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Aaron's Crazy Race Diary - 2008

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Race Day - The Day After - Epilogue

Countdown Day 359 (Sunday, June 1st)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY

It's Never Too Late To Get Ready To Procrastinate…

Training Day 6:

You can sign up for the 2009 Bolder Boulder so go online and join me now. Just note in your registration you want to run with me --- unless you want to run a better time!

If Aaron can do it, you can too
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Countdown Day 360 (Saturday, May 31st)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 40

Epilogue…

Training Day 5:

It's been almost a week since my humbling run in the 30th annual Bolder Boulder. Today I ran with Angela on "our trail" --- the City of Boulder's 6.7-mile White Rocks Trail. It was gorgeous out. The Sun already had passed the horizon and was beautifully lighting up the Front Range. Animals abounded and the air was fresh. It was about 45^oF --- perfect for Summer running.

We ran at a slow but decent pace. My goal was to run without stopping. Our problem was we were laughing too much as we talked about the Race and other silly things we had done. Angela had one story about how she had found a man passed out on the street in front of her place of work a year ago and how, not knowing what to do, she ran into the building, told her colleagues to call 911, and then tore down the giant First Aid poster in the employee room so she could bring it outside and determine what to do. The image of her outside, standing over a body, consulting this large poster made us both laugh.

I was still recuperating from the Race and said it was a message that I needed to get more rest, lose weight, and eat better food. Angela's attitude was I simply needed to train harder. "Oh, great," I said, "You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"

She was already planning to enter us in a half-marathon. She had researched the possibilities last night and was suggesting a half-marathon either in Estes Park or Colorado Springs. She was focused on staying off pavement --- which was a good idea --- but didn't understand a "trail race" usually meant a lot of elevation changes. I wasn't thrilled about that. The only elevation change I wanted in a race was one which was both unidirectional and negative. Running up and down a bunch of hills definitely wasn't what I wanted to do.

We playfully argued about her plan. I wanted to get some rest, eat better, and lose some weight. Running again at +/-200 pounds wasn't for me. I thought I had run at about the same weight last year but Angela thought I was much lighter --- possibly at 185. I didn't think so but I could be wrong.

I needed to be in the 180 to 185 range to survive a half-marathon. I explained to her that, at 195 or 200, it would be suicidal to run. And I confessed that I could not get down to 185 in just a couple of weeks --- which is when she wanted to run our first half-marathon.

We went back-and-forth on the topic for the entire run. She was determined to sign us up and I told her that was crazy. Ooooooh… bad choice of words! I proposed we run the Boulder Backwoods Half-Marathon Trail on our own to see how we could do. Angela said she didn't like that idea because there would be no water stations. I countered by saying, "We can drive ahead of the run and place bottled water wherever you want it."

Then she argued that there would be no snack bag afterwards. We both started laughing again as I told her I would re-pack my Bolder Boulder lunch-bag with even better goodies than what the Race provided.

I thought I had won the argument --- silly me --- when she noted there would be no toilet facilities when we ran the Boulder Backroads Half-Marathon course months before the actual event. That one was tougher for me. I rejoined, "You can go in the woods" although I didn't know if there were any woods around that area. I guess I could have offered to rent a Port-A-Potty but that would have been too extreme. Nevertheless, I regretted not suggesting it. I'd save that one for our next "discussion."

I really didn't know how I would do in a half-marathon. Part of me wanted to do it and most of me said I was nuts to even be talking about it without engaging in a training program. And I knew it made no sense to do it without spending a few months getting back into shape with a plan for more rest, better nutrition, and targeted exercise.

As we ran, I was struggling to keep going but ended up never stopping during the entire 6.7-mile course. That was a good sign. It wasn't a good sign afterwards, however, when a bird flew by and pooped on my head. We both cracked up again. Angela suggested I use my headband to clean up --- which I already was doing as I laughed. There's nothing like a bird bomb to quickly humble a person.

We had run the path in 82 minutes. It wasn't a great time but it was better than the times we had been registering together. And we really didn't push ourselves. We set a sub-80 run as our goal for next week. And I was determined to get down to 190 pounds by then, if I could.

As we walked about quarter of a mile for an easy cool-down, we talked more about the half-marathon. I could tell Angela was determined to get me onboard, even if it killed me. I told her I would do it if she got certified in CPR and she said she would if she could do it online the night before the race. I told her, "No deal --- I want to see your Red Cross certification card." We laughed as we imagined what she would do if I collapsed while running. I told her I was convinced she would do nothing and simply say, "I guess the Lord wanted you now, Aaron" or something to that effect.

After the run, thanks to a lot of water loss, I weighed in at 195 and was very pleased. It made 190 look quite feasible and even 185 more realistic than it had been in months. Perhaps my Bolder Boulder blowout would be the motivating force I wanted it to be. Only time will tell…

My old patterns reemerged, however, during the remainder of the day. Besides taking Holly to a birthday party for a school chum of hers (and driving roundtrip to Boulder twice --- so much for my carbon footprint today), and shopping at the new Sunflower Market while in Boulder (I hoped the store thrived and also figured I could shop while I was in Boulder anyway, so there, Mr. Carbon Footprint!), we drove to Denver for the "Spring Fling."

The Spring Fling was a fundraiser for Colorado Heritage Camps (www.HeritageCamps.org). The head of the organization, Pam Sweetser, did a great job as did the many volunteers who made the ten Heritage camps such a success. The Camps focused on families with children who were international adoptions. There was an African/Caribbean Heritage Camp, a Cambodian Heritage Camp, two Chinese Heritage Camps, a Filipino Heritage Camp, an Indian/Nepalese Heritage Camp, a Korean Heritage Camp, a Latin American Heritage Camp, a Russian/Eastern European/Central Asian Heritage Camp, and a Vietnamese Heritage Camp. We always attended the primary Chinese Heritage Camp.

We met the Lyman family there --- Pat and Randy with their two girls, Zoe and Carly --- and picked up the 250 tickets I had purchased in advance. For me, not having eaten any solid food today, the main attraction was the International Food Court.

The Food Court wasn't very big but it was my downfall. I first dined on Korean dumplings and a tiny taste of beef. Then I moved on to four tamales --- two with meat and two vegetarian (hey, I wanted to see how they tasted differently). I had two different chicken dishes, lo main noodles, and a massive plate of Ethiopian food which included seven different items which were too complex for me to memorize and recite.

I drank three cans of lemonade and then went back for more food. I ate for a family of ten. My caloric intake had to be almost 10,000, especially when I topped everything off with a large cherry-flavored snow cone.

Even Holly knew I was in trouble weight-wise. She said "You've gained back everything you said you lost." I not only feared she was correct but knew I already had two large meals planned when I was going out tomorrow for breakfast and then for lunch. Heck, getting back to 195 not only would be tough but getting to 190 now seemed like an impossibility when it was looking highly likely only a mere 6 hours ago.

That was the battle I would face over the next few months. And it didn't help that I used my 250 tickets (valued at $125) to purchase mass quantities of dumplings, fried rice, tamales, shrimp rolls, cupcakes, and even lemonade --- all of which I took home and immediately refrigerated. The question now was "Could Aaron resist temptation?" My waist would soon reveal the answer.

Despite my fall from grace, I remained confident I could achieve my goals. I simply needed to be mindful of what I was doing. It really was that simple. The real challenge was whether or not I had the self-control, the discipline, and/or the willpower to do what I knew at all times I needed to do --- stop stuffing my face and eat better with a focus on nutrition, stop getting only 3 to 5 hours of sleep each night and try to average 6 hours, and workout six days a week, whenever possible, with two days reserved for non-aerobic workouts such as an anerobic weight workout. See, it really was simple.

So, could I do it? Any bets?

If Aaron can do it, you can too
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Countdown Day 364 (Tuesday, May 27th)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 39

The Day After The Race…

Training Day 1:

When I awoke, I felt better than I should have, especially given my pathetic performance. I was terribly disappointed in my time. I couldn't believe that I took 75:39 --- almost 76 minutes --- to run a race I finished last year in under 62 minutes (61:53). My time had taken a tremendous 14-minute dive and I had no good excuse.

The results meant I had finished in 29,373rd place out of 47,443 runners and walkers who finished the Race. There were kids 6 years old who had finished well ahead of me. In fact, there were six girls who were only 6 years old who had run the Race faster than I did and one of them did it in less than 47:47. Heck, even a 76 year-old woman beat me (she did it in under 74 minutes) as did two 80 year-old men (they did it in a little over 68 minutes and a little under 73 minutes). So much for my being a macho guy! Almost 7,000 out of the 54,040 entrants did not make it to the end. I felt bad for them.

Out of 21,528 males who did the Race, I placed 15, 723rd. That meant I was in the bottom third of finishers. Clint Wells of Superior, Colorado, finished the Race in 30:52 --- 60% less than my time. He ran more than twice as fast as I did to win the Citizens' Division.

I re-checked to see how my running partner Angela had done and saw she had finished in slightly over 71 minutes (71:16) due to my being a sloth on the course yesterday. I knew she could easily break 60 minutes if I weren't holding her back. I had urged her to go all out but she insisted on staying with me. What a trooper.

I decided to use my poor performance as a motivational tool to do better. My goals for the 2009 Bolder Boulder would be ambitious. My first goal, of course, would be to finish the Race without dying. In 2009, the millionth Bolder Boulder runner would be crossing the Finish Line and I wanted to be right there.

My second goal would be to finish in a time better than this year's 76 minutes. That shouldn't be difficult but one never knows what might happen.

My third goal would be to reduce my time by 16 minutes and finish under 60 minutes. If I could get back to times in the 50's, I would be ecstatic. Of course, most people would say a 16-minute reduction in just one year would require serious training as well as major changes in eating and sleeping habits. I decided I would try to make those commitments.

To achieve these goals also meant not waiting until the last minute to lose weight or to train. I decided I would try to lose this Summer that 15 pounds I never lost. It wouldn't be easy but I thought I could do it. With the Democratic National Convention coming to town and all the attendant parties potentially adding 20 pounds to my frame, I knew it would be a challenge but I was up for it --- well, at least today I was.

I also decided to make a commitment to being able to run the 6.7-mile White Rocks trail much faster than the 80 to 95 minute times I recently had been logging. If I could be in the 70- to 75-minute range by the end of the Summer and stay in that range for a while, then I would have a real chance at getting my trail time down to the +/-65 minutes. I knew that, if I could run the trail in 65 minutes, I should be able to do the Bolder Boulder in less than 60 minutes.

As a demonstration of my commitment, I went to the YMCA at 5:15 am and began a weight workout. I completed 6 of the 16 machines on my checklist and could tell I was far more tired and worn out than I wanted to admit. That was OK. I already had begun to travel the road of running redemption. We would soon see how far I could go. You can sign up for the 2009 Bolder Boulder so go online and join me now. Just note in your registration you want to run with me --- unless you want to run a better time!

