Week of July 8

Sunday - Well, I didn't do squat running wise, but Karen and I went for a horsey ride around the Sardine loop.  That was an interesting ride to say the least.  Going along the face of Sardine peak on the trail, we stopped to let some mountain bikes go by.  As we were stopped, the edge of the trail suddenly gave way under my horse's back feet.  We immediately started going down the mountainside.  It's pretty steep, rocky and brushy here and the potential to get hurt really bad was there.  Somehow, Dustin managed to stay on his feet, and somehow I managed to stay on his back.  After sliding about 20 feet down, we came to a stop.  At that point I hopped off and managed to get him turned around and we scrambled back up the trail.  Neither one of us had a scratch.  Needless to say, things could have been a lot worse.  If he had lost his footing, gone down and over on top of me, that would have hurt.  It was a scary few seconds.

Monday - I managed to get up and go out early for a little road run thru the nieghborhood.  Ugh!  Not a fan of that, but it beat going out at lunch in the scorching heat.  After work I went up to Wheeler, met Alicia and we got in a bunch of miles running up to Green Pond.  We met Karen at the end of that run and went out again with her for another few miles.  All told, it was a pretty big mileage day for something other than the weekend.  Miles - 19.1

Tuesday - I finally met the breakfast club at 22nd street to go up Malan's.  There were eight of us that showed.  We had a good time chatting and climbing.  It was pretty breezy but the air was close to 80 already and it didn't cool off at the top of Malan's.  Lots of people out that early trying to beat the heat.  After work I went up to Snowbasin and ran the Sardine loop.  I wanted to get a look at where Dustin and I went off the trail.  Miles - 13.4

Wednesday - Holy crap it was hot today.  My car's thermometer flashed 106 on the way home.  Went for a run at lunch because I knew I wouldn't get a chance after work.  Wasn't quite that hot then.  I didn't think it was too bad at all.  I had a meeting after work to figure out who's going to be on the HUMR Ultra Team.  Not me, I'm already on a team, but the decision's been made and I'll let someone else make the announcement.  I think it'll be a pretty cool team.  Not the fastest ultrarunners, but some pretty neat people that will support the sport big time.  Miles - 5.8

Thursday - Well, I finally got my trailwork for Wasatch done.  Went out with Alicia and Christy to a trail in the Ogden Valley.  It was pretty overgrown in places and our job was to clear it.  Job done.  I was a mess when we got done.  Some sort of vegetation really gave me hives on my arms.  I was all sorts of broken out, swollen and itchy.  Not good.  Anyway, I went home after that, took a shower to wash off what ever was bothering me then drove back up to Snowbasin for a run.  Ended up running the Needles trail up to the lodge, then taking the service road back down.  Saw quite a few marmots and heard all sorts of hummingbirds flying around.  Not a bad run at all.  Miles - 11.6

Friday - Went out for the usual lunchtime run.  I really didn't want to, but got out anyway.  Ended up not being too bad.  I usually try to push the pace on these runs since they're flat.  After work I managed to get a few in on the trail north of Rainbow.  It wasn't too hot and actually cooled down a little on the way back as a storm was rolling in.  Miles - 11.9

Saturday - Went out for some easy miles with Karen.  She had 10 on her schedule so that's what we did.  Started at 22nd street, ran to Beus Canyon and back.  Little warm and humid.  Glad there were some clouds to keep the sun at bay, otherwise it would have been very warm.  Miles - 10.0

Total miles for the week - 71.8  It's been a tiring week.  This is my 6th week in a row above 55 miles. The legs are feeling kind of heavy at times.  On the other hand, I do feel stronger on the uphills.  I've been trying to maintain 10,000' of vert a week just to prep for Speedgoat and Wasatch.  We'll see how next week goes as we'll be on vacation back in Illinois.

Restaurant review - Karen and I tried a sushi restaurant that we've been wanting to try.  Ohana Sushi is in a strip mall area so we thought it would be of similar quality.  Well, this place was pretty nice actually.  Very tiny inside, maybe a dozen tables total.  The menu had all sorts of different dishes, but we wanted sushi.  For being in a so-so location, their prices are kind of high.  We ended up with no drinks, and ordered four sushi rolls and a vegetable tempura appetizer.  The sushi was very good.  The presentation was nice and where a lot of places will pile on the rice and skimp on the innards, this place cuts back on the rice and gives you more of what's inside.  Good stuff, but we like sushi.  Service was average.  Not sure we would go there again as we like to hit the all you can eat sushi place in Layton.

