Sunday - Decided to take the day off and go horsey riding with Karen. Good call. We went up Middle Fork on some trails that neither of us had been on before. Pretty cool. Had a great time but it did get a little warm. Miles - 0
Monday - Did my usual lunch time run thing. It was warm as usual but I think I'm used to it. After work I headed for Snowbasin. I tried a trail I hadn't been on before up there. If you go up the Needles trail, it will intersect the Last Chance trail. I took that one. That trail basically traverses the mountainside without any real gain or loss in elevation. Very runnable and lots of fun. I didn't have time to do the entire thing so I'll have to go up there again. Miles - 11.6
Tuesday - Did my lunch time 5 miles. Sigh. After work I met Karen at Wheeler and we ran a few together. It was kind of warm, but there was a nice breeze going on as well. We were going to do the Wheeler/Art Nord/Ice Box trainagle, but I didn't have time before my Pilates class. So we did an out and back just past Art Nord. Miles - 9.0
Wednesday - Had to run an errand to the bank at lunch, so I took the long way in order to get a few miles in. After work a few of us went up to Middle Fork and ran a trail up there. This was the same trail that Karen and I went horsey riding on. Not a bad trail for running. The uphill is mostly runnable, some technical sections, open meadows, in the trees. Coming back down the grade is perfect for running pretty fast. Had a good time other than it was warm and a little buggy with horseflies. Miles - 9.75
Thursday - Did my usual lunch time run but I think this was the fastest I've done it. 44:22 for 5 miles, or about an 8:50 pace. This includes waiting to cross the street a couple of times too. After work I headed up Wheeler for a short few miles before Pilates. Miles - 9.0
Friday - Opted to not run at lunch. Instead, I bolted a bit early and headed up for Wheeler again. I was going to meet Karen up there but she couldn't make it. Instead I ended up doing a modified Wheeler/Green Pond loop that adds a mile. That's the fastest I've ever run that route before. The legs were tired, but felt strong, so I pushed it a bit. Haven't been able to do that in awhile. Felt good. Miles - 9.7
Saturday - As a volunteer on Antelope Island, I needed to log some Trail Patrol time in on the island. It's a good thing that going for a run qualifies as volunteer time. Karen and I headed out at about 6am with a plan of about 10 miles. I figured that by now most of the biting insects would be gone for the summer. They were. Instead we were annoyed incessantly by flies. They didn't bite, but they covered our hats and shirts. We ended up running out bone road and the Elephant Head trail. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. One mountain bike passed us on the way out and a couple more as we were going back. We also passed a couple of hikers. It was a nice quiet run. When we would stop, there was almost total silence. Maybe a bird or two. Saw a coyote howling away and quite a few bull bison just hanging out. We managed to get back before it warmed up too much. It was a nice run. Miles - 9.4
Total miles for the week - 58.45
Restaurant review - The Oaks
So after I got back from my run on Friday we decided to head up the Ogden Canyon to the Oaks Restaurant. When we go there, it's usually for breakfast as they have great breakfast food. Dinner, not so much. I had a sliced turkey/avacado/sprouts sandwich on wheat that wasn't too bad. Nothing to write home about, but very edible. Karen ordered the pasta of the day, which was chicken parmesan. Hers was not good at all. The noodles were so overcooked that they were slimy, and the sauce was so watery that there was a puddle in the bottom of the plate. Her garlic bread was soaked. Needless to say, she didn't eat it. We did tell our server and he offered to bring out a new one, but Karen declined. Instead he brought us a piece of their wild berry pie with a lemon crust. Not too bad. All in all, not a very good dinner experience. We'll still go there for breakfast, but it will be awhile before we go back for dinner.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Week of July 22nd - Speedgoat report
Sunday - Didn't do squat. We were still in Illinois and just didn't feel like going out and running. Nothing like a little vacation.
Monday - Managed to get in a few miles in Rock Cut State Park with a friend. Extremely humid and warm. Had plans to do around 10 or so and quite when we hit 5. Miles - 4.9
Tuesday - Another day of nothing. Instead we spent the day traveling back to Utah.