If Aaron can do it, you can too
-Sign-up to run with Aaron Harber

Race Day - Memorial Day (Monday, May 26th)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 38

Race Day Arrives…

Race Day:

It was about 2:12 am when the dogs decided to awaken and tell me they had to go out. I had been asleep less than 3½ hours. I initially had planned to get 7 or 8 hours of much-needed rest but had to revise my plan and reduce it to a minimal pre-Race night's sleep of 5½ hours based on my later-than-expected bedtime the night before.

Once I was up, I found it difficult to fall asleep again. Part of it was my fear I would sleep through the Race and another was the fact my mind was racing on its own. I tried to go to sleep again and realized it wasn't going to happen so I got up and leisurely prepared for the Race.

I made various selections of what to wear, took a shower, and got suited up. I never ate before exercising but decided to have a cup of vanilla yogurt with some granola. I also took some ibuprofen as a prophylactic.

My wish had been granted and it had rained during the night so it seemed cool, albeit quite humid. In fact the humidity was in the 80 to 90% range --- rare for Colorado and not great for me.

The temperature was supposed to be 40^oF but was 50^oF. Still, with the overcast sky, it felt like a good time to run.

Although I was tired, I felt good and was looking forward to the Race. I got calls from some of my team members --- Chuck Fiorella, Chris Rojas, and Brian Kiernan --- so I spent some time helping to coordinate our efforts to get footage of yours truly on the course. It was a very complex proposition because it was so difficult to pick one person out of a crowd of 53,000 runners. I was confident my team would get it figured out.

At about 5:00 am, I put my bib number (E411) on my shirt and my radio frequency chip on my shoe. The latter seemed to constrict the natural bending of my foot so, before the Race, I moved it.

Although I had been running in one pair of shoes for the past several months, I decided to switch to a relatively new pair which I had worn only while I was in Iraq earlier this year. I took the trip to visit General David Petraeus and wore them the day I interviewed him at the American Embassy in Baghdad (that was a visual mistake because their bright red and white colors dominated every photograph of the two of us!) and the next day.

That next day, the General had invited me to run with him so I used those shoes to run for the first time. It was the only time I wore them to run and did not wear them after the trip to Iraq so I still had Iraqi soil on them when I put them on. (To read my Iraq trip diary, go to www.HarberTV.com.)

I headed out at 5:20 am to pick up Bill Jones. Bill lived about 4 minutes away. He had blossomed from a terrible runner to a marathon man. He started several years ago and was overweight and out of shape.

When he first ran around the track at the YMCA, he would run one lap and walk two. In a week, he was running two laps and walking one. When I passed him, he recalled I always gave him words of encouragement.

Eventually he began running with me. We would do 20 laps and he would walk one or two and then we would repeat it. After a couple of months, he was running 50 to 100 laps with me without stopping.

As the years went by, my routine decreased in length and frequency. Bill, however, started running 10K races and then moved up to half-marathons. Eventually he started doing marathons and then triathlons. His story truly was inspirational. Today he could out-run, out-bike, and out-swim me while several years ago the opposite was true.

After picking up Bill, we headed to Angela's house. She was waiting for us and, after getting in, revealed this was her first Bolder Boulder and only her second road race of her life. She was in great shape though so I knew she would do well.

We arrived at the University of Colorado campus and parked where the Race staff had instructed us. It was near the University Memorial Center and was within a three-minute walk to Folsom Stadium and the Balch Fieldhouse. This was very convenient because it allowed us to be close to the Finish Line. The disadvantage, of course, was that we were almost three miles away from the Start Line.

Chuck, Brian, and Chris arrived about the same time we did so they unloaded their equipment while I introduced everyone. It was a nice group.

At this point, it was just after 6:00 pm. The sky seemed to have cleared a bit and the ground was damp but not wet. Chuck, Chris, and Brian decided to take the Media Shuttle to the Start Line while Angela, Bill, and I walked.

As we walked briskly, we discussed the merits of doing so much walking before the start of the Race. I decided that, although it was a great way to warm up, I may be expending too much energy before the Race. I noticed I was a bit tired and that, what always was an easy walk, was tiring. I suggested that, next year, we take two cars and leave one at the parking lot and take the other to the Start Line. OK, that wasn't a way to minimize one's carbon footprint but, hey, it's all about your Race time, right?

At about the halfway point, we passed a little tent for radio station KBCO under which were morning DJ Bret Saunders, who had the top-rated morning show in the State, and mid-morning DJ, Ginger Havlat. They were both great people and did a wonderful job on their shows.

I introduced Bret and Ginger to Angela and Bill, chatted for a couple of minutes, and then continued to the Start Line. Bret was known on Wednesdays as "The Sage of World Class Rock" and was amazing answering trivial questions. He also ran a solid morning show which was entertaining, informative, funny, and easy to listen to.

Ginger was simply fun to listen to and also had a beautiful voice on the air. She was headed to the Stadium. I told her she should enter the Race but she said she'd do it only if she didn't have to run the entire course. I teased her about being the next "Rosie Ruiz" and we all laughed. She said she had just been searching in her mind for that very name. Rosie, of course, had won the 1980 Boston Marathon after cheating by taking a shortcut to the Finish Line and not actually running the full race. Prior to that, she had placed well in the New York Marathon but was found to have taken the subway en route!

The highlight of the walk was when we passed the 1 Mile marker where the technicians from The End Result. This was the company responsible for recording the time of each runner at every mile marker and at the end of the Race. Using a radio frequency chip which every runner had on one of his or her shoes, The End Result would record the data at each mile marker as each runner ran over a set of large blue mats which stretched across the width of the entire street. Underneath the mats were the electronic cables which read the tags as they passed by.

Last year the Race used the same technology but had terrible problems processing the information. For most runners, their official time wasn't available for days. This time the Race officials were so confident they eliminated the back-up system used last year. This system actually was the only system in place for decades. It consisted of a pull-tab on every runner's number bib. A Race volunteer would pull it off as runners crossed the Finish Line and would note when the runner had gone by.

The Race officials had so much confidence in the new system that they abandoned the pull-tab concept altogether this year for the first time in the history of the Race.

As we passed, I asked the technician nearby how it was coming along. He said everything looked good and asked us if we wanted to test the system. We said, "Sure" and then ran across the mats. We could hear the highly audible "clicks" which occurred every time a runner passed by.

He said we confirmed everything was working fine and thanked us. I asked what his name was and he said, "Brad Fox." I then said, "So you're the guy in charge of everyone's time, right?" He jokingly said, "Yes, what time would you like to run the Race in today?" We all laughed and continued on our way.

I told Angela and Bill that, perhaps it would be a good idea to pick a time for Brad to enter, go to breakfast, and skip the Race. We all laughed at that concept, too.

We were not making as good time as I had hoped and my guess was I was the culprit. I just wasn't moving too quickly this morning. We got to the intersection of Valmont and 30th Streets where the Race course intersected with our path. We then started walking quickly to the Start Line and beyond. Our group or Wave was "E" so there were about 15 Waves ahead of us.

The Wheelchair Race started right on time at 6:55 am. I was able to hear and see the start of the Race as we approached the Start Line. There were fences with netting which prevented most people at that point from seeing the participants but I was able to peer over.

As the disabled men and women began their race, one could only be amazed at their physical ability. Almost all of them would complete the course at a speed which exceeded that of all the able-bodied runners. They were inspirational to watch.

We eventually got in the E Wave and started moving forward to the Start Line. Each Wave's start was separated by a minute and a half or so. Former Olympic cyclist and Boulder resident Davis Phinney was the Starter. That meant he had the opportunity to fire the Starter's pistol 85 times today --- once for each of the Race's 85 Waves.

After all the consideration I gave to wearing a hat, and after having brought the only white cap I had --- which had "Romer" emblazoned in bright blue letters across the front --- I ended up discarding it while waiting in the E Wave. It now was overcast again and it didn't look like the Sun had much of a chance of making an appearance. I tossed it to Brian for safekeeping.

The weather was now absolutely perfect for running. It still was 50^oF or so and wasn't getting warmer. In some years, the increase in temperature from the beginning of the Race to the end could easily be 15^oF or more (such as going from 45^oF to 60^oF or even from 45^oF to 70^oF).

Today, the temperature seemed very stable and, with rain clouds forming, it did not seem likely it would warm up much. I liked that.

Weather-wise, there was very little wind and that was nice, too. The high humidity was not ideal but it was moderated by the cool temperatures. And with no Sun beating down upon the runners, there was little need for gobs of sunscreen, although it's always recommended.

As the E Wave slowly progressed to the Start Line, I stood at the front, where a yellow rope separated us from the preceding Wave. At one point a Security staff member came over to say "Hello" and compliment me on the television show. That was nice. Then a Channel 9 KUSA camera crew and reporter came over for a very quick interview. I'm sure they didn't use any of the footage. I sure wouldn't have!

Some people had come up to me to say "Hello" and I was joking around with my "E" running compatriots when suddenly I heard a shot. "Hey, they started the race prematurely!" I incorrectly thought. I started sprinting with the rest of the crowd as we roared off down 30th Street.

For the first 300 yards, I felt very good. I was speeding along at a pace unlike any I had ever run. I was somewhat paranoid about pulling a hamstring muscle, as I had done during Mile 1 of last year's Race, but a women standing next to me in the E Wave had demonstrated a stretching exercise which helped prevent that problem. I had mimicked her stretch a few times and was confident that would not be a problem this time.

We passed the 1 Kilometer marker and I said to Angela, "1 down, 9 to go," and we both laughed. But after just half a mile, I was beginning to have a new problem. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, I was having trouble breathing. With the 1 Mile marker in sight, my breathing was very labored. It seemed that no matter how much breath I took, I couldn't get enough. I literally was gasping for air.

Having no idea what was happening, I started to slow down. Even slowing down, however, didn't seem to help. The 1 Mile marker was not far ahead so I convinced myself to continue running until I reached it and then slow to just a fast walk.

By now, Bill was long gone. He had stayed with us for the first mile and kept us in view for another quarter mile but soon lost sight of us. Angela insisted on slowing down but I knew I was holding her back.

As soon as I hit the 1 Mile marker, I began walking and tried to catch my breath. Angela said all I needed to do was catch my "second wind" but the reality was I hadn't found my "first wind." I asked her what our time was and she said her watch had recorded our time from the Start Line at about 8:50. That wasn't a bad pace but I knew it would be the last time I saw anything like that today. Heck, if I could run the Race in 8:50 per mile, I would finish in 54:46 --- a time far better than anything I had done in years.