Week of July 1

So, the year is half done and what have I accomplished.  Well, here's a short little synopsis of the year's running activities to date.
Total miles since January 1- 1373.44
Total miles for the month of June - 266.17 or 62.11 miles/week or 8.87 miles/day on average
Total vert for the month of June - 44,351' of up, or 10,348'/week or 1478.4'/day
Total racing miles - 171.2
Races so far - Striders Winter Training Series 5K, Moab Red Hot 55K, Salt Flats 100 mile, Timp Trail Marathon, Logan Peak Trail Run
This is my highest mileage year of running so far.  I'm about 300 miles ahead of last year at this time.  I wish I had had this kind of mileage last year prepping for the Slam.  The mileage is paying off I think.  In every race I've run this year, my times have been faster than ever. Hmmm, maybe there is something to this training thing.

Sunday - Went with Karen for a few miles in the morning.  Started at 22nd street and ended up going up to Waterfall Canyon.  Made for a nice little run.  The legs were a little tired from the race, but no soreness at all.  Miles - 5.05

Monday - Went out for a lunch time run.  Thank goodness there was a breeze.  It did get kind of warm.  I stuck to the paved bike path since it seems to be a little cooler and not quite as exposed.  Went out again in the evening with Karen.  She had 4 miles on her schedule wo we went up to Wheeler and ran to Art Nord and back.  I wasn't feeling it going up or coming back down.  She smoked me on the downhill.  Still, it was a nice evening to be out running in the woods.  Miles - 9.24

Tuesday - Actually went out for a morning run.  Karen goes to Pilates on Tuesday mornings, so this gave me a chance to go out then instead of at lunch.  Ugh!  It was hard to get moving that early.  Only had time for around four miles on the road through the BDO.  After work I went up to Wheeler and ran up to Art Nord and back down Ice Box Canyon.  That's about all I had time for.  Miles - 8.8

Wednesday - 4th of July!  Went with Aric, Shawn, Ryan, and John for a little trail jaunt at Snowbasin.  We ran the Needles trail to Needles Lodge, then Ryan and I headed for the top of Mt. Ogden while the rest headed down.  Perfect day for a run, nice breeze, awesome company, beautiful scenery.  When Ryan and I finally got back to the parking lot, Shawn had a couple of cold ones waiting.  Nothing like a cold beer after a run like that.  So what if it was 10am.  Definitely a good time.  Miles - 16.75

Thursday - It rained a good chunk of the day and since I'm a weather weenie, I didn't go run.  However, I did go to Pilates and since I didn't run and the rain was over by then, I rode my bike there and back.  Makes for a nice little 12 mile ride.  Miles - 0 (I figure the bike ride was equivalent to about 5 miles of running).

Friday - Went for the usual noon run of around five miles.  Had big plans to go out after work while on the island.  Went out there to help out with the annual moonlight bike ride.  Every year on the Friday closest to the full moon in July, there's a moonlight bike ride on Antelope Island.  This year there were 1700 riders.  Parking all of those cars can be something of a pain, but the 22 mile bike ride was pretty fun.  Just moseyed down the road making sure other bikers were ok.  Didn't get home and in bed until after 3am, but that's usually the case with this event.  Miles - 5.0

Saturday - Well, after about three hours of sleep I got up and headed up to Snowbasin to go for a little run with some friends.  Karen came up later so she could get her nine miles in.  Ended up with a little under 16 total.  The post run festivities in the parking lot were just as fun as the run.  Miles - 15.9

Weekly total - 60.74 (not including the bike miles)

Restaurant review - So this week we went to one of our favorite Mexican Restaurants, The Red Iguana down in Salt Lake City.  This place is awesome.  The food is always good.  I had some sort of tortilla like things with cheese in them, covered in mole sauce, rice and beans.  Very tasty.  They are known for their many different types of mole sauce.  Can't remember what Karen had, but she liked it.  Dessert was chocolate flan for Karen and a true fried ice cream for me.  Good stuff.  The service was exceptional as well.  We love going there.

