Pushing yourself to the limit.

Dear Brad,

I have somewhat recently come to the realization that while I am progressing in running.... I could be better. It seems to me that I have a lot of things going for me when it comes to body type, endurance, speed and such things. I have been doing alright in races and workouts and such, but I am not satisfied with the results. I feel like I could be doing much more than I really am. After talking with some friends it seems as though many people who beat me have the ability to push their bodies to a higher limit. When I race it is hard and everything. But I don't suffer any lasting discomfort, I rarely throw up, and I am never sore following a race. It seems like I recover fairly quickly and within minutes I am feeling just fine. Races feel more like just a moderately hard workout. Do you have any tips on ways to fix this? I want to take my running to the next level but I can't do that unless I am running the races that I am capable of. I just need to find a way to push myself better.

Logan

If throwing up after a race is your main goal then I suggest eating about 6 to 9 donuts, and a half gallon of chocolate milk 5 minutes before you race. This should do the trick. Then you will feel good about your race, but not so good about the vomit on your racing flats or spikes.
Actually, throwing up after a race is no indication of how hard you ran. In fact, I have never thrown up after a race. But I ran with a kid, who went on to run at BYU that would throw up after every single race...no matter how hard. That's just how his body worked...or didn't work.
And lasting discomfort isn't necessarily an indication of how hard you ran as much as how in shape, or not in shape you are. Maybe you have seen some of the winners of marathon's doing push ups or cartwheels after winning. If you are in great shape, you should feel better after a short recovery. That's one way I gauge my fitness.
We are all built differently. I don't race any easier than I did in my prime, I could just get from punt A to Point B a lot faster back then. A lot of times that is the only difference between the fastest and slowest kid on the team...Pure, downright and dirty genetics.
That being said, Yes, you do have a lot going for you. What you are lacking is patience. Believe it or not, I am very close to your High School coaches. They know they could have run you harder in High School. Had you log more miles...but that was not the goal. The goal was to give you a great base, and let you gain a love for the sport without burning you out. It is what they feel is the best way to get you ready for college. Now you body is adjusting to running more miles, and longer intervals. Give it time. Most of my friends who had very successful college careers didn't get fast until their Junior or Senior years. (One was All-American in the 10,000 Meters, and he was a walk on.)
Focus on what you can control. Put in the miles. Work your tail off in practice. Take care of your body, and eventually the times will come. Again, THEY WILL COME. A couple of years will make a world of difference. Let your body adjust.
Don't forget why you are running in the first place. It's not to take first. It is to push yourself, and become the bet. Your best now is slower than your best in the future. That's life. And that' running.
Good luck...You will be just fine. Trust me.

Fogotten kisses.

Dear wise Brad,

           For reasons that will soon be obvious please keep this anonymous(damn spelling!).  Once upon a time on a glorious halloween night my dearest friend shadly of "Gnar-nia" and myself became very intoxicated and there was much locking of the lips and rejoicing and more locking of the lips..........unfortunately the bad ass climber from "Gnar-nia" was sooooooo intoxicated that he does not remember the lip lockage (it feels like I would imagine the movie 50 first dates except not that bad) now.....do i awkwardly explain that during his drunken stuper there was much locking of the lips? Or do i pretend said event never happend again and wait to see if he soberly puts the moves on me? Cuz damn i like me some shadly climber boy.

sincerely,

Lady
Some Cliff in Utah

Well, first of all, I bet he remembers. He may just feel awkward, not knowing what you are thinking. They only way you will know if it will happen in a sober state is if you bring it up. You can even joke about it. You should be able to get a vibe of what he is thinking. I bet, he remembers, and would gladly sober kiss any time. If you don't get the vibe, you too can chalk it up to the whiskey making your lips pucker.
In the world we live in, we need love. Any love is good love so take what you can get.

What to do?