By now people were streaming past us at an incredible rate. After a minute or two, I began jogging again and tried to keep it up. I lasted only half a mile and walked for another minute. Then I started running again.

At this point, we had gone from 30th Street to Pearl Street and now were on Folsom Street, heading north. One of the best aspects of the Bolder Boulder were all the live bands which played along the route. Each one was distinct and provided a great distraction. There probably were

As we ran north on Folsom Street, I knew I was in a bad way when I barely looked at the belly dancers. Usually I would give them a cheer, along with many other runners. Today I barely noticed them as we went by.

At the first water station, I stopped to get half a cup of Gatorade. It didn't seem to help much but I figured I had nothing to lose at this point.

After a refreshment break during which I actually stood still for a minute, I resumed the run. It was difficult having stopped and then starting again. I was finding this to be more severe than in the past when I could get geared up again quite quickly. Today that was not happening.

This experience was making we wonder if I had underestimated the accuracy of the biorhythm chart I had seen. It had warned me I would be at a low point but I always figured my low point was equal to the high point for most other people. Perhaps I was wrong and there really was something to the whole biorhythm analysis. "Nah," I thought, "It couldn't be true… or could it?"

The sky had become completely overcast and probably was starting to feel chilly for most people. I already was sweating profusely, however, and was surprised at how tired I was. I also could tell my shoes were not helping matters. The front ends did not have enough padding so the pavement was killing my feet and one of them was tied too tight so it generated pain on the top of my left foot. I was too lazy to loosen the laces and figured the moisture from the atmosphere and my foot would loosen it. Wrong, again, Bonzo (as in "The Chimp")…

I was regretting not having used my regular running shoes. At the minimum, I should have worn these new ones a couple of times so I could have adjusted the extra cushioning I usually put inside each shoe. But even with the best-fitting and best-cushioned shoes in the world, I knew it would have made no difference today. I was toast.

I wanted to keep running so I tried to settle into a light jog. It worked for a while but slowly degenerated into a "trudge." I was going so slowly I began to wonder if I actually was going any faster than my normal walk. After a while, I was forced to objectively conclude my current running pace was about the same as my walking pace. I was absolutely disgusted with myself.

Even worse, I felt I was really holding Angela back. My guess is she could have been running almost twice as fast as I was. There were times she literally was running in place so I could catch up with her. I belonged in a wheelchair with an assistant --- not in the middle of one of the world's largest road races.

Despite my entreaties for her to go ahead at her own pace, Angela insisted on staying with me --- probably out of fear I would croak on the course. I assured her that only one person out of almost one million runners had died during the Bolder Boulder over a now 30-year period. I assured her I would not die on the course but would wait until I got home. Actually, if someone had volunteered to shot me at this point, to put me out of my misery, I probably would have given him or her the go-ahead. I was miserable and had not even run half the course.

We now were past the 2 Mile marker and began heading west, weaving our way through smaller streets in North Boulder. Around the 4 Kilometer marker, Angela said, "It's so nice to run and be able to see this part of Boulder. I really haven't seen it before and didn't realize how nice it was." I could barely lift my head up and, for the most part, the only thing I was seeing was an unending stream of asphalt pavement. If anyone had asked me what we had run by, I wouldn't have had a clue. I grunted my agreement and kept plodding onward.

People were passing us right and left. I looked at my bib number --- 411 --- and decided 911 would have been more appropriate today. And, if I had a cell phone, I would have been tempted to dial that number for help.

When we came to a hill of any size, Angela didn't say anything but as soon as we crested it, she would mention how great it was to now be running downhill. I knew I was tired when running downhill didn't help me at all. In fact, later in the Race, when we had climbed the hill on 13th Street next to Casey Junior High School, I was so exhausted when we reached the top I actually stopped to catch my breath.

Normally, when I finished getting to the top of a hill, I would sprint down the other side with reckless abandon. That thought never even crossed my mind today. I was considering rolling down a few of the hills but there were far too many other runners to whom I would present a danger so I skipped that idea.

Speaking of skipping, there actually were some people in the Race who ran barefoot. I couldn't believe it. How could one do that, especially with your foot slamming against the hard pavement? And what if your tootsies encountered a stone or glass or some other sharp object? That was something I would never do but I had to respect the fearlessness and incredible condition of those who ran in that manner.

We now were at Mile Marker 3 and I had settled into a 75% run/jog and 25% walk pattern. In past races, I had either run the entire Race straight through or slowed no more than 4 or 5 times to walk for 1 to 3 minutes. That typically covered 2 to 8 minutes of the Race (5 to 10% of my official time) and always refreshed me. Today the percentage was at least 25% and was elevating my overall time to new and horrendous heights.

When we passed the 3 Mile marker and had been running for about 35 minutes, I knew we were, at best, on a 72-minute pace. My worst time had been under 67 minutes so I was headed for a record I didn't want to set.

Angela kept asking if I were getting my "second wind" and I would rejoin that I still was looking for my "first." And neither arrived in time. I knew I was not speeding up as often was the case when I ran a race. Instead, I was barely hanging on. I had set a goal of running under 75 minutes today but had hoped for a time closer to 65 minutes or less. At this point I knew I would be lucky to stay under 75 minutes unless a miracle occurred and I found all my missing energy.

I tried to convince my mitochondria to work harder on the energy production front but no one was listening to me. It was as if everyone had shut down for the holiday. My commands went unheard and unheeded so I just plodded onward.

We now were working our way through the streets leading to 13th Street where I would have to climb the hill to Casey Middle School. That was near the 4 Mile marker. I somehow made it to the top of the hill and declined the offers of water and Gatorade. I eschewed any more liquids except for water which could be sprayed on me to cool me off.

On the way up the Casey hill, some people said "Hello" to me. Before, during, and after the Race people came up to me to say they enjoyed my television show. Some described watching it at various hours because it was broadcast on different stations and channels, often at obscure times. It was flattering to have people like one's work and Angela was surprised at the response the show evoked.

Then, as we were running up Balsam Street, half a mile before we got to Casey, a gentleman with gray hair who appeared to be in his early forties ran by and said, "Hi, Angela." It turned out it was her instructor in a graduate program she was enrolled at the University of Denver. She tried to figure out how he recognized her and assumed he had heard her voice. That was entirely possible because I certainly wasn't doing any talking. My lungs lunged for every breath of air I could swallow. Words, at this point, were a luxury.

On our morning runs, we had talked a lot about her ethics course with this instructor. He had no teaching credentials or teaching experience at that level and was an abomination. He rarely shared information with the two students in the course and, instead, kept asking their personal opinions about various ethical issues without providing even a basic construct for consideration and analysis. Both students though he was terrible but felt helpless. This guy was so bad as a teacher, I thought DU should be embarrassed.

Although Angela couldn't believe the degree of his incompetence or why DU hired him, she was reluctant to write an overly critical review. I had encouraged her to be brutally honest. Otherwise, I explained, people such as this guy would continue to be hired and would academically and intellectually torture future students. Plus, I told her the University would want to know it had made a hiring mistake so it could correct it.

I actually was surprised at DU for hiring someone who clearly was not competent to teach the course he had been assigned. I could tell it was spoiling Angela's experience at DU's program which granted a special certificate in alternative dispute resolution.

These thoughts all were great distractions and allowed me to continue running for a while. I wasn't increasing my speed but I was running a little better (the operative word is "little").

We ascended the great mountain known as Casey hill to me and, once at the top, I was ready to call it quits. Instead I ran down at a very lame pace to Spruce Street and then onto Pearl Street. Seeing the 7 Kilometer marker made me feel better. "70% down means only 30% to go," I somehow mumbled without choking.

As we proceeded down Pearl Street, I knew I would finish the Race. At this point, I could have walked the rest of the way. We turned right onto 20th Street for a block or so and then made a left onto Walnut, heading east.

Before we approached the 5 Mile marker and water station, I saw a young man with a tray and an aide with a sign offering runners pieces of bacon. This was an annual joke but the bacon was cooked for anyone who wanted it. This year there was a new addition. A young woman stood with a different tray and a sign which said, "Veggie Bacon." You had to laugh. It was a great way to poke fun at the runners and everyone in Boulder.

Once past the 5 Mile marker and the water station, I came upon my good friend Carl Oldham's house. Carl and a friend of his constituted a two-man band and were playing. Carl jumped out of his drum seat, grabbed a camera, and motioned me to go back and run past him again. I complied and went back 100 yards or so and then began running again towards Carl's location. He snapped a picture and I was on my way.

Next I spotted a sprinkler set out in a front law for runners. I went over to it, stopped, and let it spray me. It felt great. Then I picked it up and sprayed my entire front side. Several people at the home where the sprinkler was located watched and laughed. I asked one of them to soak my entire back and he obliged.

By the time I left that yard, I was completely drenched. It felt refreshing and invigorating. I was a new man and began running with the vigor I had missed. I caught up with Angela and shared the good news.

We now were on Folsom Street, heading towards Folsom Stadium, where the Race would end. There was only three-quarters of a mile to go but my water-soaked clothes and shoes now were dragging me down. Not only was the extra weight a factor but my shorts were starting to fall off due to the extra weight of the water. "Great," I thought, "Just what I need --- another problem." I solved the problem by tugging on my shorts and bringing them up every minute or so. It was a hassle but I didn't need to make any headlines this way.

It was now time for Angela to sprint ahead and tell our photographers I was on the way and would arrive in a few minutes. She was reluctant to go but I finally convinced her we would meet at the Finish Line so she went. She took off like a rocket. I couldn't believe her acceleration and speed. In a matter of seconds she disappeared into the crowd of runners ahead of us. It was indicative of how much faster she could have run the Race.

Even though I now had only half a mile to go, I could barely move. I resumed walking for a couple of minutes and then started running again. I knew I was coming to the hill leading up to the Stadium access road so I looked down and did not look at the upward sloping road ahead. That would have been so depressing and demotivating I might have stopped.

At this point, as we all turned into the access road, the road had narrowed and hundreds of people rushed by me. They were intent on making the best time they could. I was intent on not collapsing. I considered how my goals had devolved from trying to run a great time to trying to run a decent time to trying to run a not-overly-embarrassing-time to trying to finish and now almost to "I don't care what the heck happens --- give me a root beer now!"

I somehow made it up the incline to the entrance to the Stadium. Inside were thousands of cheering fans, all encouraging their friends and family members who were running to sprint to the finish.

Running slower than the stream of people passing me, I looked around the Stadium, happy to know I would finish without any injury. Looking for my still photographer, Chris Rojas, in the position he said he would be, I ran by but never saw him. I then rounded the last curve in the Race --- the southern or U-shaped portion of the football field --- and headed towards the Finish Line.

I thought I saw our video photographer and ran past him on the extreme left side of the field so he could get a good shot. Somehow, even in my energy-deprived condition, I managed to sprint for 100 yards. It was my only sprint of the day.

