Trails!

Fri, May 24, 2013

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:00:00

Von's Park

Plenty of niggles lately. Must be time to taper I guess.

Thu, May 23, 2013

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:00:00

Providence River heights loop

Nice 'n easy

Wed, May 22, 2013

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:00:00

Trail Run with Joe -

Ricks Steel Hollow Loop. One of the best after-work runs around. Mostly shady with lots of sweet singletrack. They recently moved the trail out of the bottom of the valley to the sidewall. Makes for a less rocky route but not as cool. Its only for the first 2 miles of Ricks though. I made joe run with me around the dirt parking lot loop to make it an even 12. OCD.

T-1:45:45 (8:49) 2400' vert

Tue, May 21, 2013

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:00:00

Deer Fence Loop -

Within 2 houses I knew something was wrong. Not sure how to describe it. Pain in my butt/groin/hamstring. It reduced me to a walk numerous times in the first half mile. Things loosened up though and by mile 2 I broke 9 mins/mile. Weird tightness. I could feel it in the hammy for the run but was able to get going after a while. Better keep an eye on it.

T-1:36 (7:41) 750' vert

Mon, May 20, 2013

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:00:00

PM: Took the morning off to sleep in. Glorious. Took the kids to Logan High in the stroller so they could run a lap. They were pretty excited. Win/Win

4 miles - no watch.

Sat, May 18, 2013

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:00:00

Double Jardine Juniper plus 5 -

Just like last year I decided to do this run as a spring tune-up to see where I am at pre-pocatello50. Just like last year, the rains came and the mud appeared (and no one came with me) It was a mess out there. It was raining very steady in the valley and I wondered what I was in for. Surprisingly, it was only raining off and on during the run and was only steady nastiness for a few minutes at a time. It was pretty sweet to watch the clouds move in and out and pass through them constantly. The downside of the run was the mud. Solomon XR Mission shoes are not good at shedding mud. They became bricks and really slowed me down. The upper bowl right before the wilderness sign was a disaster. Hardly runnable, but once past that things got better again. Nothing like a trail run where you try and jump rock to rock.

Lap 1 - Start to the tree turnoff (I didn't go down to the tree) counter-clockwise (usual route) then back down the trail to just past the wilderness sign to Cottonwood Canyon. Then back up the trail but this time clockwise around the backside then back down to the Truck. This lap took 1:58 (12.5 miles @ 9:27 pace)

Lap 2 - Same as Lap 1 but with a snickers in my belly and a new waterbottle. I was really struggling on the uphill on this second lap and the rain was making the mud worse as time went on. Things were slow. I tried to make it up on the downhill but was slipping and sliding all over. Good times. This lap took 2:04 (12.5 miles @ 9:55 pace)

I did this run last year a bit earlier in the year and 6 mins slower. Pretty close to the same fitness as last year. Roughly. Looking forward to the Pocatello 50+ in 2 weeks.

T- 4:02 (25 miles) 5000' vert

Self Portrait of mud after first lap -

Shot of the awesome canyon -

Fri, May 17, 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:00:00

Providence Hills Loop 8.5

Worn out and tired of running on the roads. Just can't get up early enough to hit the trails in the AM. Boo Hoo

T-1:10 (8:14) 500' vert

Thu, May 16, 2013

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:00:00

10 slow miles - Boulevard - Canal Trail to water lab and back. Looks like they might pave the trail. What a shame. Pretty tired today as this is going to be my highest mileage week yet this year.

T- 1:22:30 (8:15) 250' vert

Wed, May 15, 2013

Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:00

AM: 6 around the fairgrounds. Lots of dirt and grass. No traffic

PM: 10 - Jardine Juniper with Joe and Mike (the new guy). Pace was decent on the ascent pretty easy on the down.

T-1:26:32 (I think, my watch died at mile 4) 2000' vert

Tue, May 14, 2013

Tue, 14 May 2013 06:00:00

Providence Hills - 9

Tired until the downhill got the legs moving again. Lots of people out walking/running.

T-1:10 (7:47) 600' vert

Mon, May 13, 2013

Mon, 13 May 2013 06:00:00

Providence Canyon Trail -

Awesome morning to hit the trails. Loved it.

T-1:14:00 (8:13) 1600' vert

PM: Got out pushing the kiddos in the stroller. It was 89. Perfect day to start heat training. I will probably only do one day of heat training. Worthless?

4 Miles

Sat, May 11, 2013

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:00:00

BST (from wasatch blvd) to Corner Canyon area -

Route - BST - Potato hill - Ann's Trail - Left at Water Tank up big hill - back.