Week of June 24th-Logan Peak Race Report and Soul and Bones review

Sunday - Needed a somewhat long run so I shot for 20 and ended up a little short.  Went up to Wheeler Canyon and ran around up there.  Didn't get started until 10am and it got warm.  Ran up to the Green Pond trailhead, then back down the middle fork trail to the junciton to go up to Sardine.  Went up and around Sardine, came back down through Ice Box canyon.  Thank goodness for Wheeler Creek.  I drank from it twice when I was getting close to running out of water in the hydration pack.  The going got a little slower as I was coming back down due to the heat.  Usually heat doesn't bother me too much, but it was 95 at the trailhead when I finished.  So, yeah, it was a little warm.  Saw lots of horses, mountain bikes and a few hikers.  Only one other runner.  Overall not too bad a run.  I felt pretty good the entire time other than getting a little warm.  Stopped by the grocery store on the way home and bought a half gallon of chocolate milk.  I had most of it polished off by the time I got home, and that was only a 15 minute drive.  Here's the link to the run.  http://app.strava.com/activities/11669769
Miles - 18.7 with 3200' of gain

Monday - Went and did my usual lunchtime run.  It was a warm day out on the road, but there was a breeze to help a little bit.  Managed to go my usual route, but didn't really push it too much.  After work the temps were around 100.  I had plans to go up to Wheeler after work where I knew it would be a little cooler, and it was.  Instead of 100 degrees, it was 92 when I started.  I wasn't sure how far I'd get given that I had a massage appointment later in the evening, but I thought I could get at least six miles in.  I ended up feeling pretty good and managed to do the entire Wheeler/Green Pond/Middle Fork route.  Ran most of the uphill to Green Pond and really tried to push it back on the downhill.  Actually felt pretty good.  There were a few mountain bikes out, but other than that it was pretty quiet.  I think the extra calories and iron supplement that I've been taking have really helped with my energy levels.  Even though I ran 19 on Sunday, the additional 13 today never was a chore.  Miles - 13.9

Tuesday - Had big plans to go out at lunch, and I did, just not running.  Karen, my lovely wife called and wanted to go to lunch.  Hmmm, run or lunch with my wife.  Pretty much a no-brainer there.  I did go for a few miles after work, but it wasn't anything to write home about.  Went to Pilates class after my run.  We really hit the triceps tonight and thy are sore.  Miles - 4.2

Wednesday - Did my usual lunch time route.  It wasn't too hot.  Averaged about an 8:50 pace.  After work I went up to Wheeler.  I had big plans to run the Green Pond/Middle Fork route, but ended up going out for about 3.3 and turning around.  Just enjoyed the run.  Stopped a few times just to listen to the quiet, birds, flowing water.  It was nice.  Miles - 11.8

Thursday - It was too damn hot to run at lunch, well into the 90's.  I would have baked and I usually don't mind running in the heat.  I do have my limits.  Had plans to bolt from work and go to Wheeler around 4pm, but didn't get my run started until after 5pm.  Since I had a pilates class at 6:30, that left me enough time to get in about 4.5 miles.  I was kind of disappointed with that, but oh well.  Miles - 4.5

Friday - Went up to Wheeler again.  That's the place to go when the temps hit 100.  Did a variation on the Wheeler/Green Pond route and ended up with about an extra mile.  Would have gone further except I told Karen that I would be home by a certain time and that time was fast approaching.  Miles - 9.6

Saturday - Race report time.  Today I ran the Logan Peak Trail Run for the fourth time.  This is a nifty little race, about 26-27 miles, that starts near Dry Canyon in Logan, goes UP Dry Canyon, then turns south and goes around Logan Peak. Once on the east side of the peak, we get to run up to the top of Logan Peak, admire the views, run back down, keep going around the north side of the peak and back down Dry Canyon.  It's a very scenic and tough run. 
This year I had no real expectations except I wanted to finally go under six hours.  My three previous attempts have resulted in a 6:15 twice, and a 6:08 two years ago.  Since I had a lot more mileage in this year, I thought I might have a chance this time.


Some pre race instructions



So I got the the park about 5:45am, just enough time to get checked in and get ready for the race.  Bruce had some minor glitches that resulted in us not getting started until about 6:15am.  No big deal except that those 15 minutes meant the temps went up just a bit.  This year was by far the warmest start and the warmest race.  Anyway, I intentionally started towards the back of the pack.  Knowing that there's a 3000 foot climb in the first 4.5 miles means that I didn't want to bolt out of the gate. 