The Finish Line surprised me because, this year, there weren't the formal chutes they always had in the past. There also were no Race officials taking tags from the runners. They had so much confidence in the radio frequency tag system they decided to not even bother with having a back-up system.

I looked at the clock on the Stadium's north-end screen and it said 8:31 am. We had left right before 7:16 am so that meant my time was about 75 minutes. Wow, that would be the worst time I had ever run the Race in my life. I was happy to finish but disgusted with my awful performance.

I looked around and couldn't see Angela anywhere. I was hoping to meet her husband Brett and their little three year-old Jacob but they were nowhere to be seen. It now was cold and misting out so I could understand their desire to not stay. Plus, finding them in this crowd was almost impossible anyway. And with my not having a cell phone, there was no way they could reach me.

Next I followed the crowd off the Stadium floor and was funneled with everyone else to the Balch Fieldhouse. I picked up a lunch and a Dick's Sporting Goods bag and headed over to the Exposition to see what was being offered.

After spending several minutes at the Expo, munching on food samples and gathering swag for Holly, I headed to the car. I was freezing because I still was soaked from the sprinkler experience on Walnut Street. I was wearing clothing which held water nicely and it was working against me in a big way. I didn't see Bill near the car and waited a little while.

As I got progressively colder, I decided to head home, take a shower, and put on fresh and warmer clothing. Then I could come back and look for Bill. Before leaving I spoke with Dan McVickers of the University of Colorado Events staff. Dan was great and said he would make sure I could get out of the parking lot I was in and also would be allowed to return.

This was a big deal. Earlier in the day, I had spoken to both the law enforcement Dispatch Center and the Boulder Police about making arrangements to be able to return. Neither knew what to do and weren't helpful at all. Dan, however, said he would make sure the Boulder Deputy Sheriffs on Broadway would let me back in on campus. He was great. Talk about a superb ambassador for the University.

I had spoken with a Boulder Police officer at the end of the Race and had asked him for assistance related to getting a message to the right people but he said the Sheriff's Deputies were on the "gold" radio spectrum and, as a result, he had no way to reach them. I was wondering whatever happened to the post-911 concept of putting all law enforcement and emergency personnel on the same radio frequency or at least providing the technology so they all could easily communicate with each other.

As I left the CU campus, I turned right onto Broadway, heading north, and realized I had made a boo-boo. If I kept going, I would be stopped by the Race. This indicated to me I was tired and not thinking straight. I managed to turn around in a side street on the Hill and headed south to Baseline Road so I could avoid the Race entirely.

I got home by 9:30 am, got cleaned up, took the dogs out, and then left with Holly to pick up her cousin Joel. As I headed back to Boulder, feeling much better now that I was in a nicely-heated vehicle, I received a call from Andrea Jones, Bill's wife. She had heard from Bill, who thought I had abandoned him. The good news was Bill had found a ride with some of his neighbors in Erie.

That was great! I felt relieved and was glad he was safe and I didn't have to look for him. I had called his cell phone several times but then realized it was in his workout bag. Unfortunately, the bag was still in my car so, in essence, I was in my car calling the bag in my car.

As we got into the RTD bus lane to turn into 18th Street to access the CU parking lot, Holly and Joel told me I would never get back onto campus. I got to the turn and, as I made the turn, two Sherriff's Deputies jumped in front of the car and vociferously shouted, "Whoa, there!" The kids thought we were going to get shot or, at the minimum, arrested.

I rolled down my window to give them a business card and one of the Deputies said, "Are you Alan?" I said, "No, I'm Aaron" and the kids started laughing. The Deputies said we had been cleared to go through and stepped aside as I thanked them. We then parked in a lot next to the one we had been in. Dan McVickers had taken care of everything, just as he said he would.

We then went to the Expo and filled two bags with goodies. The NatureMade people were great as were the PowerBar folks later on. I was disappointed the First National Bank people would not give the kids a blanket. They were handing them out only if you applied for a credit card but at 13 and 14 years old, respectively, Holly and Joel should not be doing that (although UNITED Airlines solicited Holly every month to apply for a VISA card).

The Expo had been depleted. Several booths had already been torn down once the sponsor's supplies were all given away. While the majority of booths were left, I was surprised that, at 11:30 am, so many companies had not brought enough with them. The NatureMade, PowerBar, and Dreyer's folks had come well-supplied and I gave them credit for that.

The kids were disappointed and felt the goodies available at the Expo were lame. I explained many of the goodies were long gone and promised we would come earlier next year.

The next event was the military jet flyover at Folsom Stadium, right across from the Expo. It was an exciting event. The jet pilots often did their final practice near our house between Erie and Lafayette so it was even more exciting to see their final execution while in perfect formation.

The kids, however, didn't want to leave the car. It was raining lightly outside and they didn't want to get wet so I headed out by myself. I had a hat and wasn't too cold, thanks to being dry. Right as I was about to enter the Stadium via a tunnel, the jets from the 120th Fighter Squadron screamed overhead at what seemed was near supersonic speed (they seemed to be right on top of the Stadium) and the crowd cheered wildly. I felt lucky to have seen them just in time.

As I exited the 100-foot tunnel, I joined in the applause. Then, as I was working my way to the Stadium field, the national anthem began to be played so I stopped. It was a moving moment, especially in the rain.

The Bolder Boulder was the nation's largest Memorial Day celebration. This year it also included traditions such as a Navy Reserve Officer in Training Marine 21-gun salute and a Color Guard. Honored was retired U.S. Army Major General Patrick H. Brady, a winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was a Major in Viet Nam when he repeatedly risked his life making helicopter flights to save pinned-down troops, often using helicopters being damaged by enemy fire.

I saw Chuck, Chris, and Brian on the Stadium floor and thought Chuck and Brian saw me. Then, while on the floor, the International Team men's race was coming to a climax with the leading runner heading into the Stadium. I happened to be about 20 yards past the Finish Line so when the winner, Ridouana Harroufi of Morroco, finished in first place, I unintentionally was one of the first people to congratulate him. We had met on Saturday at the Media Luncheon so it was fun to see him do so well.

As the men came past the Finish Line, I was able to congratulate a few of them, including some of the members of Team USA.

Next I spoke with Chuck and Brian. They actually hadn't seen me there and, as a result, got no footage of me. I also found out Angela couldn't find either them or Chris so none of them got what we had hoped. I laughed and told them it was a good lesson about how difficult it was to shoot a specific person when there are more than 54,000 people in shorts and T-shirts all running together. Given my performance, I couldn't fault anyone else today.

After watching the women's team finish, with our Ethiopian tablemate finishing second to a great Kenyan runner, Chuck and Brian headed home while Chris and I went up to the Stadium Club to hear the announcements of the results and get a bite to eat.

Knowing the kids were in the car and now being informed they were bored, I didn't spend much time at the Media briefing luncheon. The Stadium Club was packed with runners and their families, coaches, Press people, CU folks (including Chancellor Bud Peterson), and others.

The first item I ate was a giant baby Ruth frozen ice cream cone but I was good and had a salad and some roast turkey afterwards. Normally, I would give myself permission to pig out after a race but today, given my dismal performance, I was motivated to get serious about losing weight, eating better, exercising more, and getting more sleep --- probably in that order

We visited with several runners, some CU administrators, and some CU students who had worked the event. Then I headed back to the car because I had been gone for over an hour. I wish they had come with me and thought that, next time, we should bring raingear along just in case the weather was bad.

Holly and Joel had been raiding the edible goodies we had collected but were still hungry. We went to Joel's house in Lafayette so they could have a quick bite. Then I headed home, dropped off Holly, walked the dogs, and drove a short way to deliver Bill's bag to his house.

Bill was home and told me he had tried to find me but had given up. I then heard the whole story of how he got back. He wasn't perturbed at all because he always had a back-up plan --- Andrea could come and get him. I didn't think she would have been too excited about that because it was a 15- to 20-minute drive but he said she wouldn't have minded at all. That made me feel better.

Bill had already seen the Race results and that surprised me. The results never were available so quickly in the past. He confirmed I had run the Race in 75 minutes (actually 75:39, so it really was closer to a lethargic 76 minutes).

Hel said Angela and I started out at such a fast pace even he didn't want to do it. He was a lot smarter than I was. He thought the initial half mile we ran at a breakneck speed contributed greatly to my downfall.

That may have been true but I wasn't so sure. After all, in cases where I started out too quickly, I would eventually recover and run fairly well even if it took a mile or two. This time I never recovered.

The good news was I completed the Race, I felt tired but good, and I was motivated to do much better. I knew I would run next year and decided I needed to start training tomorrow --- not a few weeks before the Race. I knew it was crazy but I decided to set some goals. They included weighing no more than 185 for the entire two weeks before Race Day and running the Race in a time under 60 minutes. That meant making a 17-minute improvement in one year. I realized this would be extraordinary but I didn't see any reason I couldn't do it. Any bets out there?

If Aaron can do it, you can too
-Sign-up to run with Aaron Harber

Countdown Day 0 (Sunday, May 25th)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 37

A True Day Of Rest…

Training Day 37:

No matter how long I may have wanted to sleep, it wasn't easy for me to sleep past 5:00 am no matter what happened. I tried to get some extra rest but wasn't surprised at my inability to stay in bed. The Sun was up and work beckoned me.

I was committed to not doing any physical exercise today and didn't think that would be a problem. I weighed in at 204 so I knew I would be running the Race at almost 20 pounds more than I wanted but, at this point, short of emergency surgery, I knew that was simply the reality I had to accept. I decided I would still try to get to 185 this Summer but also appreciated how difficult that would be for someone who enjoyed eating as much as I did.

When I took out the dogs in the morning, I noticed it was warm outside. That wasn't good news if today was a predictor of tomorrow's weather. The good news was the weather forecast was changing and looked progressively better. The low was projected to be 45^oF, which was slightly higher than I would have liked but certainly was much better than 55^oF.

I was amazed at how much each additional degree slowed me down. Running at 35^oF was twice as good for me compared to 45^oF but I would be happy with 45^oF simply because it was so much better than 55^oF. Of course, by the time the Race started, it probably would be 50^oF or higher but that was OK (and, again, better than 60^oF).

Rain was in the forecast but there was no indication when that might occur. I checked to see there was a small chance of rain in the morning and hoped it would happen. Rain before the Race would guarantee the course was clean and the air would be fresh. Rain during the Race would be great, especially if it were a light drizzle, because it would keep me cool and avoid the necessity of taking detours through sprinklers which people had on for runners to use.

I worked on various television program-related tasks and corresponded with the White House about my request to interview the President. I got a quick response by phone and was told the President's schedule was so jam-packed that he would not be able to join me this time. I responded by suggesting a time be found while he was at the White House. It would be interesting to see if they actually put something together.