Dear Brad,
Being a senior is a lot of fun! But it seems like everyone already knows what they will do with their lives after we get diplomas in June! Except me. I have no idea! I sit in class and hear people say things like "Well I'll probably start out at Utah State and go into elementary education, then when my boyfriend gets home we'll get married and move to New Jersey where he'll go to law school and we'll have five kids and be successful and have a great life. Because I have a plan." or "I'm going to SUU where I can play on scholarship for a year, then I'll go on a mission, come home, marry a pretty girl, and become a physical therapist. It will be sweet!"
I have no idea what I will do! There's a lot of things I like and I don't really want to get stuck doing something I thought I liked, but actually don't like as much as I thought I did. Plus, I want to live it up right now while I'm young and beautiful and charming and all of those other things that may fade with time. Of course I want to get an education, but I also want to have fun... Is it ok to not declare a major for a while? Is there still hope for me to have a sweet life even if I don't have a 20 year plan for it?
Thanks,
Jess

Sorry Jess, you are screwed. Your life will amount to nothing if you haven't decided already. You may want to start collecting cats and I assure you that you will end up as the "Cat Lady". You will only need a one bedroom apartment as you will have no need for more. Save the money to buy toys for your cats.Yep, if you don't know by 17 or 18, you are down right screwed. You should have been thinking about your future instead of dating guys and going to dances.
Actually, the curious thing about life is that it usually doesn't end up like you plan it anyway. I changed my major 3 times. I wanted to be a teacher, Occupational Therapist, among other things. But as I grew, and had more experiences these things changed. Sure, some people know when they are a little kid what they want to be...but MOST people don't. I was out of High School 10 years before I really decided on a career.
Fortunately the beautiful and charming will take you places. Look, you are going to spend the rest of your life in the "Real World", you may as well live it up for a while.
This doesn't mean don't have goals, or think about your future, but come on. Don't lose sleep over it. Things happen very fast. Life passes you buy. Are you going to miss it worrying about tomorrow?
Best advice I have is just be ready for anything. Be flexible. Life WILL WORK OUT! You'll make plenty of mistakes just like everyone else.
Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't think about the future. You should have an idea of what you want out of life. But that doesn't mean you need to know what you are going to do for a career, or how many kids you want. That will probably change too. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, I would have said I wanted 6 kids, and I wanted to live in Morgan. Well, we had 3 boys and that was enough for us. Morgan is a nice place, but I would never move back there. I've changed. What I want changed...but I love my life. As far as I am concerned, if you're not living in my world; it sucks to be you. I can't imagine a place more beautiful.
So go out and see the world. Enjoy your youth and all of the beauty and charm. There is too much out there, and you don't want to miss it. Good luck!

Older women

Dear Brad, I am faced with a problem and I come to you because of your wisdom and studliness, you see there is a girl on the team that in my opinion is the prettiest girl in the world, but she is older than me. What should I do?

Sincerely, Brayden

p.s. I think the other freshman could use this advice too. ;)

My advice is simple. Do what you would do if she were your same age. Though my wife is younger than me, most of the girls I liked and dated back in the day were older than me. So go for it. The only problem was by the time I was a senior they had all graduated. But luckily for me there was a sexy lass who was a sophomore. A wise man once said to me: "Love Knoweth no age, and if she is hot, then go get her and give her a big kiss."
If you like an older girl then ye shall asketh that girl out. And in as much as ye ask her out she will rejoice in her room for the space of many days. And when she is done rejoicing by her lonesome ye will take her out on a date. And you may even locketh thy lips in an embrace of love. And Brad will be pleased. Thus sayeth the Brad.
Go get her my man!

Running slumps!

Dear Brad-A,

I am in severe need of advice from a superior, experienced runner, such as yourself. What can you tell me, or help me out with, along the lines of a major running slump? my summer has been quite difficult with hardly anything to be happy about. this summer i have expectations and i haven't yet found that zone i was in last summer.
your thoughts would be much appreciated!