So as we went up the canyon I did manage to steadily pass a number of people and move up in the pack.  Once I hit the first aid station at the top of the canyon, I managed to get in and out and pass a couple more. 



Looking back down from the top of Dry Canyon



At the aid station, we turn right and traverse along the side of the canyon until we get to the west sied, then we turn south and head around the south end of the mountain.  At this point we were treated to some stunning views of the Cache Valley and Providence Canyon some 3000 feet below.  We could also see the Wellsville mountains as well as a bunch of other peaks. 



Looking west over the Cache Valley

The air was still cool at this point and since we now had a slight downhill, I turned up the pace some.  I knew that we would drop about 500 feet over the next few miles and I managed to pick off a few more runners.  We eventually hit a 4 x 4 road and the climbing started again.  Most of it wasn't too bad, short somewhat steep stretches followed by some easy rollers.  The road along here is pretty washed out and you end up running really off canter.  Kind of hard on the ankles.  After a few miles of this, the road got noticably better and started to swing towards the north. 



Along the east side of the course

 I knew that the next aid station wasn't too far off.  What I didn't know was that a new road to the peak had been graded.  The old road was washed out, often snow covered, even in June, and was a lot steeper in places.  This new road was quite runnable for most of the way to the peak.  Along the climb up I managed to pick off a couple more runners, but also had a couple pass me.  I hit the top of the peak right at the 3:30 mark in the race.  Bruce advertises the distance as 28 miles, so the top of the peak was right at the half way point.  I knew that the rest of the race was primarily downhill, so I thought I had a real chance at a sub-6 time if I kept the pace up.  After a minute at the top enjoying the view and taking a couple of pictures, I started down. 

The goal was to run nonstop all the way to the aid station.  I stopped at the aid station at the bottom of the peak road just long enough to fill my water bottles and down a gel and a couple of cokes then bolted.  My legs still felt pretty good and I knew I'd be able to run the next section pretty strong.  Sure enough, I did, picking off a couple more runners in the process.  The next several miles are mostly rolling terrain between 8300'-8800' and I was kind of surprised at how well I was able to run at that altitude.  That bodes well for Speedgoat next month.  Running north along a FS road for a mile or so brought me to some sweet single track along the north side of the mountain.  Along here you get some awesome views of Logan Canyon and the mountains to the north.



Looking north

It was along this section that I crossed the only snow patch on the trail this year.  It was a whopping 10 feet worth.  Usually there's large stretches of snow, expecially going up to the top of Logan Peak.  There was nothing along the road up this year.  Definitely a dry winter and spring. 

So after a few miles along the north side, the trail swings south again and heads for the top of Dry Canyon, and the screaming downhill to the finish. 



Along the north side



By now the temperature was warm, probably around 80, and we were in the sun.  I was running out of water but I knew there was a spring along this section of trail.  Sure enough, the spring was running great.  Nice cold clear water.  Nothing like drinking that and splashing it all over you to cool off. 



Heading back to the top of Dry Canyon

I hit the last aid station (it was also the first one) at the 5:12 mark.  That meant I had 48 minutes to go almost 5 miles in order to break 6 hours.  The trail back down Dry Canyon can be steep and very rocky in places.  Trying to go too fast would invite disaster if I fell.  Still, I ttried to go as fast as I could given the terrain.  Once I got below the switchbacks near the top, and into the trees, the trail wasn't quite as steep and rocky and I was able to open up the pace.  I did manage to catch a couple more people along this section.  By the time I got to the bottom of the canyon, I had about 8 minutes left.  I knew that the last section involved a couple of short steep ups plus some flat.  I was kind of in a panic.  I wanted to break 6, knew that I had a reasonable chance still, so I picked it up as best I could.Once I left the trail, it's about a two block run through a neighborhood and into the park.  I was sprinting by now, my watch said 5:56.  I came flying on to the grass in the park and headed for the finish.  I could see the finish line clock and it said 5:57.  Yep, I finally broke six hours.  Not by much, 5:57:10 was my final time, but I broke it.  I was spent.  My usual post race beer had to wait for about a half hour until I could get my stomach settled down and my body cooled off and hydrated.  It was a good beer though when I finally get drink it.  All in all a good day.  I really enjoy running this race.  It's very tough, very scenic and I get the chance to see and hang out with friends.  My time was good enough for 38th place out of 115.  Top third, I'll take it.  It was also good enough for third in my age group of old men.
Here's the GPS track.     http://app.strava.com/runs/12152749
Here's a nifty picture of the route.