Wednesday - Well, vacation's over and back to work. Went out for a lunchtime run down the bike path. Then headed out from 22nd street south for a run. All in all not a bad day's work. Miles - 14.0
Thursday - Went long at lunch today. The boss is on vacation and I took advantage of that. Kind of a boring flat run on the bike path, but it's running. Didn't have time to go out after work but did manage to make it to Pilates class. Miles - 7.1
Friday - Went out for another lunchtime run. Kind of wanted to take it a little easy since Speedgoat is tomorrow. Kind of looking towwards that with fear and trepidation. Miles - 5.8
Saturday - Speedgoat 50K. Probably the most difficult 50K trail race in the country if not the world. This one sucks big time. So how did I do? Well, here goes.
I signed up for this race again because my experience here last year was not good. I ran it in 2011 after running two 100's in the previous six weeks and two weeks after the second one. I was tired. In retrospect, it was not a good idea at all, but I thought I could get some altitude training for Leadville two weeks later. Yeah, right. So anyway, last year was not good (10:12 for the time), time to try again this year.
Karl changed the course this year to make it tougher yet. This is something he does every year.
Karen and I decided to spend the weekend at Snowbird as kind of a getaway, even though it's only an hour from home. There were plenty of Happy Utah Mountain Runners running it too, so it made for a fun weekend with friends.
The gun went off at 6:30am and we all started up the long grind to the top of Hidden Peak, 4000' of climb to 11,000' in about 8.5 miles. The morning was pleasantly cool, but that just meant that the day would be a warm one. After about a mile, I teamed up with Breein and we spent a good protion of the race running together. We hit the top of Hidden Peak at around 2:45 into the race. Saw my lovely wife and a few other friends up there and headed down the service road into Mineral Basin. We got to run thru an amazing field of wildflowers in this section. Simply stunning. Anyway, down we went until we reached the aid station at Larry's Hole. I have no idea why it's called that.
After Larry's Hole, we make the "short" climb up to a saddle above Mary Ellen Gulch. This is a super rocky 4x4/streambed that can be hard to navigate with any sort of speed. For some reason, Breein and I flew through here. We had the best time just bounding down the rocks passing all sorts of people. Eventually, we got to the turn around at Pacific Mine. During the short out-and-back section here, we saw some of the other Happy Utah Mountain Runners that we were sharing the trails with. We were still feeling pretty good, so after a short stop to fill bottles, grab something to eat and get a couple of popsicles for the road, we were out. On the way back out, we saw Alicia making her wway into the aid station. It was nice to see her in good spirits and feeling good. Now began the long climb up Miller's Hill. I had forgotten just how long this climb was, something like 2500' over about three miles. Ugh! The only nice part of this was the rusty water pipe in the middle of the trail. Cold, clear water was coming out of it. Good stuff. The last part of this climb is a steep bushwack that took us back to the saddle above Mary Ellen Gulch. Now it was back downhill to Larry's Hole again. Only this year, we instead of taking a direct route, we had to go meander around Mineral Basin for awhile. During all of this, we could see the aid station just a couple hundred yards away. We knew the probably the hardest climb lay just ahead, but we didn't know just how hard. Well, after about a mile of climbing up the Baldy Road we met a guy just sitting in a chair with a boombox playing Britany Spears (he said Karl told him to play it). He just pointed up the side of the mountain and said "go that way". Straight up, no trail, just flags. Karl is one sick bastard. We started up. This climb was so steep that it was difficult at times to keep your footing. Falling down meant you may roll down the hill. At one point I barely kicked a good sized rock, and it broke loose and went flying down the hill. Thank goodness the trail below veered away while the rock went straight. That could have very well ruined someone's day. Good Lord that was a steep climb. I later looked at my GPS and it told the sad tale of a 52 minute pace for this section while we went up 700'+ in .5 miles, all at above 10,000'. Finally, Breein and I made the top of Baldy and began the decent down the ridge. At the bottom we met Britta and a couple of her friends cheering us on. They also had popsicles. I think I ate three