Nate - Kaysville, UT


Dear Nate,

I wish there was an easy answer, but unfortunately this is just how running works. It sucks, I know.
All you can do when you run into these slumps is run like you are not in a slump. The more you worry and stress about your "slump" the worse it will be or seem. This is just part of running and racing. Just take care of yourself, hit your runs, take your rest days, and pretty soon you wil come out of it. This is nothing new.
In fact, there was this guy named Adam a long, long time ago. He liked to run. But this was so long ago, that adidas had yet to be invented...I know, a world without adidas is no world I'd like to live in. He ran barefoot, with only a leaf as split side shorts. His wife Eve,w ho was smokin' hot, and clothes-less as well like to run a bit too. One day while they were doing intervals she gave him a piece of fruit as a snack. Well, long story short, he got a major side ache and didn't run well. He thought he would never run well again. But he kept at it at pretty soon he was running well. The End.
Your zone will return! Just work your tail off and you will get back. I know this to be true with every fiber of being.

Friends

Brad-
Hey Brad it is me again but this time instead of advice on girls, I need some advice on friends. I think I have many friends and that includes hopefully the whole team and some others that don't do track or long distance. How do you I know that the people I am friends with are REALLY my friends? Everyone on the team who I pretty much consider my friends are high spirited and overall are just good people which are qualities in friends that I look for. I hope everyone can see a good friend in me and that I am always looking forward to being a good friend to them. Any advice you have on friends would be great! Go Darts!

sincerely,

Just another distance runner

True friends weed themselves out over time. Over time I have realized that my true friends accept me for who I am, and support me in the decisions I make. True friends don’t care what makes you happy, they just care that you are happy.
Just be yourself. I want people to like me for me. Life is too short to be someone you are not so someone likes you. They are not really your friend if that is what it takes.
It is very easy to tell who your real friends are. Do they do what you feel a friend does? Do they treat you like you feel a true friend does?
Trust me, you’ll know.

Will Pre return?

Brad, Do you believe that the next Steve Prefontaine is really out there somewhere? Will Pre ever come back?

-Brayden Cromar


Well, no. But will someone make an impact like Pre? Sure. Why not? There will never be another Pre. He came at a time when a guy like Pre was needed to get the sport here it is today. That is why he made the impact he did.
You also need to realize that Pre has been turned into a nearly mythic runner. That happens when you die way too soon. He was a great runner, with a lot of guts. But if you really look at some of the current runners out there, like Ritz, for instance you have someone with just as much killer instinct as Pre. You don’t get to that level without that drive that made Steve Prefontaine so great.
People from the past always seem nobler than people today. Just like when you hear: “Oh Kids these days.” Older generations have been saying that about younger generations for as long as humans have spoken words.
Pre was great. He is a great runner to want to be like. But waiting for the next Pre is like waiting for the next “Beatles”. Life is like a big river. No one owns the river, but we all get to throw in a little something to make it better. We don’t need another Pre. We already have one. We need a “Crom” to take us further. Don’t look for Pre’s foot prints, make your own.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Prefontaine

To love and to hold.

Dear Brad,
I'm not sure what to think about my date last night. It was with a girl that I like. It was fun and the concert was great but I'm still not sure where I stand with the girl. I didn't try to kiss her, but when I tried to wrap my arms around her during the concert she got a little uncomfortable and said, "I'm just a really slow mover." I was a little confused because it was our third date and I didn't see that as moving really fast so I don't know how to interpret it or how to proceed in future dates. Do I wait for her to get close to me? Do I wait for her to kiss me? And how slow is really slow? She didn't have a problem holding hands during the rest of the concert but I was paranoid the rest of the night that I had royally screwed up. Everything else was fine, we talked a lot and had fun, we had dinner at her parents place and they seemed really nice. I just don't know what to make of her "slow mover" comment. Help!

Laters
Matt

Well Matt, welcome to the weird, strange confusing World of Women. I have been married for almost 12 years and still end up confused.
I have dated “Slow Movers”, but this, my friend, seems more like a “Not movin’”.
You are doing the right thing by not pushing her to move quicker than she would like, even though this seems strangely slow. But, she may have her reasons, and who am I to question her.
Here is my advice. Have your buddy dress up and deranged murderer. Have him chase you two. Pretty soon she will be begging you to wrap your arms around her to protect her from your buddy.
Or, you can talk to her. Let her know what you are thinking, and how you feel. If you are holding hands, then I can only assume she sees you as a possible “Lover Boy”. A quick talk should be able to help you decide if this whole relationship is going in a direction you would like. You can sit around for 3 months wondering, or cut right to the chase and ask her. I know that worked for me a few times.
Just remember: “Any love is good love. So take what you can get.”

