My "Journal"

I'm not much a person for keeping a journal but I do see their value. Often times I have wished I would have kept one. Then I could go back and check what happened when and what the details were. Well fortunately for me technology is making things so much easier.

Some time ago I started using an iPhone application called Foursquare. It allows you to "check in" at various places that you go and let's your friends know where you are. There are other features but this is the main gist of it. So I've been checking most of the places I go for over a year.

Well a few months ago my nephew, Josh, told me about a site called ifttt.com. It's short for "if this than that." It is a service that connects other technologies so that they can inter-operate. It connects with Foursquare. But the other technology that it interacts with that I use for keeping track of my "journal" is Google Calendar. I have it set up so that when I check in on Foursquare, ifttt automatically creates an event in my Google Calendar on a specific calendar called check-ins. This allows me at some later time to go back and see where all I went on a specific day. I can also add notes to the Foursquare check in if I want more detail. I often use this to remember who I was with or what movie I saw, etc... And one more great thing about it is that Google Calendar is searchable.

Who Loves Going to the DMV? Me!

2012

I was surprised when I got a letter from the state telling me about how I needed all sorts of documents to renew my driver's license. I was surprised because I didn't even realize that it was expiring anytime soon. So I'm glad they sent the letter even if it meant that I had to gather up my passport, W2, and utility bills. Soon I realized that this would mean that I would get a new photo and I would get to reduce the weight listed by 30 lbs without fudging any numbers. That is when I really got excited. I also found out that the DMV now allows you to schedule an appointment online. It was super easy and I was in and out in about 10 minutes. Best trip to the DMV ever!

2007

My First RSL Game

(Photo credit: Marc Edwards https://www.facebook.com/marcedwardsphoto)

Last Saturday I went to my first ever professional soccer game. It was Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado. RSL won 2-0. 

I'm not a super huge sports fan. Especially when it comes to watching them on television. But I have found that I enjoy live sporting events almost always. This year I bought a Pass of All Passes from a Groupon deal. As part of that deal there are 4 RSL games that you can get into free. I had tried going to one previously but it was sold out. Fortunately they give you a rain check to guarantee you entry to another game. So my buddy, Stephen, and I went to check out our first game. Neither of us had been to game or to the Rio Tinto Stadium. The weather had been so nice for the days prior to the game and even that day it was much nicer earlier. I'm glad that I ended up wearing pants though rather than the shorts that I was considering. I also brought a zippie which ended up being very valuable. I could see why they sell all sorts of REAL scarves and blankets! It was a good time especially since RSL won. Below is the view we had most of the game. We had some zealots that felt the need to stand through most of the game.

Here's a recap of the game: http://www.realsaltlake.com/news/2012/04/recap-saborio-espindola-fuel-rivalry-win-against-rapids

Here are the highlights: http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2012-04-07-rsl-v-col/highlights

Did Someone Say Free?

If you know me at all, you know that I love free things. I mean who doesn't, right?! Well not long ago Runner's Corner posted on Facebook that they were having a contest for a tech t-shirt. All you had to do was post why you "run like an animal." Easy enough I thought. Here is what I posted with my before/after photo:

I was never a runner but after 42 years I decided to give it a try. It wasn't easy and I felt foolish in my initial attempts. Even a year and a few months later I have a hard time calling myself a runner and yet I go running regularly, have run 5Ks, relay races, and am signed up for my first half marathon in June. The determination has kept me going and in the process I've shed around 40 lbs. I run like an animal!

I was the first to enter the contest and I thought that would give me the edge I needed to win. It wasn't too long after my post that the second one came in about a guy who was on dialysis three days before running a marathon and now he was having a kidney transplant and still running. Suddenly my post was feeling inadequate. But it didn't stop there. The next entry was a girl who had been hit by a car while running and how she was still running after than. The next entry was a guy who had lost 90 lbs. Oh and then there was the guy who's ankle was composed mostly of screw to reconstruct it.

Had any of them posted before I entered, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have even bothered trying. After all I would vote for any of them over me. But being the competitive guy that I am (and, yes, I am competitive) I kept soliciting my Facebook friends to vote for me. In fact towards the end of the contest I added this to my solicitation for votes: "Don't let the dialysis patient win!" If someone didn't know me they would think I was horrible person. But it was really me saying "I know I don't deserve this one." My favorite response came from my buddy, Stephen. He said, "Brian Borup, you let him win!" :)

In the end the dialysis patient did win. At least this was one time where I could feel good about losing.