So, it was a pretty good week.  Lots of miles, lots of vert, a race that I did reasonably well at.
Total miles for the week - 89.2
Total vert - A lot, almost 16000'
Now if I can just keep this up for the next six weeks or so.

Restaurant review - So Friday Karen and I decided to give Soul and Bones another try.  If you recall from several weeks ago.  I kind of slammed the place due to th severe lack of service.  Well, I'm pleased to report that the service this time was very good.  Our drinks were brought out quickly, our appitiser of deep fried cheese curds was quick and tasted good.  Karen had the etoufee and said it was good but didn't like it as well as the creole she had the first time.  I had the one meat and two sides, with the brisket, macaroni and cheese and collard greens.  The brisket was good, as was the mac and cheese, but collard greens without bacon is just ok.  If you want to do collard greens right, you have to throw in some diced bacon.  Gives it that added bit of flavor.  For dessert we had a slice of the peanut butter pie.  It was better than the key lime pie we had last time, but Karen wasn't real thrilled with it.  So, general consensus, we'll continue to go there.  Added bonus, they had a pretty good band playing that night as well.

Week of June 17 and Corbin's review

Sunday - Finally made my first trip up Ben Lomond for the year.  A little cool and breezy to start, but warmed up nicely by the time I got back.  I pretty much had the trail to myself until the last couple of switchbacks.  Here I caught about half a dozen people also making the trek up.  I wasn't trying for any sort of speed record, but my time wasn't too bad, 2:15 up and 3:55 round trip.  Miles - 15.6

Monday - Had big plans to go out at lunch.  Went out and after about .1 miles decided it was just too warm.  Then I went to the gym to run on the track.  Well, it was closed because they're refinishing the basketball court.  So no lunch time run.  After work it was about 95 degrees, so I waited until around 8pm, then went on a short run with Karen. We ended up going a little over four starting at 22nd street.  Not a bad evening for a run.  Miles - 4.26

Tuesday - Went out at lunch for a little over 5 miles.  The temp was a lot cooler and the run felt great.  Imanaged to go sub 8:30 for the entire run.  That hasn't happened in awhile.  I ended u leaving work late and didn't get much of a run in before Pilates.  Since I didn't have a whole lot of time, I decided to just do a little bushwacking/climbing above the trail north of Rainbow.  It was kind of fun but I was worried about rattlesnakes the entire time.  Prime habitat for them.  Didn't see one at all.  Pilates was good.  Now that I've been going for a few weeks I do notice that it is helping my core and upper body strength.  Whethere this will translate into faster running times remains to be seen, but I do feel stronger, and that's a good thing.  Miles - 7.56

Wednesday - Went with Ryan and Harrison down to White Pine trailhead up Little Cottonwood Canyon.  The plan was to make the hike up to Pfeifferhorn, bag it, then get back down, all before dark.  Well, that didn't happen.  When we got to the knife edge to the base of the last pitch up Pfeifferhorn, Jim said "Jim's a weenie and he's not going up that".  Yep, the last 300' or so is an exposed rock scramble with a snow patch near the top that needed to be avoided.  Part of the reason was a lack of daylight, part of it was I was getting cold.  I think the temp was down around 40 up there with the wind blowing.  Part of it was I was afraid of the climb back down.  That looked kind of dicey.  The knife edge didn't bother me, I could have done that no problem.  Still, it was a great hike/run to an area I had never been.  The views from 11,000' are incredible.  Pictures don't do it justice.  We did manage to get back down right at dark.  Time wise, it took us 2 hours to make the 4.5 mile trek up from 7700' to 11,000', and another 1.5 back down.  So pretty slow going, but when you figure we were gaining almost 1000'/mile, maybe it wasn't so bad.  Here's a few pics I took.  Miles - 9.0, vert 3400' gain

Looking at SLC down Little Cottonwood Canyon

Looking across LIttle Cottonwood Canyon

Ryan and Harrison motoring up the trail

Red Pine Lake, our route took us to the left of that peak in the center

White Baldy Peak?