I was in SLC for the night/day so I went back to explore Ann's Trail. I saw it last time but didn't have time. It was actually pretty easy/fun. It didn't take me to the top of the mountain like I thought it might so I decided to go off-trail and followed a ridgeline up to a 6200' peak (800' in 3/4 mile). On the way back, my foot was hurting me. I ended up stopping at 19 instead of the 20-22 I was planning on to not make it worse. The ball of the foot was feeling strained or something. Probably the new shoes I was trying. Will have to watch that. I also ran out of water and was very happy to hit the water fountain at the park where I parked. Still not used to any sort of heat.

T-3:00 (9:28) 3000' vert

Fri, May 10, 2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 06:00:00

Felt a twinge in my hammy so played it safe by keeping to the flat stuff today. Still tired too. Looking forward to a good trail run tomorrow.

Thu, May 09, 2013

Thu, 09 May 2013 06:00:00

Canal Trail via Boulevard.

Just out enjoying the morning.

Wed, May 08, 2013

Wed, 08 May 2013 06:00:00

River Trail while dodging a rain storm. Trail was nice and muddy. Perfect for trying out a new pair of shoes I got from the St. George Running Center. They were a compromise between Hoka's and real shoes. Pretty cushy. clunky but cushy. Body felt pretty good all things considered.

T-1:01:30 (7:40) 1000' vert

Tue, May 07, 2013

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:00:00

4 miles pushing the girls in the stroller while my son rode the bike. Felt sluggish but not sore.

Sat, May 04, 2013

Sat, 04 May 2013 06:00:00

Zion Traverse (East Entrance to Lee Pass) -

As I sat in the shuttle that takes you on the Zion Canyon Scenic drive I was eavesdropping on two women with thick southern accents saying, "God must 'ave been drawering in the sand wit' 'is finger." I totally agree. However, after talking with the women a bit longer they decided to drop the phony accent and admitted to living in Hurricane (just outside of Zion). Now I am not sure if I should believe them. Either way, this is God's country.

Mile 3 (Jolley Gulch)

Joe and Logan were willing and able to join me on one of my bucket list (20 different ways to attempt suicide while having fun) runs. I am not sure how to describe the beauty and ruggedness of ~49 miles of Zion. Amazing. Awe inspiring. Suicidal?

As things tend to do, things were awesome at the start. Cold temps, fresh legs, lots of energy and excitement. It took about 20 miles before that wore off and then things got interesting, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Section 1: East Rim to The Grotto - 12 miles - 1:50

Like I mentioned before, amazing and loads of fun. I love running with these 2 guys. Had the place to ourselves until joining up on the inspiration point trail. I tried to do some advertising for Steve Hooper and the St. George Running Center by telling all the hikers to shop for their next pair of running shoes like ours at the St. George Running Center. The problem was that I mumble a bit and I was jogging down a trail while they were hiking up. At most, they heard "Go to the St. George rumnmnmn cen." Oh well, I gave it a go.

Hey Logan!

Look at that!

At the Grotto, we had my awesome crew of my wife, my kids, and my parents helping us out. They would be extremely helpful later in the day.

Section 2: The Grotto to West Rim Trailhead - 14.5 miles - 2:58

This section contains the largest and longest climb of the day at 3000' in 8 miles. The climb wasn't really that bad, but it took a lot of our energy and I sure paid for it later. Logan was counting all the 'roadkill' on the trail to Angel's Landing and hit close to 100. That was a fun stretch. We saw more people in 2.5 miles than the rest of the day combined. The top part of that climb rewarded us with numerous spectacular views and was a definite highlight of the run. Here are some pics:

I swear we didn't just stand around on rocks posing....We did some running. Really.

A few miles short of the Aid station at the west rim trailhead, I started feeling pretty lousy. It was about this point (the tree tunnel) that I knew it was going to be a long afternoon. I was really hot and it wasn't even noon yet. I couldn't eat or drink well because my stomach was unhappy and that would affect my energy levels all day. Eventually, we made it to the trailhead and were VERY happy to see the crew ready and waiting for us. I really needed to sit down and take a break. Joe had tweaked an old injury just a quarter mile from the stop and he needed to let it rest to see if it will chill out. We spent a solid 30 mins eating lunch and trying to recover. I went from hot to cold to hot in a matter of minutes. Not good.

My happy crew -

Section 3: West Rim to Hop Valley Trailhead via Wildcat Canyon - 9 miles - 1:48

Within 2 mins from leaving the trailhead, Joe pulled up lame and he quickly decided to call it a day and not mess things up worse. Poor Joe. I know how much he wanted to do this and that must have been a tough decision. Get well buddy!

This section was a great downhill, fun, easy section. At least it should have been had I not already run a marathon. My body was not excited about this and was letting me know. Oh well, I was able to keep a steady trot going and I enjoyed the shade of the ponderosa pine trees. I have got to do more heat training if I am going to run this summer. This heat is killing me.