Half Marathon Training Schedule

In an effort to track my training for the American Fork Half Marathon and to keep it separate from my usual blog, I have started a  new one. You can follow my training blog here: http://myafhalf.blogspot.com/

This is the basic schedule that I will be following:

Date	Week	Sun	Mon (Run)	Tue (CT)	Wed (Run)	Thu (CT)	Fri	Sat (Run)
4/1/2012	1	Rest	30 Min (3 Miles)	30-40 Min	30 Min (3 Miles)	30-40 Min	Rest	4 Miles
4/8/2012	2	Rest	30 Min (3 Miles)	30-40 Min	30 Min (3 Miles)	30-40 Min	Rest	5 Miles
4/15/2012	3	Rest	30 Min (3 Miles)	30-40 Min	30 Min (3 Miles)	30-40 Min	Rest	6 Miles
4/22/2012	4	Rest	35 Min (3 Miles)	30-40 Min	35 Min (3 Miles)	30-40 Min	Rest	7 Miles
4/29/2012	5	Rest	45 Min (4 Miles)	30-40 Min	45 Min (4 Miles)	45-50 Min	Rest	4 Miles
5/6/2012	6	Rest	45 Min (4 Miles)	30-40 Min	45 Min (5 Miles)	45-50 Min	Rest	8 Miles
5/13/2012	7	Rest	50 Min (5 Miles)	30-40 Min	50 Min (5 Miles)	45-50 Min	Rest	9 Miles
5/20/2012	8	Rest	45 Min (4 Miles)	30-45 Min	50 Min (4 Miles)	45-50 Min	Rest	6 Miles
5/27/2012	9	Rest	50 Min (5 Miles)	30-45 Min	50 Min (5 Miles)	45-50 Min	Rest	10 Miles
6/3/2012	10	Rest	45 Min (4 Miles)	30-45 Min	45 Min (4 Miles	45-50 Min	Rest	7 Miles
6/10/2012	11	Rest	35 Min (3 Miles)	30-45 Min	35 Min (3 Miles)	45-50 Min	Rest	6 Miles
6/17/2012	12	Rest	30 Min (3 Miles)	30 Min	30 Min (3 Miles)	Rest	Rest	13.1 Miles

CT = Cross Training

Source: http://www.shape.com/fitness/training-plans/your-step-step-half-marathon-training-schedule

Dizziness & Dehydration

The last few months I have been experiencing some temporary dizziness upon standing from sitting or laying down. I kept on meaning to do some Internet searches to see if I could figure out what was going on. In my first search I started to realize that it was probably dehydration. I drink a lot in a day. A lot of it is caffeinated soda but I do drink lots of water too. This is not a new pattern though. So I was confused as to why I would start to get dizzy now as opposed to previously. This year I've lost close to another 10 pounds. My only thought was that maybe my decreased body mass wasn't enough to handle the amount of caffeine that I had been consuming previously. It wasn't until last night that it registered with me that my dizziness had also started about the same time I started taking creatine monohydrate. I googled it yesterday and sure enough dizziness is one of the listed side effect. I didn't realize that when I started taking creatine that I also should have upped my water intake. I knew that it was supposed to make you retain more water but didn't think that I would need more water to compensate. Anyway, knowing this I'm going to try to be more hydrated and see if this is in fact does get rid of it.

Fun.

Last Saturday was the Fun. concert. Yes, the concert was fun and that is the name of the band too: Fun.

A few months ago my buddy, Taylor, inadvertantly introduced me to Fun. via Facebook. He had posted a link Fun's new album on iTunes. When I listened to their music I realized that the lead singer's voice was familiar. In fact, it was Nate Ruess from The Format (who I already loved). Shortly after that I started hearing their "We Are Young" single all over the place.

Taylor had informed me that he would be coming down from Idaho with some friends to see Fun in concert at the end of March. I was not only looking forward to seeing Taylor but I thought it would be great to see Fun in concert. I had seen The Format several years ago and really enjoyed that show.

I tried getting some of my buddies down this way to go with me. By the time I got some excitment about going I went to buy some tickets only to find out that they had sold out just before I got there. I had made plans to at least meet up with Taylor and his friends before the show to get some dinner. Then the hope was that somehow I would be able to score a ticket to get in. The day before the show I updated my Facebook status saying, "Brian knows this is a LONG shot but who has a Fun concert ticket that they need to get rid of?" To my surprise, my nephew had a ticket for me. Yay!

I met up with Taylor, his brother Joel, and his friend Julene at The Gateway for some dinner at Biaggi's. It was a good time. Plenty of laughs, great food, and an entertaining waiter.

After the dinner we wandered over to In the Venue about an hour early only to find a super long line. As we moved to the back of the line one of my cute nieces (Brooke) flagged me down. We huugged, chatted for a bit, and joined them in line. No one seemed to mind too much. Whew! Before long my other cute niece (Bri) and her friends joined us too. One of the best parts of finding my neice was that her and Taylor were wearing similiar outfits! ;) Taylor being funny said, "This isn't the first time this has happened."

Taylor is a great photographer. He decided that he was going to get his DSLR into the concert by disassembling it and putting it in Julene's purse. As we got to the front of the line we saw that they were doing purse checks. Julene and Taylor quickly arranged things so that the camera parts were at the bottom of the large bag. When the bouncer guy was checking the back he was easily distracted by Julene's monkey butt wipes. (I still don't know what they are.) The point is if you are trying to sneak something into a concert make sure that you bring plenty of random crap to distract the purse inspectors. :)

Needless to say the concert was lots of fun! Fun put on a great show. Lots of high energy! All the photos of Fun were taken by Taylor. Checkout some of the videos I took with my iPhone.