Looking at American Fork and Utah Lake from 11,000'

White Baldy Peak

Looking down from 11,000'

Thursday - Ran at lunch.  Did a little bit different route.  Was going to run after work, but it was way too hot.  Miles - 5.6

Friday - Ran at lunch again.  Wasn't going to get a chance after work.  Ran up to Target to get my lovely bride an Anniversary card.  Yep, we've been married 32 years now.  Wow!  That's a long time these days.  Miles - 5.7

Saturday - Didn't do squat running wise.  Spent most of the day in my shop playing with wood.

Total miles for the week - 47.72

Corbin's Restaurant - So Karen and I went to Corbin's for our anniversary dinner.  It's a pretty nice place in Layton that we've been to a few times.  They have really good steaks.  I had the 7 oz. filet, medium, and it was cooked to perfection.  One of the best steaks I've had in awhile.  You could really taste the wood smoke on the outside as they grill the steaks over an open fire.  We had the fried brie for an appetizer and it was pretty good, we ate the entire thing.  Karen had the salmon and steak and really enjoyed that as well.  For desert we shared an apple tart with ice cream. It was a little skimpy on the ice cream, but other than that very good.  Service was excellent.  Unobtrusive yet attentive.  All in all, if you want a pretty nice place to go, this is it.  Prices aren't too bad either.

Week of May 20th plus Timp Trail Marathon Report

About time I posted again.

Well, this week was kind of a waste....sort of.  I spent the week in Salt Lake City attending an OSHA 30 hour training course.  Since I'm the safety weasel for my place of employment, I need to be up on all the OSHA stuff.  The 30 hour course is kind of a big deal in the safety world.  Still, it did put a little bit of a crimp in my rinning plans.  No lunchtime runs we to be had and I ate lunch out every day.  I still managed to get some running in, but with the Timp Trail Marathon on Saturday, I was a little worried about how I would do.  So here goes.

Sunday - Did a short run with Karen.  We went late morning and ran Rainbow north.  We came back on the lower trail just for a change of pace.  It was a nice run.  Miles - 6.0

Monday - Felt kind of like crap after the first day of training and too much lunch.  Ran from Kaysville to Fernwood and back, the first few miles of the Wasatch course.  It was a hot day and the run was pretty slow.  Miles - 7.2

Tuesday - Ran a bit farther.  Rainbow north to the canal road.  If I remember right it was a kind of warm day.  Miles - 7.8

Wednesday - Had big plans to run the Wheeler-Sardine loop.  Felt like crap again, so bailed on that.  Instead I went to the south Skyline trailhead and ran up towards Lewis peak a few miles.  Hadn't been up this trail in over a year, so it was a nice to go up there.  Took it slow since I couldn't run faster.  Miles - 6.5

Thursday - Took the day off.  Just wasn't feeling the love.

Friday - Ran from Rainbow north to the canal road again.  This was the first run of the week that felt good.  I cruised it and felt good the entire time.  Not super fast, but good enough.  Miles - 7.8

