through the ramshackle house I saw the backyard and I was sold.

 

This picture doesn't even begin to do the yard justice. The grass was hammered, the planting beds were overgrown, and their was strange garbage stashed here and there. It was a pretty big mess.

 

But the trees!

 

Huge, mature, beautiful green shade trees everywhere! A few of them I recognized as some type of maple (Box Elder complete with the nasty bugs but I did find out they produce great syrup) and other trees that resembled the Honey Locust trees we had in the yard of our first home.

 

A bit rough around the edges but in my mind it had all the ingredients for paradise.

 

We moved in that December after all the leaves had fallen and the green had gone. As the snow fell to the ground and clung to bushes and branches our yard was transformed into a different brand of paradise. A winter wonderland. It was awesome to watch our kids run around in their new world. Tracking up the snow and climbing trees.

 

Pretty soon the snow melted away and the color came back to our yard. It was amazing to watch everything spring to life. The grass started coming in. Buds where showing on the lilac bushes and Box Elder trees, and the songs of birds returned. It was incredible.

 

Then, I freaked out.

 

Our entire yard was coming to life except for one thing. Our beautiful grove of Black Locust trees.

 

Everything else was looking amazing. These trees were looking dead. To make it worse a few of the branches snapped off way to easily when I pulled on them. Yep, the trees were dead.

 

I won't lie, I was pretty distraught. Most of the trees in our yard were Black Locust and they were all dead! From what I hear a lot of people consider them weeds because they grow like crazy and do whatever they want but I think they are incredible trees and will gladly deal with their personality quirks. I love the diffuse shade they create and the sound their small leaves make in the wind.

 

So much for that.

 

After sulking it up for a few days I saw something that made me wonder. I started seeing Black Locusts all around town. They must have been the tree of choice at some point because they were everywhere. I noticed that they were all looking pretty dead. It wasn't just our backyard forest that was struggling.

 

Sure enough, within a couple weeks the Black Locust trees decided to come out of hibernation and quickly sprang to life. before long they were just as full and vibrant as the other trees and plants.

 

Last spring I didn't know that the Black Locust trees were late bloomers and it put me in panic mode. This year I know what to expect and I've been able to let nature do it's thing and enjoy the season.

 

...

 

I've given you fair warning, this blog gets spiritual NOW.

 

This month I've been thinking a lot about the whole Cadence in Life thing. I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that I can't force life. There are so many things that I want to make happen for myself, for my family and for others. I like to move fast and I like to get things done. When life (situations, my work, other people) doesn't move at my pace I've tended to get a bit frustrated.

 

At some point I got the idea that if I worked hard enough and applied enough leverage and pressure to life it would move in the direction I want it to go. Sometimes it works with great results. Other times I do all I can and nothing happens then suddenly SNAP! life breaks.

 

Patience is something that doesn't come easy for me. It's one of those things I really have to work at. Being patient with myself, with my wife and kids, with my responsibilities in my work and in my community.

 

Sometimes, not often enough, I remember this wise bit of advice and promise.

 

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness, I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then I will make weak things become strong unto them."    

Ether 12:27

 

I have definitely been feeling pretty weak lately. I've had several conversations with my wife about how I feel I am being torn into 2 people by opposing influences in my life. I've noticed there has been a fine line between feeling motivated, empowered, and guided and disillusioned, weak, and alone.

 

I've definitely felt like I was going it alone at times. Like I was without a team playing in the biggest game of my life against an extremely aggressive and talented opponent.

 

"At times we may be tempted to think the Savior is oblivious to our trials. In fact, the reverse is true: it is we who need to be awakened in our hearts to His teachings. Use your ingenuity, your strength, your might to resolve your challenges, Do all you can do and then leave the rest to the Lord."

Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Finding a Safe Harbor"

 

When I actually take time to pause and look up I realize that my team has been here the whole time. They have all wanted to play but I've been a superstar ball hog trying to push the game forward and win on my own. It might work that way in little league but not here, not on this stage.

 

I'm going to take what's left of this month and beyond to really focus on relying on my team. I'll do everything in my power to do my part in life and get things done but also allow life to move at it's own steady pace and fill in the gaps.

 

GO TEAM!