The White House was unduly protective of the President. My perspective was, with just nine months left in his eight-year Administration, he had nothing to lose. Plus the President was quite good at one-on-one sessions and certainly had nothing to fear by doing an interview with me. I concluded I should get back in touch in a week or so. Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and, in this case, all I was venturing were e-mail electrons.

I also got a nice e-mail from the White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino. She had grown up in Colorado and had been appointed to the position when Tony Snow decided to leave. Snow had cancer and decided to leave the White House to make some money for his family. My guess was he would be lucky to make it through this year. It was sad to see anyone get cancer and reminded me how fragile life was.

Dana was a true Bush devotee. She thought the world of the President and did a great job representing him. I was sure he had to be pleased with her work and performance in what was one of the most demanding jobs in the world --- shielding the President from the Press.

I had known White House Press Secretaries primarily from Democratic Administrations --- DeeDee Myers, Mike McCurry, and Joe Lockhart --- with David Gergen the one Republican I had met (but didn't really know at all). They all always told me how exciting and difficult the position was. I don't think any of them regretted leaving the position.

I spent a fair bit of time on the phone, including a longer-than-usual daily call to my Mother. I also spent a long time with Jim Dorsey, a good friend in Cleveland who also came up with some of the best research and questions for my television program. Jim knew more about Economics than some of the top economists and was top-notch at identifying critical issues. He was an invaluable asset to me because he often did the equivalent of the work of a team of researchers. It was always fun and a challenge to talk with Jim.

A good part of the day was spent helping my daughter organize her final attack on all the work she needed to complete before school ended this Thursday. We focused on Math, Science, and Spanish. She actually was on the border, grade-wise, in three of her courses and her teachers were giving her the opportunity to achieve at a higher level so we talked about how she could do it. We reviewed all of her work and what still needed to be done. She was unenthusiastic about it because she already was thinking about summer vacation. I couldn't blame her but this was a great opportunity to experience how three or four days of hard work could pay off so immediately.

A good friend and one of my favorite musical artists, Nina Storey, called to wish me well. She wanted me to run in spirit for her because she had wanted to be in the Race but had to get back to Los Angeles, where she now lived, to get ready for a big performance. She suggested we look at running another race in June or July but I told her to first see how I survived the Bolder Boulder.

In between calls and work, I did household chores such as laundry and ate with reckless abandon. With the Race a matter of hours away, I had given up on running as a svelte entrant. I knew I wasn't going to be near my weight target so I dined "freely."

I made a version of huevos rancheros which could have served a family and also cooked sausage with garlic. I drank several glasses of milk, had seltzer water, consumed three ice cream bars, and also knocked off two multigrain waffles with butter. I justified all of this with the alleged need for "carbo-loading" before the Race. The truth was I had done all the carbo-loading I needed about four months ago.

The day also was spent getting my team organized for the Race. There would be between four and eight people trying to take photos of me. With 53,000 people running, it would be very difficult to get any good shots but it was worth a try. There were a number of logistical issues, especially with a full schedule already set for members of the Media.

Once the Race was over for me, I would visit with some people and then would head back home to get cleaned up and change my clothes. Next I would go back to the Race and see the Memorial Day celebration, the finish of the Men's International Race, the finish of the Women's International Race, and visit with attendees. I also would attend the luncheon for the Press where the results were announced. That was a nice opportunity to visit with many of the world-class athletes after they had competed.

This year I would be realistic about my actual Race goals as a runner. With 20 extra pounds, I knew I would be lucky to break 70 minutes. My first goal was to finish the Race. Period. If I didn't have a heart attack, I would be pleased. My second goal was to finish at 75 minutes or less ("75 minutes" sounds so much faster than "1 hour and 15 minutes," doesn't it?)

If I could break 70 minutes, that would be great because I had never finished the Race in more than about 66¼ minutes or so. It would be nice to stay under 70 but I knew it probably was unrealistic given my lack of real training and the fact I weighed more than I should. Yes, I started my weight-loss effort at 226 pounds and would be down to no more than 206 on Race Day but the reality was the 226 was a result of a period of having not worked out at all. I really should be at +/-185 so I knew I was headed for a tough run.

My running partner would make certain I finished the Race, come hell or high water, but I also knew that, as one tired and became delirious, it was easy to convince oneself of anything --- including, "Hey, I'm going to walk a while."

This actually was a major issue for me because some of my better running times came when I actually stopped running for a couple of minutes and then resumed my run. I didn't know if that would work anymore, however, because nowadays, when I stopped running and walked, I found it difficult to start running again. Instead, I would start looking for a place to curl up and sleep!

Another decision point was whether or not to eat something before the Race. Normally, I never ate before exercising. It almost always made me uncomfortable as soon as I began exercising. Plus, with the extra weight I had, it wasn't as if I didn't have energy reserves to utilize.

Yet another "big" decision was to wear a hat. I did not like wearing hats but, even at 7:15 am (and certainly by 8:15 am), the Sun would be beating down on my generally unprotected head. I needed to find a hat. I wanted white hat but had not found one. I had run once with a black hat and found that was really dumb because it absorbed all the Sun's rays and heated me up even more. Talk about forgetting basic physics!

The best I could do were two old white hats. One had "Romer" emblazoned in blue across the front. I doubted many people would recognize it from one of Roy Romer's campaigns for Governor. The other said, "Gary Hart" in big letters and "For President" in smaller letters underneath. My guess was this was from his 1984 campaign.

The Hart hat had a cross-crossed or net-like surface so the Sun would partially penetrate it so
I decided to go with the Romer hat because it offered more protection. My hope was it would be overcast and I would not even need to wear a hat.

Even without a hat I would be OK because I now had a headband. Until I purchased one a couple of weeks ago, I had never worn one. While I initially found it disconcerting --- having a tight band around my head --- I quickly adapted to it and liked the way it kept sweat from pouring into my eyes. It was about 80% effective and that made a big difference.

I already was putting items into the car for tomorrow and hoped to be well-prepared. I started to think about the Race and was looking more forward to the military jet flyover for the Memorial Day celebration than the run itself. In fact, for the first time I had ever run the Race, I actually was dreading what likely would happen tomorrow.

Oh well, it was too late to back out now… or was it? I didn't feel well and noticed I was getting a bit dizzy every time I stood up. It made me think it might be a good idea to reconsider running the Race but, being a guy, I said, "No way --- I'm running this Race no matter what."

To get a good night's sleep, I promised myself I would go to bed by 9:00 pm. In that manner, even if I arose at 2:00 am, I would have gotten at least five hours of sleep. What a great plan!

My Producer, Chuck Fiorella called to go over final details. He suggested I not run the Race because he knew I was out of shape and tired. I told him I would walk, if I didn't feel I reassured him by reminding him that, after tomorrow's Race, almost one million people will have entered the Bolder Boulder and in that 30-year span of almost 1,000,000 people, just one person had died during the Race. I laughed saying, "See, the odds are a million to one against my croaking."

Of course, that wasn't an accurate calculation of the odds. If one computed the odds of a runner dying based on age, physical condition, amount of rest, et cetera, I knew the odds probably were 100 times worse. That still made them 10,000 to 1 against anything fatal happening so I wasn't worried. Plus the Race organizers had great medical care available along the entire course. I would be revived quickly, I assured him.

Angela called at 8:15 pm and suggested I pick her up rather than rendezvous here and I said I would do that. I would first pick up Bill Jones en route to her place and then head out to the University of Colorado, where we would park.

At 8:30 pm, I made dinner for Holly and then tried hard to start getting ready for by 9:30 pm. So much for my early to bed plan. Holly needed some help and then was hungry. Before I knew it, it was 10:30 pm and my plan to hit the hay was totally shot. I ended up getting to sleep as the clock approached 11:00 pm.

The good news was it was getting cloudy out. My last thought was that I might get lucky and have rain in the morning. That would make the air fresh and cool --- perfect for a run.

If Aaron can do it, you can too
-Sign-up to run with Aaron Harber

Countdown Day 1 (Saturday, May 24th)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 36

No Real Day Of Rest…

Training Day 36:

This was supposed to be the first of two real fays of rest before the Race but when I weighed myself and saw I was back up to 202 pounds --- 22 pounds away from my running weight goal of 180 --- I knew I needed to work out.

At home I had a LifeCycle stationary bicycle. Its difficulty scale went up to Level 15 so I decided to try riding at that Level for a full hour. That once was part of my regular routine --- doing the bike for an hour at a Level 15 setting.

This time I found the ride a bit more challenging than expected. I read newspapers while I rode and listened to the stereo. It was a great way to catch up on my newspaper reading while getting a good workout. When I finished the machine said I had burned 662 calories. I didn't know how accurate that was because there was no opportunity to enter my weight. I assumed a 100-pound person who rode at Level 15 for an hour would burn fewer calories than a 200-pound person who completed the same routine but, heck, what do I know?

The big event for the day was the Bolder Boulder Media Luncheon. It was a wonderful affair held in a large outdoor tent in the backyard of the Millennium Harvest House Hotel in Boulder. Dave Plati, the University of Colorado Sports Information Officer had arranged for us to attend the event, as he did every year.

Today, my chief photographer, Chris Rojas, was with us as were Stephanie Smith and Shannon Woodard. Some others had wanted to attend but didn't make it. They didn't know what they were missing because the highlight of the event were the world-class runners who surrounded you. Most of the international teams were represented with men's and/or women's teams or representatives from Kenya, Ethiopia (last year's winners), Japan, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Tanzania, and Morocco. It truly was an international event.

The USA had a team and there also was Team Colorado --- all loaded with great runners.

I had a chance to speak with USA team member Ryan Hall as well as last year's winner of the men's race, Ridouane Harroufi. During lunch we sat with the Ethiopian Team, which had won the contest last year. I also visited with the Kenyan team and had the opportunity to visit with several other runners. It truly was an amazing group. I felt fortunate to be there with them. These were people who literally ran three times faster than I did (and sometimes ever four times faster).

The Media Luncheon always is a wonderful event because it gives me a chance to visit with Race founder Steve Bosley (now a University of Colorado Regent and Chairman of their Board) and his son, Race Director Cliff Bosley. I also usually get to visit with Francie Bosley, Steve's wife, and the backbone of the family.

This day was no different than previous years and it was great seeing everyone. They were in a celebratory mood even though the Race had yet to take place because everything was almost done from an organizational perspective. Plus they were headed for a record attendance of over 53,000 registrants. That was truly an amazing feat.

