From 1994 on for 14 consecutive years I ran….and towards the end “walked” some, the Coban International Half Marathon in Guatemala, but then in the midst of my High Uinta Mountains Project had to end my competing with the Kenyans and give top priority to my High Uinta Project and hoped for book because of too many needed surgeries–to date by 2021 – twelve, to keep me going and ended up in November 2020 to January 2021 having constant pain and a dead right leg–NOT BEING ABLE TO EVEN WALK!
But I’ve tried my darndest to keep my vow to….
….. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE IN…..EASILY!
As explained in previous posts, I graduated from a wheel chair, to a simple walker, and always using a walking cane. But then had a “SPINAL ABLATION TO DEADEN MY PAIN” resulting in little pain relief, but shockingly my good left leg feeling numb too! That scared the heck out of me and so I decided to keep my good leg awake, and force my dead right one to tag along–keeping it stiff, walking twice a day at the super market parking lots using a shopping cart, and some on grass each day with no devise to help me and as reported in previous posts–learning to walk all over again & fall without breaking anything LIKE A BABY!
Then with the incredibly wonderful help of my friend PAUL EDMUNDS who gave me a more modern version of the walker with big wheels, and a seat to rest once in a while, and a compartment to carry water and a picnic lunch–which freed me and I began at my tiny home doing LONG DISTANCE WALKING as mentioned in the last post.
I kept increasing the distances finally getting all the way to the Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah–about 8 miles round-trip, then a week later doing a little more up to 10 miles, and was finally building up enough muscle on my dead leg to actually feel sore after my long walks! THAT WAS PROGRESS!
Then I got a flash from on HIGH:
I’VE GOT TO DO THE HALF MARATHON DISTANCE, 13.2 MILES–sort of competing again with the Kenyans!
So, to do my part to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, on Saturday, August 28th, I left home determined to:
Do a Half Marathon–even if it took me all day!
NOTE: I’ve been known to be a DREAMER, and during the night before the BIG DAY, I actually was nervous and didn’t sleep a lot, just as always happened before a race–but in the sporadic moments of sleep I ACTUALLY DREAMED A “BIG WHOPPER” OF A DREAM–ME USING MY WALKER IN THE COBAN INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON AND BEATING THE KENYANS!
So, I headed north from home near the CVS Pharmacy in American Fork, heading north to the Art Dye Park, then up the hill to the Highland bench, and continued north to Canal Blvd, and down the bicycle pathway that led to the Highland Glen Park pond you see below-
Then up the pathway behind the Lone Peak High School and all around it–WHICH IS HUGE–to the North County Blvd, and from there north to ALPINE. You see a shot below along the way in Alpine looking now back sort of southeast towards American Fork Canyon–which from American Fork was way north–SO I WAS COVERING A LOT OF GROUND!
By Alpine my legs were feeling pretty much like rubber, and so I rested more than usual, and had a small picnic lunch, plus the supplements I used doing the International Half Marathon, and my long backpacks in the Uintas–ENDUROLYTES, SPORTLEGS, and two more Excedrin in addition to the three taken before starting–all of which solved my “rubbery legs” problem, as well as other glitches I was experiencing,
NOTE: Excedrin in combination with Cod Liver Oil is the only combination desinflamatory and pain killer that relieves a little my constant lower back pain
I then headed south, eventually passing the High School — the picture below taken on a previous date you might be able to see.
From there on two previous “walks” I had returned south on the North County Blvd. on the east side using sidewalks, but this time I did as on my first effort by staying on the west side and using the bicycle lane down the highway–that previously had someone calling 911 and police stopped to try and save me, then a nice Latin American girl in a sports car tried to kidnap me!
So here I was again, hoping for another love-kidnapping attempt, and it happened when a really sweet young lady–who was beautiful, tried to give me a ride. She was so nice I thought she would let me take a picture for this report–but my smart phone battery was DEAD! But, after a nice conversation-–I needed the rest badly–-and being revived in my spirits made it home again……
……..WITH MY HONOR & VIRTUE UNBLEMISHED!
At my CABIN-A HOMESTEAD I began my recovery as I was worn out after the half-marathon distance–that I have to honestly confess took me over 6 hours–and I needed some “MIRACLE SUPPLEMENTS” so I resorted to my stash of “blanched Macuy leaves.” My MACUY patch is seen below that now has gratefully taken over my entire garden!
MACUY is the miracle medicinal/weed from Guatemala that saved the Mayan people, more nutritious than most vegetables. It grows wild in shady areas of the Mayan mountains, the leaves gathered by women and their children, and usually eaten in soups. I discovered it from Erlinda Xol, the barefoot Guatemalan Half-Marathon champion who I visited in her village of San Juan Chamelco, she claiming her secret was to eat MACUY in soup for every lunch.
I got one plant growing in American Fork, and from the seed–now have it as my entire garden next to my Cabin-A. I harvest the leaves, blanch them to eliminate (or cook) slugs, bugs, microbes, etc. and then freeze. My afternoon meal always includes a gob of the leaves, mixed with fruit juice and blended to make a smoothie. I discuss this in my MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA BOOK, pages 389-390, https://www.guatemalanfoundation.org/.
I try and freeze enough of it during the summer to last me all winter until the next harvest.
Well, there you have it my latest attempt to keep my legs awake and alive and hope I can get them working again a little to help keep me in good spirits to be…..
……….. ABLE TO BE USEFUL IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING and HIS “LITTLE ONES” A FEW YEARS LONGER!
REMEMBER:
GET THE BOOK…..not just for backpackers, but for parents and grandparents who can share the history & legends with your grandchildren, and inspire them to appreciate the wonderful High Uinta Mountains–as good or better then most National Parks!
Send your check in my name for $19.95 along with your email address to:
Cordell Andersen, 444 Elm St., American Fork, Utah 84003
I will then email you a link to download the two volume book. You are thereafter welcome to share the link with others, but I would appreciate you forwarding to me half of whatever you get for it–maybe it can be a business for you MAKING YOU A MILLIONAIRE–AND ME TOO–FINALLY! It’s a treasure of updated information, history, legends, hundreds of color photographs, 120 topographical maps with trails and distances marked, and what is needed to
MAKE MORE ENJOYABLE & SAFE OUR WONDERFUL UINTAS.
I’m not kidding—IT HAS SAVED LIVES!
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