Saturday - Timp Trail Marathon - Race report.  This is the third year I've run this race and it gets better each year, or at least I get faster each year.  After a sucky week of running, I was looking forward to a decent time, especially since the weather was going to be perfect and the trails would be in awesome shape.  Not only that, but seven HUMR's were going to be there running the thing.  It's always a good time when a bunch of us get together.
The trail this year was in perfect condition, no snow at the higher elevations and no mud going up the trail from circle springs. 
When we started, I decided to hang back for the first little bit along the pipeline road just to see how I felt.  I chatted with Breein until we got to the trail.  At that point I decided I felt pretty good and decided to start pushing.  I went on up the trail, passing a few people but generally just keeping the pace a little bit faster than I normally would.  I knew that some of the other HUMR's had bolted out of the gate and by about mile three I had caught up with Shawn.  We motored along for a bit going up a hill.  Close to the top I decided to pass her.  Most of the next few miles were uneventful.  It was a gorgeous day, temps were perfect for me, and i felt good.  I could see Aric up ahead and he was moving along pretty good as well.  I blew through the first aid station.  I figured that since this was just a marathon length race, I would fuel and drink like I would for a marathon.  I still had plenty of fluid left in my two bottles, and I had no need to extra food, so on I went.  Pretty soon the second aid station came along.  I did refill my bottles here.  I knew it would be awhile until the next station and there was some serious terrain to cover in the meantime.  Shortly after the second aid station we hit the green monster.  This is a roughly 650'-700' climb in a half mile.  Straight up the mountainside.  If you have climbing legs at all, this is the place to use them.  I did manage to catch and pass a few people here.  I guess all of the hills I've been training on have helped a little.  Once at the top, there's some nice downhill running for a couple of miles until you get to a canyon that takes us back up the mountainside.  This canyon is probably my favorite part of the course.  Steep and rocky with a creek coming down it, waterfall at the top, gorgeous.  During this climb I did manage to catch Aric and motor on up, but he kept with me, just a little behind.  After awhile climbing, we hit the next aid station at Indian Spring.  Here we get to fill our bottles straight from the spring.  Runners were asking if the water was safe to drink.  Must have been, I didn't get sick.  After Indian Spring, we did a little more climbing until we hit the high point on the course, an alpine meadow that's very cool to run through.  This is followed by a screaming technical, rocky descent.  I don't do well on that kind of stuff and Aric just blew past me here.  I guess I'm too afraid of falling and doing some serious damage to let it rip.  The next section is my least favorite part of the course, the climb up through Circle Springs.  This part of the trail has always had shoe sucking deep mud with no way to avoid it.  Add to that it's a steep uphill climb and you have a recipe for a slow grinding trek.  This year it was completely dry and I was able to make some reasonably decent time going up.  I knew once I got to the top, it was a slow descent to the next aid station and not too far to the finish.  The last aid station was run by a bunch of high school girls and naturally every time a runner came through they would yell and scream.  You could hear them a half mile away.  Stopped here to grab a couple of cups of Coke and left.  The next part is a climb, but it's not too bad.  I managed to catch some of the slower half marathoners as I went up.  By now I knew I was on a PR pace and tried to pick it up a little more.  Once at the top of this climb, the last few miles are all downhill and easy running.  Here I tried to let it rip and get done a little quicker.  I ended up crossing the finish line in 5:20, easily my best time on this course.  It was good enough for 3rd in my age group and 22nd overall.  The HUMR's did pretty good as a group.  Britta won the women's race and crushed the course record by a substantial amount.  Shawn came in 5th female and 1st in her age group.  Aric ran it in about 6:10 and finished 15th.  Ryan finished in 4:44 good enough for 12th overall.  Breein did pretty good as well, finishing in 5:46, 5th female and 2nd in her age group.  Alicia isn't listed in the results for some reason but I think she finished around 10th place female.
All in all it was a pretty good day.  Lots of fun was had on the trail by everyone.  Miles - 26.1

Total miles for the week - 61.4

Week of May 6th and an Irish Pub

Sunday - Went for a nice little run with my lovely wife.  We started at Wheeler trailhead and ran the Green Pond route.  Gorgeous day and we even saw a couple of young moose just past Art Nord trailhead.  Karen was thrilled.  She has a thing about moose.  Followed the run up with breakfast at The Oaks.  She actually enjoyed the run.  Awesome!  Miles - 9.0

Monday - Did a short run at lunch just to get out.  Pushed it fairly hard since this is speed day.  I was going to do speed work with Breein and Shawn, but they had things come up.  Karen and I ended up meeting at Rainbow and heading north.  After about 1.5 miles, Karen wasn't feeling the running love so we turned around and headed back.  Just one of those days where things aren't quite right.  Oh well.  Miles - 6.26

Tuesday - Went out north of Rainbow by myself.  No one wanted to run with me.  I did take a shower but seems like that didn't matter.  Anyway, wanted to get some miles in before Pilates class.  Went a little beyond the three mile point heading north.  Pilates was a killer this week.  Did a fair amount of upper body work and I was sore after that.  Miles - 6.26

Wednesday - Did a double today.  Went out for a tempo run at lunch.  I ahve a standard 5.2 mile route that I run at lunchtime and I really pushed it.  Well below 8:30 pace for most of the miles.  Felt pretty good to do that.  My pm run was more of a hike.  I made my second trip up Malan's Peak this year.  There was still some ice on the trail near the top.  It's covered with pine needles and such so it's insulated.  Anyway, the legs were tired from the lunch run but I tried to push the hiking pace anyway.  Whenever I go up that trail, there's always other hikers out trying to make it up.  It's a steep trail.  Made it up from 22nd street in less than an hour, then ran back down in around 30 minutes.  I would love to get that up time down to around 45 minutes by the end of summer.  We'll see.  The plan is to go upthis once a week just for the vert.  Miles - 10.8