One of my team members, Stephanie, was already at the event when I arrived. Chris and Shannon showed up later. I had Stephanie join me at the table reserved for the Ethiopian team. They had won the International Team Race event last year and were poised for a repeat. At the tables next to us were the Kenyan Team, the Mexican Team, and the Japanese Team. It was amazing to watch these world-class athletes with each other. The international teams tended to stay in their respective groups and that seemed to be due to language barriers. Most of them were literally half my size --- often not even five feet tall and weighing under 100 pounds. OK, height-wise, someone who is 4'8" looks tiny compared to my 6'5" frame. I hoped I didn't scare any of them!

The event featured a great spread of food which I sampled quite generously. After a giant turkey sandwich, a delicious bowl of minestrone soup, an array of salads (chicken salad, potato salad, and pasta salad), four iced teas, and a dessert or two, I knew I had enough carbohydrates in me for the Race on Monday --- and it was only Saturday.

During the Luncheon, there was a special ceremony honoring Rich Castro, who had a long history with the Race and was best known for training top athletes and for his organization of the international portion of the Race and his work with the international teams. Rich was very beloved in the racing community in Boulder as well as throughout Colorado and the nation so it was great to see him get the recognition he deserved. He is a very humble man and never sought the spotlight so it was fun to see everyone from around the world give him a standing ovation. He was moved to tears and I could see him choking them back. He was sitting at a table next to ours and it was fun to see his family greet him so warmly when he came back from the podium.

Perhaps the highlight of the event was the announcement that the guest of honor at the Memorial Day Tribute on Monday (Memorial Day) would be U.S. Army General Patrick H. Brady. General Brady and his wife were in attendance at the Luncheon and he was introduced to the attendees.

He was a Medal of Honor recipient who had flown numerous helicopter rescue missions right into enemy fire to save the lives of many U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers. Some of the stories of those missions --- flying bullet-ridden and severely damaged craft --- were spellbinding. It was easy to see how it was a miracle for General Brady (who was a Major at the time of his heroics) to be with us today.

The Memorial Day tribute at the Bolder Boulder was the nation's largest Memorial Day celebration. It also included a military flyover by the U.S. Marines. There would be a 21-gun salute thanks to the University of Colorado's Naval Reserve Officers in Training Corps as well as a Color Guard and the playing of taps. It was a full-fledged celebration held with thousands of people in the stands of Folsom Stadium.

I visited briefly with some of the other Race and Media people at the event, including Fox Sports Network Rocky Mountain's Katie O'Malley, an Associate Producer for FSN. They had taken over the coverage of the Race from CBS4 in Denver, which was news to me. I was surprised to hear that, given the long association the CBS affiliate had with the Race.

After the Luncheon, I headed out to the downtown Boulder Mall. After all, I still had not registered for the Race! The Mall was a zoo, with people milling all about enjoying the gorgeous weather. I found the Registration Tent in front of the old Boulder Courthouse, which now served as administrative offices for the County and housed most of the County's elected officials.

I was able to easily register Angela and myself in a matter of minutes. I got the last E Wave registration and they put Angela in the DC Wave but said she could start with me. Thanks to the electronic radio frequency tags which we would put on our shoes, runners could start anywhere and would still get an accurate time for the Race.

Next I went to visit Matt and Deborah Silverman in North Boulder to say "Hello" and talk business with Matt. They were preparing for a small family dinner which had blossomed overnight into a much larger event. As usual, they took it all in stride. Deb is a gourmet cook and it was always fun to dine with them. They invited Holly and me to dinner but I already had invited family members over to our place for dinner. I regretfully declined the invitation knowing the food at the Silverman's would be ten times better than what I was making.

Next I went home to get Holly so we could go shopping for a dress for her 8th Grade "promotion Event" at her school, Peak to Peak. It was their version of an 8th Grade graduation and she was very excited about it. I couldn't blame her.

We drove to Flatiron Crossing Mall and shopped for what seemed like an eternity at Nordstrom's, Macys, and Dillard's. I was amazed at the difference in selection, assistance, and price at each of these three stores as well as how differently they used their floor space.

Nordstrom's had a very open floor plan with what seemed like minimal inventory. They had staff ready to assist shoppers and seemed very well-organized. The prices stunned me, though. This was no bargain basement store!

Macy's had the most selection and the best deals. I was impressed with what they had to offer. My recommendation to Holly was that she make a purchase immediately. She ignored me, as most 8th Graders soon to be 9th Graders would.

She found something she liked at Dillard's so we made our purchase there. It was a nice black dress and seemed a bit fancy to me but, hey, I wasn't the one wearing it. At this point, I was so tired from shopping for dresses (something not on my list of favorite activities) that I was willing to buy her anything just so we could go home. I sensed she already had figured this out and that was why she saved going to Dillard's as our last stop. Smart kid…

As I was ready to go home, she sprung a new obligation on me --- dress shoes. She now wanted to make a complete tour and look for dress shoes to match her dress. Holy cow! I was taken by surprise and didn't react quickly enough. Soon we were going through all the same stores looking at shoes.

I made her look at the offerings at Payless shoe store and told her she could buy any of the dress shoes they had. The staff offered their help and the store had many shoes in Holly's size. I thought their selection was good but, due to Holly's "shoe conceit," she wouldn't even consider buying a Payless shoe. This was not a good sign, especially after I had been buying her shoes at Payless for more than a decade.

Now it was my turn to be stunned by the price difference at each store for shoes. At one store, you could purchase very nice black dress shoes for $20 to $30 (Payless) while, at another store, the nice shoes (and they all looked the same to me) were $100 to $200 a pair (Nordstrom's). Yikes!

After we looked at what I thought were thousands of pairs of shoes (OK, maybe 50), Holly decided none of them would do so we ended up going home. I was exhausted and she was shoeless… for now, anyway.

We headed home but had to stop at King Soopers to shop for food so I could make dinner. I had invited my sister's family over so we would have three more for dinner --- Leah, her husband John, and their son Joel, Holly's cousin.

After grocery shopping, we got home and started cleaning up the house --- a bit too late --- and making dinner. When the Vandersluis family arrived, I was still in the middle of preparing dinner. Leah and John pitched in, as they always did, and helped straighten up the kitchen and adjacent spaces. Papers were recycled, a floor was vacuumed, and various items were put back in their proper place. From a housecleaning perspective, it was always nice to have them come over. Plus the dogs always were given lots of extra attention and they loved that.

Soon I had most of the dinner ready. The kids set the table and we began our feast. For the first course, I made a massive pile of nachos with tons of salsa, gobs of sour cream, two entire diced onions and a ton of cheese. We were getting full just knocking those down.

The second course consisted of two pounds of shrimp sautéed in garlic and butter. They were tasty but it was hard work removing all the tails… well, not really.

Then I made hamburgers with onions and garlic. Not everyone was hungry anymore but those who indulged also had extra sharp cheddar cheese melted on top. It was an American culinary tour de force!

I drank several glasses of milk and then topped off the meal with a giant milkshake using Breyer's Extra Creamy Vanilla ice cream. Almost everyone else joined me in having dessert.

I was so full I was ready to burst. I knew I had totally blown any weight-loss for the Race but I loved the taste of every bite I had.

Somehow we then managed to go downstairs and play several games of ping pong. It always was better exercise than I anticipated and we all had fun. As the evening ended, the Vandersluis family headed home and I returned to clean up the kitchen.

Winding down wasn't difficult tonight and I was able to get to sleep by 11:00 pm. It had been a full day. I definitely was in "rest mode" for the Race. I hoped that was good.

If Aaron can do it, you can too
-Sign-up to run with Aaron Harber

Countdown Day 2 (Friday, May 23rd)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 35

Hooray…I Can Finally Quit!

Training Day 35:

Today was absolutely gorgeous outside. It was a chilly 40^oF outside and I loved it. The only evidence of yesterday's storm was the damp grass and weeds which wet our shoes as we ran. It was an even slower run than usual, solely due to me. My energy levels were dropping like a rock and I had no idea why.

I joked about my "biorhythms" being low. It turned out my physical biorhythm, for those who believe in biorhythms, had bottomed out the night before. That alone was a good explanation It also didn't bode well for the Race. It meant, if the biorhythm analysis was accurate at all, my physical level ("strength, health, and raw physical vitality" according to one biorhythm Website) would be almost at its nadir.

I didn't believe in biorhythms, which were charted based on a person's birth-date, anyway. I figured if a person built up his or her physical base high enough, then even when he or she was at a biorhythmic low point, physical feats still could be performed at a level much higher than most other people.

So, for example, if a person ran a 10K in 75 minutes and trained to get to 50 minutes, even on a "bad biorhythm day," he or she still should be able to run the 10K in 60 minutes. That 60-minute time might be higher than the runner's normal peak performance but it still was much better than the old 75-minute level. And it was silly to think about. I was confident I could overcome any biorhythmic curse.

As we ran, Angela told me she had thought a lot about yesterday's conversation regarding equivocation. She said she realized she did equivocate a lot and wanted to change. I backtracked a little and reminded her we all used equivocation at times to avoid hurting other people's feelings. She was resolute, however, and felt she had missed certain opportunities to communicate more clearly because she did equivocate. I told her to "Go for it" and see how being more direct might make her more successful, especially at work.

I was noticeably tired the entire run but was glad to do it. I knew I had two days of rest coming so it wasn't a big deal. We finished the full 5½ mile run in 75 minutes and discussed the logistics of meeting on Monday so we would have enough time to get to our parking lot on the University of Colorado campus and then walk to the Start Line.

My post-run weight was slightly over 199 but I was optimistic I could get it to 195 before the Race even though I would not be exercising. I was dreaming.

I took care of all my regular responsibilities with Holly, the dogs, and the house, and then attended to some farm issues. For breakfast, I finished all the Chinese food from yesterday's stop at the Fortune Cookie Café. I worked preparing for my meetings in Denver and then took a call from Al Nelson of the Petroleum Pioneers. They wanted me to make my presentation entitled, "Why Everyone Hates Energy Companies"). Al called to remind me of a promise I had made months ago to give my presentation in less than two weeks. I was terribly busy but I had to keep my promise so I assured Al I would be there.

I corresponded with General Petraeus about his nomination by the President to be the head of Central Command. I was wondering if he would be based in Washington but he said he would be at Central Command's headquarters in Tampa. He also told me he would be in Iraq another four months before heading to CentCom. I was thinking of possibly trying to see him in Tampa, Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Hmmmm. Let's see… which location would be easiest and safest? I had great respect for the General and his commitment to do the best he could with the orders he had been given and the limited resources with which he had to work. He cared deeply about his troops and they both respected and adored him. I had learned that firsthand when I visited with troops in Iraq earlier in the year.

My meetings in Denver started with one of my teammates. We reviewed the work she wanted to do and started to put together a schedule. Then I met with the new Marketing Director of the TV Station, Marcia Simmons. She seemed very sharp and I had high hopes for her success at KBDI-TV.