here. They were awesome (both Britta and the popsicles). A short little run (yep, we ran this section), brought us to the Peruvian Tunnel aid station. They had beer here (Michelob Ultra of all things). I had about half a cup while Breein and Curtis drank the rest. Good stuff. I knew that we had one last climb and that it wasn't going to be fun at all. Once we went through the tunnel we began a descent on the service road that eventually took us to the ridge trail. Last year I ended up walking down this road. This year I managed to run it. Things go much better when you can do that. Finally, we began the trudge up the Cirque Ridge. This ridge is a spine that takes you back up to the top of Hidden Peak. It's about a mile and it really, really sucks....bad. Breein and I would go about 100 feet and have to stop for a few seconds. My lungs were doing ok, but the legs were weak. Breein kept talking about how she wanted to just kick someone for doing this to her. Eventually we made it to to top and the final aid station. Just below that we were being cheered on by Cody, Hope and their kids. This was a surprise, and a nice one. It's always nice to see your friends cheer you on when you're not in a happy place. At Hidden Peak, Joel, Curtis, and Ryan were all waitng for Breein and I. We all decided to make the downhill run to the finish together. Britta met us there too and decided that she was going to come along for the fun. Down we all went, just chatting and having a good time knowing that four short downhill miles were all that was left. We wound down through the rocks, along the single track, and came out on the service road with about three iles to go. When we hit the road, I discovered I still had some downhill legs left and I took off. I fully expected to have a couple of the others join me for a fast downhill run, but no one bothered. I knew what this last section was like and how fast I could run it. Through here I managed to catch a few runners that had passed my on that last climb up the Cirque. That felt pretty good. As I ran the last stretch of trail above the finish, I came across Breein's kids cheering everyone on. They were having a good time and it was fun to see them. I passed one last runner on the last switchback turn and started down the last 1/4 mile. As I was about to round the final turn for the finish I heard footsteps behind me. It was the woman that I had passed just a couple minutes earlier. needless to say, I sprinted across the finish line and managed to beat her by four seconds. Karen was at the finish cheering me on as were a bunch of the other Happy Utah Mountain Runners that had come in earlier. I was done, and glad to be. I've run 50 mile races faster than this 50K, that's how difficult it is.
So, will I do it again? Hmmm, not sure at this point. If I don't I'll definitely volunteer.
All in all, it was a fun weekend with Karen and a bunch of friends. We all stayed at the resort, ate together and generally had a blast. Thanks to everyone for being there.
Stats -
Miles - 31.87 (30.62 last year)
Vertical - 11,985 (11,055' last year)
Time - 9:55 (10:12 last year)
Weekly mileage - 63.7
Monday - Managed to get in a few miles in Rock Cut State Park with a friend. Extremely humid and warm. Had plans to do around 10 or so and quite when we hit 5. Miles - 4.9
Tuesday - Another day of nothing. Instead we spent the day traveling back to Utah.
Wednesday - Well, vacation's over and back to work. Went out for a lunchtime run down the bike path. Then headed out from 22nd street south for a run. All in all not a bad day's work. Miles - 14.0
Thursday - Went long at lunch today. The boss is on vacation and I took advantage of that. Kind of a boring flat run on the bike path, but it's running. Didn't have time to go out after work but did manage to make it to Pilates class. Miles - 7.1
Friday - Went out for another lunchtime run. Kind of wanted to take it a little easy since Speedgoat is tomorrow. Kind of looking towwards that with fear and trepidation. Miles - 5.8
Saturday - Speedgoat 50K. Probably the most difficult 50K trail race in the country if not the world. This one sucks big time. So how did I do? Well, here goes.
I signed up for this race again because my experience here last year was not good. I ran it in 2011 after running two 100's in the previous six weeks and two weeks after the second one. I was tired. In retrospect, it was not a good idea at all, but I thought I could get some altitude training for Leadville two weeks later. Yeah, right. So anyway, last year was not good (10:12 for the time), time to try again this year.
Karl changed the course this year to make it tougher yet. This is something he does every year.