Section 4: Hop Valley to Kolob - 14 miles - 3:00

The crew once again saved me from heat exhaustion and dehydration. They were amazing. One more section to go. I knew it would be a race to see if I could get it done before my body shut down. I was starting to see the signs of what I experienced at The Bear and wanted to minimize that. I drank as much as I could and tried to cool off. The problem was that the water would evaporate in minutes.

The section in Hop Valley was torture. Sure, the scenery was amazing. I was just too tired to care. The kick in the pants was the sand. Sections of deep loose sand. I was looking around praying for a thunderstorm to both cool me off and knock down the sand. It was not easy to move in it at any pace. Frustrated we moved on. Soon, we were treated to following a wash with a creek. That was nice to have to cool off in, but now we were crossing the creek every 100 yards with sand in-between. It was rough.

Smiling, we carried on.

Check out the Fly!

We eventually dropped down into the La Verkin Creek drainage. I started to feel better and we started to roll. I was enjoying things even as we turned north and headed up the final valley. We were on the homestretch. It was uphill and I was running. It wasn't fast, or pretty, but I was running and over the last 5 miles climbed the final 1000' to the finish. My short lived energy quickly evaporated and over the last mile I suffered. My stomach reached new levels of pain. I visited a bush (which helped) and walked the final uphill. Just get 'er done.

With the offer of a dollar to the first person to spot the runners, all eyes were on the trail.

We finally made it to the finish and I asked, "Am I done?" I don't know who was happier, my crew or me. I then spent the next 15 mins dry heaving in the bushes and shaking while sitting in a chair until I could calm my body down. Things recovered eventually and I was able to eat some pizza, sit in the pool, and take a shower (not in that order).

Mission accomplished. Memory burned into my brain. Yes, I loved it. Yes, it was hard. Harder than Speedgoat. Harder than Pocatello. Yet, still easier than The Bear.

What did you do this weekend?

T-9:38 (12:00) 8000'-10,000' vert

Wed, May 01, 2013

Wed, 01 May 2013 06:00:00

Trail Run -

Joe, Mike and I all got out for our weekly wednesday night run. I wanted to run Jardine but since it snowed last night I decided to play it safe and run Green/BST. Mike was tired and as a result he biffed it 3 times. Hilarious. My legs felt good due to no run this morning. Today will be the last run until Saturday. Heading to Zion to do the Zion Traverse aka "Trans-Zion Trek". Super excited. Until then...

T-1:36 (8:00) 1500' vert

Tue, Apr 30, 2013

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:00:00

Temple - Canal Trail

Enjoyed a colorful sunrise while heading East. Sluggish the first half then was able to pick it up to sub 7 for the way back.

T-59:00 (7:22) 200' vert

Mon, Apr 29, 2013

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:00:00

Providence Hills -

Slow and easy 9. Still tired and bit sore from Sat.

T-1:10 (7:47) 600' vert

Sat, Apr 27, 2013

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 06:00:00

Long Run -

Everyone (joe/nick/mike) bailed on my today so I decided to check out one of my favorite trails. Birch Creek Canyon. Drove to Mack park (canyon road) and ran the mile or so on the road until the dirt started. Headed up the canyon until just past the Wilderness boundary (mile 5.5 elevation 6500') when the snow became too deep to continue (easily). Turned around and headed back down until the start of the singletrack and instead of continuing straight down the canyon, made a hard right up to the ridge between Birch and Smithfield. Paul told me about a trail up there years ago and I wanted to check it out. 800' in .6 of a mile later I hit the ridge. Great views. I saw the trail heading west (down the ridge) but didn't see anything heading further east so I opted to go west. The ridge was fun to run on and before long I was back at the bottom of the trail. 11 miles done, time for lap #2. This time I crossed to the opposite hill and followed the buried canal 'trail' back up the canyon. I proceeded to go all the way up the trail to the boundary sign before heading back to the car. 2 laps of Birch with some ridge running. I also got my share of vert. Gotta get used to climbing again. Great day.

T-3:07 (9:08) 4150' vert

Fri, Apr 26, 2013

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:00:00

WP-FG-PW-FG-WP

Still felt like a truck hit me. A nasty bug has hit our house and I think I was losing the battle. Today was much better than yesterday and am coming around. Should be good for a long run tomorrow.

Thu, Apr 25, 2013

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:00:00

6 VERY SLOW miles. Knew it would be ugly so didn't bother wearing a watch. Probably just under an hour to slog through this.

Wed, Apr 24, 2013

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 06:00:00

AM: easy 6 - no watch.

PM: 12 miles with Joe. First Dam to Green Canyon (half mile from the Yurt). Great run. Legs were tired and the shoes were a bit much for the legs. IT band is sore now. Should be ok. 55 and sunny. Awesome.

T-1:35 (7:55) 1600' vert