Next I had a meeting with a prospective sponsor of the television show. While in his office, I downed two small bags of pretzels and two bottles of ruby red grapefruit juice. The snacks were good but I made no progress in the meeting. Getting support was simply a numbers game. We were doing great work but it often took a while for people to see that.

After picking up my daughter from school, I made a large dinner which included a green salad, a rice dish, salmon burgers, chicken breast meat cut into bite-sized chunks, and macaroni and cheese. We drank milk and then I had two pieces of cake and an ice cream bar. I had dangerously veered off my diet course and knew, especially with no exercise planned between now and the Race, I knew this unrestrained caloric consumption was not a good decision. I sensed I would pay dearly for my overindulgence.

I worked while Holly read and stayed up much later than I should have --- getting to sleep at 11:00 pm or so.

If Aaron can do it, you can too
-Sign-up to run with Aaron Harber

Countdown Day 3 (Thursday, May 22nd)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 34

Training Is Almost Over…

Training Day 34:

Yes, after today there were only 3 more days to go before it was Race Day. That was hard to believe. I wanted another month or two to really train but knew that wasn't happening. My jaw was sore from yesterday's numbness and resulting unintentional grinding of my teeth but I knew it would wear off as the day passed.

Angela and I ran our 5½ mile course but I did it very slowly. I was tired and just couldn't get going. We talked a lot about the concept of equivocation and how so many of us were reluctant to say things directly or definitively out of a fear we would hurt someone's feelings. The problem was, that by being equivocal, the person who needed to hear the hard truth often missed the point entirely because we would be so gentle in our criticism and even counter it in the same breath.

We were using her instructor at the University of Denver as an example so I thought it would be interesting to see if she decided to give him a tough evaluation and actually say he had been totally incompetent. That was difficult for more people to do but if they were mealy-mouthed about the issue, people such as this guy were likely to not hear exactly what was being said. It was an interesting dilemma because it was compounded by her desire to remain in good stead with everyone involved in her academic program.

We also talked a fair bit about religion --- one of my favorite subjects --- and what instruction we could get from our own religions. That was a topic one could discuss ad infinitum.

After the run, I weighed in at 199 and got ready for the morning. After taking care of my daughter and driving her to school, I had several bowls of a cereal called "Curves" mixed in with one of my absolute favorite cereals, Special K. I had several bowls and tried the two cereals mixed together. The combination was good because the Curves was too sweet and the sugar level of the Special K tasted much lower (and better).

I spent a good part of the morning helping friend who had suffered a terrible family tragedy. He and his wife needed a good attorney to help them through a very difficult time so I spent time calling various attorneys I knew who either could help or who would know which attorneys in the Denver metro area were best-suited for the case.

Calls came pouring in all day so I ended up on the phone for a majority of the time. I snuck upstairs to munch on e a few ice cream bars and then headed out to Holly's school --- Peak to Peak --- to attend an awards assembly. She was scheduled to het an award and, despite her claims to the contrary, I knew she would want me there.

This was the day a tornado warning was out so it made the afternoon more exciting than usual. Before I left, it started hailing around the house. I took the dogs for a walk and they each reacted differently to being pelted. Two of the dogs were quite bothered by the hail and wanted to go back inside right away (Velma and Wonka). The other two (Bandit and Wally) didn't seem to mind. I brought them all in anyway. I didn't want them to get hurt and I had noticed the hail was increasing in size.

Driving to the school, the hail intensified. The sound of it hitting the car was distinctive and reminded me of the few times I had been caught in a hailstorm. When I got to the school, only a few minutes later, the hail had stopped.

The school's gymnasium was being used for the awards assembly and already was filling up with parents. The students came in next but, before the assembly could even start, the school's Executive Principal, Tony Fontana (who was an extraordinary leader and a great guy), announced there was a tornado warning in the area and everyone needed to go to a safer location.

The parents and students were split up into different groups and filed out. I ended up with a small cadre which was directed to the school's kitchen. I liked that idea, especially when I found out the kitchen team had been grilling hamburgers outdoors as a special treat for the kids. The staff, however, wasn't interested in feeding me despite my hunger pangs.

After the threat of a tornado subsided, everyone returned to the North Gym building for the assembly. Hundreds of kids received awards. It was wonderful to see. Holly got hers in Theater and was pleased but I could tell she was disappointed to not get one for her English class, where she did excel.

At the end of the afternoon Wally's veterinarian called to tell me he was very ill. He had severe liver disease and, as I had been told yesterday, was in decline in a major way. That made me sad. His vet was Michelle deHaan, who always did a wonderful job with all my dogs and my cat.

Michelle went through the details of severe hepatic disease and explained the antibiotic I had picked up yesterday (amoxicillin, a low-level antibiotic) was to knock out any bacterial infection he might have. The Denamarin was to improve his liver function, even if only temporarily. I already had begun giving Wally three pills a day. He was unenthusiastic about it but I was hoping it would help. In the meantime, the best animal oncologist in the world, Dr. Steven Withrow, had been returning my call but missing me. Steve was at the Colorado State University Veterinary & Teaching Hospital. He simply was the best. People would fly in with their pets just to see him. He had treated two of my dogs who had gotten cancer and did a great job with them.

Later, after working some more, I picked up Holly and her school chum, Kirsten. The girls had been at their school's cheerleading tryouts and had finished at 5:00 pm. They were hungry and wanted to skip the hour of hip-hop instruction at their cheerleading gym. I had to agree with them that it was a waste of time but also told them they weren't "running the show."

They both were hungry so we debated whether or not they should eat before Cheer. Holly actually had homework to do, so I was considering whether or not she should even attend the evening's session. They convinced me they should have something to eat so then we debated where to go. We finally settled on having Chinese food at the Fortune Cookie Café in Lafayette.

The Fortune Cookie was a dive but food was good and the service was excellent. I liked the family who owned the business. They always had been nice to Holly, ever since she was adopted from China. We had a fun meal with the girls ordering their favorite foods. Kirsten ordered lemon chicken and Holly ordered sweet and sour chicken as well as a mixed vegetable dish. We got steamed white rice as well as fried rice (except the fried rice here really was just steamed white rice with soy sauce). I started with a large bowl of hot and sour soup. Then I "assisted" the girls with the three meals they ordered. We all were stuffed by the time we were done.

The day ended with more work, some homework assistance for Holly, and a number of dog-related tasks. What else was new?

If Aaron can do it, you can too
-Sign-up to run with Aaron Harber

Countdown Day 4 (Wednesday, May 21st)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 33

Not Running Was Too Nice…

Training Day 33:

It was nice to not run today but, instead of taking a break, I went to the YMCA and did a weight workout. It was a rare event. I noticed my face was sore --- right under my left eye. What was weird was that, if I applied pressure on the skin, it didn't hurt but if I moved my eye or head, it did. I decided to ignore it for now.

The weight workout didn't feel too bad and I was glad to have the variety. I had weighed in at 204, so I not only was not making progress but was losing ground. I now knew there was no way --- short of major surgery --- I would be running the Race at 180 to 185. Right now even 195 seemed out of reach but I would still see if I could get down to that weight. I knew every pound I could take off would help me immensely.

It was the usual routine with my daughter. We had to review some special plans for her to retake some tests in Science and Math but she seemed more than willing to get the job done --- especially with summer vacation starting at the end of next week.

For breakfast, I ate six bowls of KIX --- one of my favorite cereals and one I hadn't had in many months --- with milk. Then I tackled the usual host of topics, calls, and e-mails.

Mid-morning, I took my eldest dog, Wally, for an ultrasound and tried to prepare myself for bad news. He had been losing weight and, for a 12½ year-old Golden retriever, that usually was not a good sign.

I received an invitation from the Aspen Institute to the Aspen Ideas Festival (www.AIFestival.org), so I was pleased to see that finally occur. This would be the third year in a row I attended and took a camera crew. Some of the most interesting people on the planet participated in this event so it was a wonderful opportunity for intellectual discourse which could be caught on camera. Some of my previous guests included Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer, Bob Schieffer of CBS, Senator Arlen Specter, and Queen Noor of Jordan.

As part of my poorly thought-out crash weight-loss plan, I decided to skip lunch. I knew that could be a big mistake but decided to see how long I could hold out against my screaming fat cells --- billions of which were banging their little knives and forks inside me, demanding to be fed.

I worked more and had a nice talk with former State Treasurer and Peace Corps Director Sam Brown. I had run into Sam, after a gap of many years, at the Aspen Ideas Festival last year so I thought I would call him to get ideas on where to house our television crew during this year's Festival. Sam was in Washington but had some good ideas. It was fun talking with him.

By 1:00 pm, I was starving so I gave in and had a giant salad with lettuce, sliced cabbage, carrots, and mandarin orange slices --- doused with teriyaki sauce. Then I had several slices of Monterey Jack cheese, two glasses of milk, and a large piece of matzoh for my cracker. So much for my diet…

I had a really fun dental appointment and ended up walking out with a very numb mouth. While I could speak intelligibly (well, barely), I noticed I couldn't feel myself chewing in a normal manner. I almost chewed a few teeth!

I went grocery shopping, picked up Holly, took her shopping, then went and picked up poor old Wally, and headed home. Eating was a very strange experience but, as always was the case when it came to food, I managed. We dined on salmon burgers, rice, and an onion and broccoli dish. Milk was the order of the day beverage-wise.

I had a conference call for the TV show after dinner at 6:00 pm which lasted until 7:15 pm. That killed the evening. I noticed my jaw was sore --- probably from chewing and putting pressure on my teeth but not knowing I was biting down too hard due to the numbness which had not completely worn off. This was a new experience for me. I called it a night at 9:30 pm, after helping Holly with her homework and taking care of the dogs, and was asleep by 10:30 pm or so. The Race was getting closer and I had to admit, I had not made much progress.

If Aaron can do it, you can too
-Sign-up to run with Aaron Harber

Countdown Day 5 (Tuesday, May 20th)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 32

It's Getting Very Late In The Game…

Training Day 32:

It had been surprisingly hot all night long and none of us slept well. The dogs got me up at 1:34 am and needed to go out so I took them for a quick walk. It wasn't easy getting to sleep but it was far too early to get up so I rested until I fell asleep again --- about half an hour later. I knew I needed the rest.

Two hours after that, at about 4:15 am, I got up and got ready to run. I was tired and sore. If I could have come up with a good excuse to not run (sorry, "tired and sore" aren't good enough excuses), I would have. I worked a while and then met Angela outside.

Starting the run was tough today but I kept going. After 1½ miles, I needed a break and walked for a minute or two. Then we resumed running and decided to go the next 1½-mile segment. My butt was dragging.

I made it down to County Line Road for the second time but was winded. This was not a good sign. I wanted to say I had over-trained but all that would have done was generate guffaws from both of us.