Even the French kiss.

" I have a question...
If a person kisses someone with a piece of paper between their mouths does that mean they're still VL (assuming they've never kissed anyone before)?"

-- Ça ne fait pas grand bien de s'installer dans les rêves en oubliant de vivre.
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. -Albus Dumbledore


Dearest Albus,

It’s not so much the act of touching lips that means anything. It is why those two soft, most luscious lips are coming together for that brief moment that means something.
Whether or not a piece of paper was between your lips means nothing. It’s like asking if it’s a real kiss if there is thin barrier of Chap Stick between your lips.
Kissing is great. Forget about VL clubs and get to showing people you care.

Tale as old as time.

Brad-
There is a girl on the team that I have a killer crush on. I think she is way nice and pretty and I maned up and got her number at a meet but I don't know where to go now. I am in such a struggle I listen to the rest of the guys and their advice stinks. I am looking to you for some really good advice because I know you are the advice king.

Sincerely,

A Distance Runner (Austin Allred)


Oh, if I only had someone as wise as me to get advice from when I was a youngster, I wouldn't have spent so much time fumbling around for the right words. Waiting around for the right time. Hoping that she was the right one. Nope, I wouldn't been sailing on an ocean of love like a giant Carnival Cruise line filled with retired people trying to catch up on days gone by. You came to me just in time.
Well, step one is done. Now CALL HER. (If her number works, you are off to a good start. If the number has been disconnected, move on to another sweet young lass.)
Step 2, get a group of people, and ask your crush out on a hot date and woo her with your charm.
Or, just take her out on a fun date, filled with fun, interacting activities and just be yourself.
Just remember, you are here wondering if you should call and she is probably wondering what she will say when you do call. I have a feeling I will be answering a question for her soon. "Dear Brad, this hot guy from the team asked me out. I am so nervous. He is so dreamy. He reminds me of Fonzie from that 70's show "Happy Days" that was supposed to take place in the 50's. How do I get him to love me and want to marry me and we will have lots of kids, a mini van for me and a BMW for him, a trampoline, an English Bulldog, a picture of the two of us over our fireplace, a fridge filled with fruit, and a t.v.?"
Well, none of this will happen until you call her.

Too many friends.

Oh dear the god like brad,

Much help is needed. As well as much advice. The conundrum that i am facing is very difficult, and much too hard for me to face on my own. For this reason i come to you, oh wise brad, with my dearest plea for help.

Anna and I (anni) would like to be in the same room at simplot, but we simply have too many friends, we don't know what to do. We don't want to leave any girls out and cause a riot over our friendship, we want no tears over our amazingness and popularity. We love them all, but how do we tell someone no?

Sincerely

You're two favorite fans and admirers

--anna and anni


Well, this is something I know way too much about. "Hey Brad we all wanna drive in your car." "Hey B to the Rad, they say that Hotel only has 184 rooms, and all of your other friends are staying there." "Hey Brad, how do I get to be on your awesome blog www.corbinandbradhavinggoodtimes.blogspot.com ?"
See, this reminds me of the wonderful, touching song from Pete's Dragon, called "There's room for everyone." Well, that is bull crap. My car seats 5 people. That hotel only has enough rooms for so many people. YOUR room at Simplot only fits so many people.
Let them know that this is nothing personal. It's like my wise older brother David once told me: "You can't F with math." There just isn't enough room.
You must remind your group of followers that until lights out, that party will be rolling in your room. Gatorade will be flowing like water. There will be Power Bars galore. There will be laughing, and even a little crying, that will be turned back into laughing. They are all invited to get down and get back up in your room.
But do realize, that if you are always with a certain group, you will give the impression that you are exclusive whether you are or not. If that doesn't bother you, it's fine. But if it does, sometimes you gotta mix stuff up. If you have the "Party Room" that is open to all hip, trust worthy, Gatorade drinking, party goers until lights out, everyone will realize what room they are assigned to, only means it's the room that the will be SLEEPING in.
Now carry on, and get ready to PAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTY!