I Documented Myself Running A Half-Marathon (video) -- Now You Can See Why Running Races Is Fun!

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Well, I enjoy running. But even if I didn't, I know I'd still love running races with friends and family. Allow me to explain:

First of all, previously my family wasn't a running family by any means. This whole, "let's start running as a family a few times a year" thing is so incredibly random. I'm incredibly glad it happened, because it's extremely fun and it truly brings us closer together.

5ks, 10ks, and half-marathons are so so fun to be part of. Now, it's much more fun to actually run in these races, but even going as a spectator can be fun if you're cheering your friends on. The atmosphere at a race is filled with positive energy between all those who attend. Spectators stand on the side and cheer you on with heart despite them having no idea who you are. If your pace suddenly slows mid race, then those who pass you will cheer you on, motivating you to keep going. Everyone wants you to succeed!

If you're afraid to run a race, or fear people will laugh at you for walking almost the entire thing, you are terribly mistaken. So many people do that, and everyone cheers such people on with genuine feeling behind it. First time racers are always surprised at how motivating the race actually is.

This past year at the Salt Lake Marathon, the weather was pretty rainy and cold. The year before that the weather was ridiculously hot. Either way, the races were great. The weather can't impede on the awesomeness of a race. Though, after the race this past year I was ill prepared in that I had no jacket to warm me. But other than that it was great!

Pre Race

Just starting off!

Mile 2

Mile 4

Mile 11

This is actually my slowest half-marathon I've run to date. I didn't train for it, so I guess it makes sense.

The race will usually put on an expo the day before (Salt Lake City Marathon always has an expo). At the expo you can purchase fun running things like energy goo that you eat during a race to maintain energy, running shoes, cool glowy things, running socks that don't have cotton in them thus preventing blisters, and basically anything running related. It's also the time you pick up your running bib. It's a fun thing to attend with friends and/or family.

My family and me at the expo. The Salt Lake Marathon was the first big marathon after the Boston Marathon tragedy. We ran in their honor.

Here's a picture of us after the race. My sister Christy actually wore the garbage back the entire race haha! It rained the entire time.

Another thing to be aware of is the race will hire a company to take professional pictures of you running. My sister Christy had to hold up her garbage bag when running passed a photography in order to expose her runners number which is how they sort the photos post race. I didn't purchase any of them for this race, but here's one from the Halloween Half I ran October, 2013.

And here's one from the Disney Half-Marathon.

I'm wearing the same shirt in both of those pictures. Meh.

Anyways, running a race is a lot of fun and quite the memorable experience. I strongly encourage you to register for a race and then run it. It's always fun to have a race to look forward to and to motivate you to go running. If you sign up with a friend or two, or five, then it'll be even more fun.

Come run Salt Lake!

Writer's Block

I'm not sure what it is, but I've been having a really hard time being creative these past few weeks. I feel that up until now, I've written and produced my share of melancholy gay Mormon themed songs. I'd like to move on and show everyone more of who I really am. But what am I going to write about? Love songs are out of the questions. That leaves_______???

At one point I seriously considered writing a song about trees. Like, seriously. That's how bad this writer's block has been.

I love writing and recording. Producing/mixing is still a bit stressful because that's where I believe the most difficult part of creating a song lies, and I'm still quite a novice producer. We've all heard a not-so-good song that, when redone by another artist, sounds amazing. Producing/mixing can do just that. I have a great song in my head right now, but I just can't make it sound good.

Below are some random clips of us (mostly of Adam) goofing off during some of the recording sessions we've had.


I would love to have some people jump in and participate with all of this stuff. The thing is, these people need to want to participate. I have many great friends who are willing to help because they are kind people and are happy to help, but unless they're passionate about it, making videos/music tends to be more work than play. Any takers?

A Last Look at My Time in China (video)

I made a course of videos documenting my stay while in China, but I never compiled the last of my footage, so here it is!

I've been back for four months already, but it seems like forever; almost as though my time in China were just a dream. I greatly miss the cute Chinese couple I lived with and my fellow coworkers at the company I worked for.

With my fellow employees at Micro Benefits, the company I interned at in Suzhou, China.

20 Things I'm Thankful For

This entry could be as a long as a book, so I'm going to limit myself to 20. Also, OBVIOUSLY my faith (being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and my family are things I'm grateful for, but this list will be full of more obscure things.

(^_^)Y

1. The opportunities I am blessed with

Gosh, where do I begin?  Time and time again it seems an incredible opportunity is knocking at my door.  NEVER do I simply jump on these opportunities since they tend to be pretty major and life changing, but boy have they made life interesting.