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| Pre-race meeting with Shawn paying attention |
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| Still smiling, the race hasn't started yet |
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| Emily and Breein still smiling. It's early in the race still. |
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| Gorgeous flowers |
So, will I do it again? Hmmm, not sure at this point. If I don't I'll definitely volunteer.
All in all, it was a fun weekend with Karen and a bunch of friends. We all stayed at the resort, ate together and generally had a blast. Thanks to everyone for being there.
Stats -
Miles - 31.87 (30.62 last year)
Vertical - 11,985 (11,055' last year)
Time - 9:55 (10:12 last year)
Weekly mileage - 63.7
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| Joel and Ryan finishing |
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| Curtis and Breein finishing |
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| Forrest getting his finisher's medal from Pam |
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| Alicia looking happy now that she's done and Shane is there |
Week of July 29 and Sitara restaurant review
Sunday - Ok, the day after Speedgoat. Tired and sore, but Karen had 11 miles on her schedule so out we went. We went up to the Upper Big Water parking lot in Millcreek Canyon and did the loop from there to Dog Lake, to Desolation Lake, up to Red Lover's Ridge and back down to the parking lot. I've been wanting to take her on this run because it's one of the more scenic runs I do. But it's a fairly difficult run given the elevation and the amount of vertical involved. She really enjoyed it but was definitely sore the next day. The kind of cool thing was that we got to run with Scott Wolfe, one of Patagonia's runners. He was out for a training run on the Wasatch course and was confused as to which trail to take out of the parking lot. He asked me and since we were going the same direction I invited him along. He was very gracious in hanging back with a couple of old slow runners but was glad we knew the way. We had an enjoyable chat with him until we split at Red Lover's Ridge. He was headed for Brighton while were headed back down the hill. My run was fine on the trek up, but once Karen and I started down, my legs were not happy. My quads were still shot from Speedgoat the day before and they let me know about it. Still, it was a good to get out and loosen things up a bit. Miles - 10.6
Monday - Had big plans to go up to Snowbasin and get a run in. I made it about 100 yards before I decided today would be a rest day. Good decision. Miles - 0
Tuesday - Did my usual lunch time run. Kind of slow, but oh well. After work I went up to Wheeler and ran the triangle from Wheeler to Art Nord, and back down Ice Box Canyon. Once again, slow, but I got it done. Went to Pilates and punished myself a little more after that. Miles - 9.9
Wednesday - Went up to Wheeler and did a double of the Wheeler/Art Nord/Ice Box triangle. The first time was by myself, the second time Karen met me and we ran it again. Still slow, Karen was kicking my butt. Miles - 9.8
Thursday - Did my usual lunch time run again. After work I went up Wheeler and was going to just do an out and back to Art Nord. As I was coming down to the car I saw Forrest, Misti, and Breein. I was informed that Pilates had been pushed back to 7pm, so I turned around and went a couple more miles with that group. Miles - 12.7
Friday - went home after work and picked up Karen. We went out to 27th street and headed up Malan's. She's never been up there and since she had five miles on her schedule, that was the place to go. She made it up there, had a good time and thought it was a pretty run. Mission accomplished. Miles - 4.6
Saturday - Met a few friends at the Wasatch start at oh dark thirty. The parking lot was pretty full with cars from other runners out training on the Wasatch course. The plan was to run the Wasatch course to the radar towers and turn around. We didn't quite make it that far but we did get to Landis Spring. Forrest had to turn around early, we managed to catch up to a group in front of us that included Alicia. They were out for 30 miles. I was glad to see her getting out on the course. One of their group, Breein, and I turned around at Landis Spring. It was taking us longer than we thought and I wanted to get back home. The weather up there was spectacular, no breeze, cool, clear, quiet. I love going up there at this time of year, especially by myself. You feel like you're out in the middle no where. On the way back we met up with Larry Adams. He wasn't having a good day and decided to turn around and head back down with us. By the time we got back down to the trail at the bottom of the mountain, the temps were in the 90's. I was glad to be done with that run. Miles - 20.4
Miles for the week - 68.0 Not quite where I wanted to be, but I'll take it.