Thursday - Went on another double run today.  At lunch I ran up to the bank to deposit a check, then added another mile or so just because going to the bank wasn't long enough.  After work Karen and I met the Ogden group up at Wheeler for a short little run.  We went up Wheeler, Ice Box canyon an towards Sardine for around four miles, then turn around.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well Karen did going uphill.  She's really come along in just a few months, especially since she only runs 2-3 times a week.  She did great.  Of course, going downhill I have a hard time keeping up with her.  Had a great run followed by some pizza at Ogden Pizza.  Miles - 10.8

Friday - So I had big plans to drive down to Virgin and pace Aric at the Zion 100.  I made it to my designated aid station at about 8pm and waited......and waited.......and waited.  Finally I checked and he had dropped at aid #6 at about 2:30am.  Big time bummer for him.  I guess he and his pacer and a bunch of others got way off track running around on Gooseberry Mesa.  The course markings were sporadic, non-existant, and confusing.  They spent hours trying to get to aid 7 and should have been there but in reality were nowhere near.  It was cold, and they were out of food and water.  Aric and Shawn ended up going back to aid 6 and spending the night.  I ended up driving back to the race hq and throwing my sleeping bag out on the grass.  Met up with Aric and Shwan the next morning and got the full story.  He's disappointed, but I think he made the right call.  No need to put yourself in danger when you don't need to.  You can always go back and run it next year.  Miles - 0.0

Saturday - Drove home from Zion.  Miles 0.0

Total for the week - 43.1 miles

Restaurant review - So Saturday Karen and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, MacCool's Irish Pub.  Their food is always good and they know the proper way to pour a Guiness.  I usually get their meatloaf (awesome) but thought I'd try something different.  So I got their lamb sandwich.  Thin sliced lamb with spices and cheese and au jus, mashers and gravy on the side.  Never have had the lamb before and I have to say it was different.  Not bad, just different.  I would order it again, but I think it's an acquired taste.  Karen took a bite and said it reminded her of what our buck goats smell like.  That's not a good thing and I didn't get that impression at all.  Service was good and so was the beer.  Even though Karen didn't like the lamb and I thought it was just ok, we still highly recommend this place. They have other menu items that are far better.  We took our son once and he said it was more Irish than some of the pubs he visited while he was in Ireland.

Week of April 29th, Post Race Lack of Activity

Sunday - Didn't do squat running wise.  I did do a lot of stuff around the house and yard.  That did help as far as keeping things loosened up.

Monday - I actually didn't feel too bad.  I was barely sore, the legs didn't feel too tired.  I thought "what the heck" and went for a run with Karen.  Yeah, big mistake.  We walked over to the trail north of Rainbow Gardens.  I ran about 50 yards up the trail and decided that running wasn't going to happen.  The legs weren't too bad, it was my chest.  It felt like the muscles were really tired.  Anyway, we actually hiked up to the canal road, then back down.  That wasn't too bad.  Miles - 1.6

Tuesday - Yep, took the day off.  Figured I needed a little more rest.

Wednesday - Actually went out for about five miles.  The legs weren't sore at all but were still a little tired.  It felt good to get out for a few even if I was still tired.  Miles - 5.0

Thursday - Yep, took another day off.

Friday - Went on one of my favorite runs, 22nd street south for about 3.5 miles then turn around and come back.  The legs were still a little tired, but other than that, I felt really good.  I was able to actually push the pace some.  Miles - 7.0

Total miles for the week - 13.6

Restaurant review time -

So we went to a Thai restaurant Friday.  We've been to Aroy-d before and the food was very good.  For some reason, Thai sounded good again.  We were really surprised at how busy it was.  Seems as though word is getting out. 
Anyway, I had a salmon dish with a red curry sauce that was excellent.  Just the right amount of spice to warm things up.  It was mixed with green beans, bell peppers, and brocolli.  Good stuff.  I don't remember what Karen had, but she really enjoyed it as well.  I've had their Pad thai before and that was very good as well.  If you want some decent Thai in the Ogden area, this is the place to go.  Reasonably priced and they serve beer and wine.