2. A healthy and functioning body

I went through a time where I couldn't walk AND I only had use of one arm.  After my big snowboard accident of 2009, I've had surgery on both knees and my shoulder, giving me a minute taste of what it might be to not have use of some limbs.  I regularly say prayers of gratitude for being able to use my arms, legs, eyes, and ears.  I also have vocal chords that work and a healthy body in general.  I am incredibly grateful for that.

Snowboard crash of 09'. I had three surgeries after this.
I'm so glad my friend thought to take this picture.

3. Music

Too much to say here.  Music is my greatest outlet of my emotions whether it be through listening to a song or writing one myself.

4. Friendships

"Friends make life more fun." -me.  Everybody loves friends.  Sometimes the only thing that gets me through a looooong day at work/school is the thought of going out with some friends at night.  I love my friends so much.  They put up with me :)

5. Algorithms

From Inverse-kinematics, to ray tracers, to sequencing DNA, to playing around with reducing NP-complete problems.  I am astounded and utterly fascinated with the properties found in attempting to solve or emulate natural phenomena. I am grateful for the "difficult" nature of solving many problems (cracking passwords) because they literally keep us safe. I have a MUCH greater appreciation now of the human brain and the human body in general because of my understanding (albeit very elementary) of algorithms.

If you had to travel to a bunch of cities, and only go to a city one time, and end up where you started, could you find out which path would yield the shortest possible distance traveled without exhaustively searching every single possible path? You can't.  In fact, if you have more than 30 cities in the path your computer couldn't either.

6. Dogs

I LOVE dogs!!!  I especially love Miniature Italian Greyhounds.  I even made a YouTube video about my cute doggy dog Rykar.  Feel free to watch it here. After I graduate and get my own place I'm totally getting two Miniature Italian Greyhound puppies :)  

Me, Comet (left) and Savvy (right).  They're my sister's dogs and I love them so much! 

raaaaaawwr

My cute pup Rykar!  I miss him so much! He's
currently living with my other sister, so I
only see him on holiday's and such.

7. Chinese People

When I say I love China what I mean is, I love the people of China. Sure, we have our cultural differences, but I have so much fun with them.  They are so loving towards me just because I speak their language.  I'll take it.  More friends!

August, 2013, Nanning China.  I was best man at a
good friend's wedding.

8. Kelly Clarkson

She somehow read all of my journals and decided to write all of her songs as being from my perspective.  Her voice is absolutely stunning.  She is the most down to earth singer out there. Her songs so accurately capture even my most crazy of emotions. I love her.

Some of my favorites of Kelly's songs include:

• Sober - Gone through a rough time recently?
• Cry - When you love someone you can't have.
• Catch My Breath - I've been through hell, but I've figured some stuff out and I'm moving on.
• Already Gone - I love you so much I'm going to let you go.
• Walk Away - You're a jerk.
• Get Away - I hate you.
• The War is Over - You made me believe in a false reality, and it hurt, but I'm moving on.
• Miss Independent live 2012 - This vocal blows me away every time.

9. Gay Mormons that share my values

Who else is there for me? Who else can invest as much time and effort into a friendship than these people?  I love them so much.

(Many of my LDS gay friends are in the closet, so no picture :) )

10. The United States

From the nice paint on our roads that people actually obey to my freedoms.  The streets and sidewalks are clean! We have laws protecting small things like noise pollution, or ensuring that urinals aren't visible from outside the bathroom when the door is open.  So many small things that I never even thought about until I had lived outside the US. I love being an American.

11. Sushi

It never lets me down on a bad day. I'm a VIP at Happy Sumo.

12. YouTube

I started making movies using video editing software when I was 13. Because I started using such software near the beginning of their lifetime's, I've never had to sit down and "learn" the software.  Rather, as it has evolved, I have evolved with it, adding to my brain the new features released with every version. YouTube allows me to use this skill set I've developed over a long time and continue creating movies to easily share with the masses.  I came out on YouTube, and boy did I come OUT. I've never been happier.

13. Running

A time to think. A time to plan. A time to contemplate. A time to exercise. Free therapy anyone?

If you don't run but know you should, just know that if you begin running, the first 3-4 weeks will probably suck.  Push through!!!  You'll love it soon enough and it's so worth it!

14. Big Cities

I thrive being alone in a city I've never been in before. I love the fast pace, the ability to go anywhere, and meeting new people. The opportunities are many in big cities, and I am grateful for that.