Resaurant review - Karen and I headed for our favorite Indian resaurant, Sitara. As usual, we got our usual dishes. An onion kolcha appitizer, two orders of Paneer Tikka Masala, and rice. Washing it down with a couple of beers. The paneer tikka masala is a cottage cheese dish with a mild tomato sauce. We put it over rice and it's my favorite dish when ever we go there. Spicy, but not overly so and consistently good. Service was average as it usually is. This isn't a fancy restaurant, we went there after our Friday run still dressed in running clothes. No question about going back, we always do. If you've never tried Indian food, this is a good place to go.
July stats - So July I hd big plans for a 300 mile month. Well, here's the results.
Total Miles - 300.2, averaging just under 68 miles/week.
Total vertical - 48,478', averaging 10,946'/week. Not too bad.
Monday - Had big plans to go up to Snowbasin and get a run in. I made it about 100 yards before I decided today would be a rest day. Good decision. Miles - 0
Tuesday - Did my usual lunch time run. Kind of slow, but oh well. After work I went up to Wheeler and ran the triangle from Wheeler to Art Nord, and back down Ice Box Canyon. Once again, slow, but I got it done. Went to Pilates and punished myself a little more after that. Miles - 9.9
Wednesday - Went up to Wheeler and did a double of the Wheeler/Art Nord/Ice Box triangle. The first time was by myself, the second time Karen met me and we ran it again. Still slow, Karen was kicking my butt. Miles - 9.8
Thursday - Did my usual lunch time run again. After work I went up Wheeler and was going to just do an out and back to Art Nord. As I was coming down to the car I saw Forrest, Misti, and Breein. I was informed that Pilates had been pushed back to 7pm, so I turned around and went a couple more miles with that group. Miles - 12.7
Friday - went home after work and picked up Karen. We went out to 27th street and headed up Malan's. She's never been up there and since she had five miles on her schedule, that was the place to go. She made it up there, had a good time and thought it was a pretty run. Mission accomplished. Miles - 4.6
Saturday - Met a few friends at the Wasatch start at oh dark thirty. The parking lot was pretty full with cars from other runners out training on the Wasatch course. The plan was to run the Wasatch course to the radar towers and turn around. We didn't quite make it that far but we did get to Landis Spring. Forrest had to turn around early, we managed to catch up to a group in front of us that included Alicia. They were out for 30 miles. I was glad to see her getting out on the course. One of their group, Breein, and I turned around at Landis Spring. It was taking us longer than we thought and I wanted to get back home. The weather up there was spectacular, no breeze, cool, clear, quiet. I love going up there at this time of year, especially by myself. You feel like you're out in the middle no where. On the way back we met up with Larry Adams. He wasn't having a good day and decided to turn around and head back down with us. By the time we got back down to the trail at the bottom of the mountain, the temps were in the 90's. I was glad to be done with that run. Miles - 20.4
Miles for the week - 68.0 Not quite where I wanted to be, but I'll take it.
Resaurant review - Karen and I headed for our favorite Indian resaurant, Sitara. As usual, we got our usual dishes. An onion kolcha appitizer, two orders of Paneer Tikka Masala, and rice. Washing it down with a couple of beers. The paneer tikka masala is a cottage cheese dish with a mild tomato sauce. We put it over rice and it's my favorite dish when ever we go there. Spicy, but not overly so and consistently good. Service was average as it usually is. This isn't a fancy restaurant, we went there after our Friday run still dressed in running clothes. No question about going back, we always do. If you've never tried Indian food, this is a good place to go.
July stats - So July I hd big plans for a 300 mile month. Well, here's the results.
Total Miles - 300.2, averaging just under 68 miles/week.