Today's main topic of conversation was about one's purpose in life, what it should be, and how does one find and/or determine it. It always is a great topic because it allows you to discuss what your life should be focused on at a particular point in time. I explained how I tried to make a difference with my work and personal life but knew I could do more. Angela wondered how her job fit into a greater plan and what else she might do.

We argued about the degree of self-determination one has and the role personal belief systems and religion played in these important life decisions. It was a fun conversation and kept my mind off my pitiful performance today.

While running, a neighbor leaned over his fence. It was John Peterson, whose wife worked at Holly's school --- Peak to Peak. The school had just been named yesterday as the 40th best school in the nation by Newsweek magazine so I assumed he was going to say something.

Instead, he wanted to know if he and his son could have permission to ride their dirt bikes on the farm. I gently told him that would not work due to liability concerns and insurance considerations. He took the answer well. I explained that, eventually, there would be trails on the property and I hoped people such as himself would be able to use them for a wide variety of recreation.

Our talk took several minutes and I recuperated during that time. We continued our run, passing a few barking dogs behind fences, and came to a final decision point. We were at the dirt road leading back to the gas well we always passed and then on to my house. Usually, we would keep heading west and run that quarter-mile along with the half-mile around the Thomas Lake Reservoir. With the return adding the quarter of a mile again, this route totaled over one mile.

If we went home now, the entire run would be about 4½ miles. If we took the longer route, it would easily be 5½ miles. Angela prodded me on to do the longer route and somehow I managed to keep one foot in front of the other. I definitely was going slowly. In fact, at one point, I had started power-walking while she ran at a jogging pace.

We made it around the little lake, said "Hello" to a few people walking their dogs or running around the lake themselves, and headed back for the 1½ mile trek home.

We started talking about the Race and I told Angela I wanted her to run as fast a time as she could. She wanted to run with me but I knew that meant she would run a much slower pace than she otherwise could. I told her I appreciated her desire to stay together as a team because, indeed, we were running partners, but that it would be great to see her go all out and see what she could do.

She wasn't convinced and so we debated the merits of my request. Of course, my expectation was my request should be honored simply because I had made it! Angela, being quite independent, wanted to make her own decision.

She said she could bring her iPod with her but I could tell she didn't like the idea of running the Race for time. I mentioned I wasn't good company during the Race because I was so focused on completing it but she didn't buy that either. She figured I was far too loquacious to be quiet during any run. I guess I would have to surprise her.

She said she would think about my request. We finally finished the run when we arrived at my house about 80 minutes after starting. That was pathetic. I knew I was worn out and suggested we go our separate ways tomorrow and do weight or other workouts. She agreed that made sense. It was consistent with her prior suggestions that we mix up our exercise routines.

At home, after the run, I weighed in at a disappointing 200 and knew 190 wasn't going to happen for the Race. It was late in the game and I was in big trouble. Today's run had proven that was true.

For breakfast I ate a salmon fillet which needed to be consumed, due to its age in the refrigerator. I added some extra barbecue sauce to make sure it would taste fine (i.e., all I would taste is barbecue sauce). I was drinking lots of Minute Maid Orangeade again and had a few glasses of milk, too.

I had snacked on Muenster cheese and apple while I had made Holly breakfast and lunch and should have stopped but, while I read the newspaper, I also ate a Spicy McChicken sandwich with extra mayonnaise. Then I had more milk and topped my beverage consumption off with a few glasses of lemon-lime seltzer water. My consumption, by caloric total and physical volume, had been immense.

After working a while, later in the morning, I ate a quarter pound of sliced Monterey Jack cheese, a few glasses of milk, and a few glasses of the Minute Maid concoction. I knew having more dairy products probably was a bad idea, especially given what it did to a person, but I didn't see any chocolate hanging around the house.

Today was filled with television production planning issues. We had a problem with too many guests agreeing to be on one program and I also was looking at the shows we were supposed to do on the Democratic National Convention. Former television producer Norman Lear ("All In The Family," "Maude," "Good Times," "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," and "The Jeffersons," among others) was being kind enough to suggest some guests for the shows and also agreed to be on the program.

Throughout the day, I continued to deal with farm-related issues as well as parenting and pet challenges. They were a constant every day.

For lunch I ate a double-cheeseburger with a giant pickle. I also munched on a few other goodies --- one of the two-edged swords of having an office at home. It was convenient and too convenient to eat whenever the urge occurred.

As the afternoon passed, I left the house early to go to the Post Office and do some shopping. I stopped at Inta Juice and got a raspberry "tsunami" (their largest size) for me. It probably had 1,000 calories. I got the regular size for Holly. Then it was on to the Albertsons in Lafayette to do some grocery shopping. It seemed I was always working, shopping, vacuuming, doing laundry, or cleaning up after a pet. That was all OK, especially given the lives so many other people lived.

At home, Holly and I reviewed her homework and focused on her English honors project. She was way behind. I worked while she worked. Eventually, she fell asleep. I let her sleep because I knew she was tired. I worked some more and then had her get ready for bed. I was still tired from my morning run --- that's not a good sign --- and wanted to call it a day by 9:00 pm.

I thought I ended my eating day with another double-cheeseburger and a giant pickle, nicely washed down with two glasses of milk. OK, I did precede that with an ice cream bar but no one else was looking. And, later that evening, I had two more ice cream bars. I had rediscovered my weakness… one of many.

Instead of ending my work day, I continued by watching some footage of the guests Norman Lear had suggested and also watched a video of a speech he gave. I was amazed at his vigor at the age of 85. If I could be like him at 85, it would be a wonderful blessing. I began to wonder if running would help me get to 85 or would truncate that goal.

If Aaron can do it, you can too
-Sign-up to run with Aaron Harber

Countdown Day 6 (Monday, May 19th)

BOLDER BOULDER DIARY DAY 31

Paying For My Overindulgence…

Training Day 31:

After yesterday's food fest at Pint's Pub, I knew I was in trouble but, at this point, simply adjusted my goals accordingly. Today my goal was to finish the Bolder Boulder without having a heart attack. If I could break 70 minutes in the process, that would be great but, at the rate I was going, it was appearing progressively more unlikely.

My training consisted primarily of a "training table" and I had done a poor job losing weight. I knew I wouldn't be running at 180 to 185 pounds. I would be lucky to be at 195 and 200 was far more likely. Each pound would cost me a minute in the Race so a Race time of 70 minutes might be wishful thinking, too.

Today I had agreed to run in the morning so I dragged myself out of bed and started getting ready for the day. It was hard to believe that at this time in exactly a week I would be getting ready to run the Race. It was the Bolder Boulder's 30th Anniversary and I knew I couldn't miss it.

Angela showed up at 5:35 am and was very apologetic about missing yesterday's run. I told her it was absolutely no problem and how I almost skipped it myself when she called to say she had just awoken. We both were surprised I had the willpower to run --- as opposed to driving quickly back home and jumping in bed.

We went the full route today despite the fact I was exhausted and it was very warm --- easily around 60^oF when we started. That was way too toasty for me. I preferred running at 40^oF. That was warm enough so I wouldn't freeze and cool enough so I stayed relatively dry.

Later in the day, I looked at the forecast and saw the anticipated low for Race Day was 42^oF and the expected high was 69^oF. While I knew a forecast seven days out was likely to be highly unreliable --- especially in Colorado --- I was hoping those numbers (or even chillier ones) would hold up. If I could start the Race at 45^oF or so, that would help me immensely.

Today's run was difficult but we completed the entire route. We talked about work, family, and the movies we had seen this weekend ("Iron Man" for Angela and her husband and "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" for me, my daughter, my nephew, and my sister). It was a great way to pass the time. It took us 75 minutes to do the 5½ run but, at this point, I didn't care. After running the 6.7-mile trail two days in a row, I was happy I could put one foot in front of the other.

It was my usual routine for the morning --- primarily getting Holly ready for school, including making her breakfast and packing her a lunch, and then taking care of the four dogs. I had weighed in at 199, so for breakfast I drank several glasses of Minute Maid Orangeade. That would teach me to be such a pig.

Unfortunately, as the diet experts caution, this strategy backfired. By 10:30 am, I was so hungry I ended up nuking two double-cheeseburgers. I added large slices of red onion to assuage my fast-food-induced guilt. The four glasses of whole milk probably were a "wash," nutritionally speaking but made the cheeseburgers taste great. I knew this wouldn't help my weight but, hey, what's the point of eating unless the food is fun to consume?

I got a call from Dick Wadhams, the Campaign Manager for Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Congressman Bob Schaffer. Dick confirmed his candidate had accepted my offer to moderate a series of debates between his candidate and the Democratic nominee, Congressman Mark Udall. I now would have to wait to see if Mark wanted me to serve in that role. My guess was any decision was a week or two away. That was fine with me. I figured I probably would be hospitalized for a week after the Bolder Boulder anyway.

I worked all day and focused on TV-related challenges along with other e-mail correspondence. I also spent a lot of time reviewing Holly's homework and grades. It looked like there would be a sprint to the finish if she were going to get decent grades. I knew a major discussion would be occurring after school today. I girded myself for battle!

When I went to pick her up, I discovered Holly had left her lunch in the car. When she climbed in, she attacked it immediately. She said she had forgotten it because she was "made" at me. She also forgot her art project, her Science book, and her glasses today so my checklist review obviously had been flawed. She managed well anyway and told me about her day. Her reports always were dominated by funny stories about her teachers. I had to admit, the teachers at Peak to Peak kept things interesting.

At home we ate a full meal. I had three-quarters of a pound of flounder baked in butter, garlic, and a mix of spices along with a lightly salted sliced tomato and a few glasses of milk. I knew I needed to stop for the day. I made Holly an assortment of foods and then we went to work --- with Holly lacking all enthusiasm and eventually falling asleep.

My time was filled with Website-related work for our various projects as well as working on issues related to a program we were doing which had been expanded to include former U.S. Senators Tim Wirth (now President of the United Nations Foundation, thanks to a $1 billion gift from Ted Turner), Bill Armstrong, and Hank Brown.

The staff for current U.S. Senator Wayne Allard first informed me today we would have to change the taping time for him to be able to join us but I told them we couldn't because the studio wasn't available for any extra time. I suggested we find another day to tape the Senator with others involved in the program. The response I got back was they were going to find a way for him to go with the original schedule so now I had three former Senators and one current Senator on the show. This was going to be a challenge, especially with three of them being Republicans and only one being a Democrat. It was making me a bit nervous so I asked the Dem --- Tim Wirth --- if the arrangement was OK. I hoped to hear back from him in the next day or two.

I listened to "27 Jennifers" by Mike Doughty and Mudcrutch's "Scare Easy" about 100 times during the day. I called it a day at 8:00 pm and decide