15. Instructors/Teachers/Mentors/Coaches

My mission taught me how to study, so now I can pick up a book and go.  But my professors here at BYU have demonstrated that no book can ever substitute a stellar instructor. I especially feel indebted to my music instructors who've taught me to love all different aspects of music ranging from notation, theory, production, and performance.  Thank you Mr. Earl, Mrs. Minor, and Mr. Everton.

16. Laws of Physics

You have a string on a guitar/piano/whatever.  Strum it, and it makes a noise.  Cut the string in half and the noise it makes goes up one octave.  These mathematical properties allow us to make instruments that aren't shaped like a Dr. Seuss poggle horn.  Now take the sounds they make.  They pass through the air, which is possible because of the air's natural properties.  Then, with out being distorted or skewed in pitch, dynamics, etc. (in contrast, there is no sound in space), our ears receive the sound waves. Our ears take this sound in and not only register it as sound, but can distinguish tempos, pitches, and dynamics to the point of being emotionally affected. Incredible.

17. Cherished Memories

They keep me going sometimes. They also give me hope that I will again experience certain feelings I've felt at a prior time.

18. Zoos/Aquariums

I love animals. I wish I could spend more time with them.  Ducks are my favorite animal, but I'm not sure why.  I just....really like them. One time I went to the zoo all by myself, and it was awesome.  There's a new aquarium opening this month in Draper Utah and I'm so excited!

19. Clear Skies

Utah occasionally has its bad inversions , but even at those times the air is considered clear when compared to the air in China. Whenever I walk out my front door in the morning on a particularly clear day I take a moment to enjoy it.

20. An Eternal Perspective

I know I said I wasn't going to include religious aspects in this list, but my eternal perspective IS my reason for living. It helps me deal with death, trials of all kinds, and basically all of the unanswered questions, and they are many. I'm not happy with ignorance. If I have a question, I search for an answer. Sometimes I feel like I don't need to pursue the answer to a certain question, but I only find that out after asking it.

______________________________________________________________________________________

I don't enjoy eating all that much. Thanksgiving usually means starving yourself all morning, eating a normal lunch, and then everyone watching football which I couldn't care less about. Basically, I don't like celebrating Thanksgiving.

This year I was like, no. I decided to visit my sister in California for Thanksgiving! It was really fun! We ran a race in downtown Los Angeles, ate at Mimi's Cafe, and then I spent a day at Disneyland all by myself, which was actually really fun. Best Thanksgiving ever :)

Before the race. We asked some random person to
take a picture of us and email it to me.

After the race.

Eating Thanksgiving lunch at Mimi's Cafe.It's
funny, they called our name just as we started taking
these. It put some smiles on some faces.

It rained on me and so I bought a poncho.

The Conversation... and the Races

First day of class here at BYU.  I decided to make conversation while sitting in my chair waiting for class to begin.

(Turning to the guy next to me who was wearing solid colored shorts)

Me:  Excuse me, I've noticed a lot of guys wearing solid colored shorts this semester.  Is it some kind of uniform or something?

(I really just wanted to make conversation.  I knew that they weren't any kind of uniform.)

Guy #1:  Actually I just got off my mission a few weeks ago and my sister says that they're in, so I bought some.

(I now suspect this guy is gay)

Me:  Oh, OK (smile).  I thought maybe it was BYU Men's chorus being "cool" or something.  I've been out of the states for 4 months and I feel like this is a very new thing.

(Guy #2 enters the conversation)

Guy #2:   I just brought some red pants back from Europe, but people think I'm gay when I where them.  I am not gay!

(Guy #1 looks a bit uncomfortable.  I had a big smile on my face.)

Me:  Oh, is that right?

Guy #2:  Yeah, some chick who asked if I was gay went up to me and was like, "What's your major?"  And I was like, "Computer Science."  And then she was like, "I figured, your pants were a red flag."  And I was like, "What?! You thought I was gay and that I majored in computer science?!"  (smirk) Gay guys don't major in computer science.  I don't want to wear them anymore.

(I'm majoring in computer science)

Me: No shame bro, no shame.  You wear those pants.


So the guy hasn't thought too much about people like me.  Was I at all mad at him?  No.  Did I tell him I'm gay?  Not yet.  It's the culture around here that makes this guy talk the way he does.  He probably doesn't have any openly gay friends, so what does he base his language and tone off of?  Those around him of course.  Me being gay is no secret (clearly), but I'm being careful to not just avoid burning bridges, but to build them.  The guy is just ignorant.  Heck, I used to be ignorant, and I am gay.  I see a great learning opportunity at hand, so I'll do my best to deal with it properly :)

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I'm back in the states!  The Disney races were great!  I ran the Dumbo Double Dare which means one day I ran a 10k, and the next day I ran a half-marathon.  With jet lag and my body rejecting Amercian food, there was no way I could PR.  I vomited during the 10k, which was fun.