Total vertical - 48,478', averaging 10,946'/week. Not too bad.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Week of July 15 vacation time
Sunday - Did the Ogden Triple Threat with a bunch of friends. Started at 22nd street, went up and over Indian Trail to Smokey Bear, then headed back over Indian to the Hidden Valley Trail. Never have been all the way to the end of that one. Very cool views of Taylor Canyon. Then back down Hidden Valley to the cars to refuel and rehydrate. The last section was a run up Malan's. All in all a ton of vert (7000' worth) in a few miles. Good Speedgoat training. Had a great time hanging with some fellow HUMR's. Miles - 17.7
Monday - Went out at lunch for my usual run. It was slow. The legs were dragging, hmmm, probably from the run yesterday. Had plans to go out after work, but it started raining and that was a good excuse to take some rest time. Miles - 5.0
Tuesday - Went out for a run before work. Just ran around the industrial park near the house. Went out after work for a few more. On my after work run I was about 100 yards from the trailhead and done when I felt in my pocket for my car key. Guess what? Not there. I immediately turned around and started running back down the trail looking for it. I have always put my key in my pocket and have never had it fall out. Apparently this time I thought it did. Anyway, I got about a mile back down the trail and happened to look at my water bottle. Then it dawned on me that I had put my key in the little zipper pocket on the bottle holder just so it wouldn't fall out. Stupid me. Well, I got a couple of extra miles in and still managed to make it to Pilates. Miles - 12.1
Wednesday - Didn't do squat. Had plans to go out in the morning, but that didn't happen. Instead, we hopped on a plane and flew to see our daughter, her family,and our son back in Illinois. Good times. The flight was a mess. So, we had to change planes in Chicago since we were flying into Madison, WI. Our flight from Chicago to Madison was cancelled due to storms so we had Jessica drive into Chicago and pick us up. Yeah, it was a mess.
Thursday - Didn't do squat again. Slept in then spent the day getting a rental car and figuring out where our luggage was. Oh, and I spent a fair amount of time playing with my grandson. Always a fun time.
Friday - Drove to Rock Cut State Park and got a few miles in. This is where I used to do a lot of trail running when we lived back here. Kind of nice to hit the trails here again. Still, I got a whopping 500' of vertical over the miles. Miles - 11.8
Saturday - Went out from Jessica's house with Karen for a little road run. We just did an out and back. Miles - 5.13
Total for the week - 51.73
So not a huge week, but I did manage to get a few miles in even on vacation.
No restaurant review this week. Sorry
Monday - Went out at lunch for my usual run. It was slow. The legs were dragging, hmmm, probably from the run yesterday. Had plans to go out after work, but it started raining and that was a good excuse to take some rest time. Miles - 5.0
Tuesday - Went out for a run before work. Just ran around the industrial park near the house. Went out after work for a few more. On my after work run I was about 100 yards from the trailhead and done when I felt in my pocket for my car key. Guess what? Not there. I immediately turned around and started running back down the trail looking for it. I have always put my key in my pocket and have never had it fall out. Apparently this time I thought it did. Anyway, I got about a mile back down the trail and happened to look at my water bottle. Then it dawned on me that I had put my key in the little zipper pocket on the bottle holder just so it wouldn't fall out. Stupid me. Well, I got a couple of extra miles in and still managed to make it to Pilates. Miles - 12.1
Wednesday - Didn't do squat. Had plans to go out in the morning, but that didn't happen. Instead, we hopped on a plane and flew to see our daughter, her family,and our son back in Illinois. Good times. The flight was a mess. So, we had to change planes in Chicago since we were flying into Madison, WI. Our flight from Chicago to Madison was cancelled due to storms so we had Jessica drive into Chicago and pick us up. Yeah, it was a mess.
Thursday - Didn't do squat again. Slept in then spent the day getting a rental car and figuring out where our luggage was. Oh, and I spent a fair amount of time playing with my grandson. Always a fun time.
Friday - Drove to Rock Cut State Park and got a few miles in. This is where I used to do a lot of trail running when we lived back here. Kind of nice to hit the trails here again. Still, I got a whopping 500' of vertical over the miles. Miles - 11.8
Saturday - Went out from Jessica's house with Karen for a little road run. We just did an out and back. Miles - 5.13
Total for the week - 51.73
So not a huge week, but I did manage to get a few miles in even on vacation.
No restaurant review this week. Sorry
Sunday, July 15, 2012
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.
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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.
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.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| Looking west over the Cache Valley |
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| Along the east side of the course |
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.
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| Looking north |
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.
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| 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.
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| Heading back to the top of Dry Canyon |
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.
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