Running through Angel Stadium during the half-marathon.

Running through California Adventure during the 10k

Running through Cars Land during the 10k

I promise I didn't pee myself, though if I did I would gladly admit it.
Drinking the cups of water they hand out while running
is no easy task.  You fellow runners understand :)

After the 10k with my dad, sisters, brother in law, and our awesome friend Greg.

After the half-marathon with my two awesome sisters and our awesome friend Greg.

 I miss my cute Chinese family.

My last night with the cute couple I lived with while in China this summer.

I still have jet lag and school has started, so adjusting has been a bit interesting, not to mention waking up at 3:00am for the Disney races.  I'm still setting up all of my audio/video stuff, but I'll be back on YouTube soon enough.  It's good to be back!

Home?

After my 22 hours of taxi's, buses, trains, airplanes, and shuttles, I am back in the states :)



My dad's wedding is in two weeks.  Because we're all Mormons, he has temporarily moved into an apartment so as to allow his fiance and four of her kids to move into my house now rather than later.  I came home to a house where I literally knew no one.  They all seem really great, but it was still uber weird.  The house has totally been transformed, and there are kids as young as age 10 running around.  It's quite the transition.




I unpacked and then packed for school.  The next day I moved into my apartment down in Provo, Utah.  My roommates seem pretty awesome.  At night I literally couldn't sleep.  Jet lag, so fun!  I got up off my bed around 2:30am after laying there forever and chatted online with some friends who are in China.  Then I watched the VMAs and shortly after that I went for a run in the middle of the night.  I ran to campus, ran around campus, then ran back to my apartment.  I arrived at my apartment around 5:45 where I showered and then proceeded to fall asleep on my floor until 2:00pm.




My body is kinda rejecting all of this American food, not to mention the caffeine I'd been drinking to keep myself alert while driving.  My body is pretty beat.  Bring on this weekend's 10k and half marathon.  Yes, I am running both this weekend.  Let's just say I don't plan on setting a new PR.




Tomorrow morning I'll be boarding another plane.




I think school starts soon or something.

From Bromance to Third Wheel

I could not have asked for a better best friend during my college life.  

We've done everything together.

Nozomi and me.  

The day has come.  The last of my close single guy friends is now engaged (all others are already married or they've already graduated and left).

We:

• Completed our missions at the same time
• Began college during the same semester
• Chose the same major
• Took tons of classes together
• Hip hop danced together
• Road tripped together
• Spent hours working on projects and homework together
• Gave presentations together
• Made video games together
• Sang and played the piano together
• Watched countless Asian horror flicks together
• Made movies together
• Fed the ducks at the duck pond together
• Got sick together
• Gave sick people blessings together
• Gave each other blessings

Basically we did everything together.

NOZOMI!

Nozomi is from Japan.  My Japanese brother.

I think seeing all my my friends get girl friends and then get married was a huge catalyst is my decision to come out.

Nozomi is an attractive guy, but I've never been attracted to him in a gay way.  I think that's why we were able to be such good friends.

This turned into...

...this.  It sucked.

The nice thing about Nozomi is that our interests are very similar.  Despite being computer science majors, we love hip hop dancing.  We also love adventure, and we have a very similar sense of humor so we're always laughing and having fun exploring whatever it is we spontaneously decide to do.

Here we are trying to break dance in the tide.  I can't break dance,
but Nozomi can and it's pretty sweet.

Trying out chairs in Wal-Mart.

Studying in the library.  This occurred a lot.

I'm the alien thing.

Presenting our video game.  Basically if the person playing the game is doing poorly then Iron Man takes out a bunch of Woody's (Toy Story).  Kinda funny actually, everyone was laughing.

Recording a song for YouTube.  He is using the garbage can as a drum.

One of my biggest regrets with Nozomi is not putting him in my coming out video.  One night during winter semester 2013, he and I were at a local church hip hop dancing.  We use my laptop to play videos to learn choreography, so I got my laptop's webcam all ready to record myself coming out to him.  But for some reason, I couldn't get myself to do it.  I was burnt out.  



The first time I saw Nozomi after I uploaded my video was in class.  I sat down next to him and he had a big smile on his face and said, "I wish I could have been in your video."  Such a stud.


Then Rie came along, and now they're engaged.  They've been dating for a few years now and so I've had to opportunity to get to know her pretty well.  Consensus?  I absolutely love her!  She loves me too, so it works out nicely :)  The worst is when one of your best friends marries a woman who hates everyone.

Congrats Nozomi and Rie!!!  #nofilter