9-er on the BST in the dark (Morris to top of Dry Creek). Too many glowey eyeballs (Tarantulas eye's glow green!) so I had to carry a bludgeoning rock. One of those runs where I felt like I could run forever. I needed that.
PM: Another 9-er on the BST from work to the Beer Bar for beer and pretend sausages. Totally sent the Dry Creek to City Creek section (6.5 miles, 1200' and 9:20 average pace) so I'm happy that I don't seem to be in as terrible shape as I thought.
5K self-handicapping taper rike to Lookout Peak via Killians Canyon with over 3,000 feet of climbing.
Broke watershed rules again - doh! Essentially I can't go anywhere in Salt Lake with a dog and I am getting super frustrated! There were no "No Dog" signs except for desceding into Mountain Dell so I went up towards Lookout Ridge all the way to the peak where some hunters informed me of the Lookout Watershed. In hindsight I should have asked all the hunters camped up on the ridge if they pack out all their pee and poop! Roo did not go to the bathroom once in the watershed btw....
PM: Biked to Sugar House Park for a few loops and then joined the Salt Lake Track Club for their Monday night workout. For reals!!! Did a mile warm-up and then 12 x 400. I have no idea what my splits are because I don't know how to use the lap function in my watch, but all I do know is I am really good at about 320's! Biked home and then sat in some bubbles drinking bubbles :)
90 minute ride on the Legacy and then Yin Yoga. Thought I better take another day off after Monday's track workout. Don't think my body was quite ready for that!
AM: Ran around Bar Harbor and through the ocean to Bar Island and then lobster omlettes for breakfast.
PM: Hiked to Bass Harbor lighthouse, some ocean trail, and to a secret spot where we were supposed to see seals, but no seals. Then lobster rolls and lobster alfredo thanks to Uncle Tim.
Dugway Isolation Run 35K (22 Miles) 04:08:13, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1
Slow miles
Fast miles
Total Distance
22.00
0.00
22.00
This was the 3rd year of the Dugway Isolation Run and I've wanted to do it the last 2 years, but I'm always injured. The fact that you get to run on normally not open to the public trails with risk of exposions and you have to undergo a background check to get to the starting line are just a few of the reasons that drew me to the race!
I think it was Andrea that asked me if I had even run 18 miles in the last week and when I thought about it I hadn't even run 18 miles in the last 2 weeks so when I found out that the 30K I registered for was going to run closer to 21 miles I panicked. My everything had been hurting the last 3 weeks and the idea of 20 miles made me want to roll around in Dugway's anthrax farm.
Oh well after the most incredible desert sunrise, the signing of the unexploded notice, and the race director's lengthy course description which I should have listened to since it would have saved me about a mile when I went off course - we were off. I ran the first couple of miles with a group of 5 guys listening to them talk about that guy that went off like a gazelle and was at least a mile ahead the first mile i.e. Fritz. I fell back to take some photos and I felt so lucky to be able to run over these hills. The views were amazing at dawn and there were signs posted all over the course pointing out rock features and odditites like the Alien Take-Off, the Drone Zone, Quicksand, Scorpion Tail, and Stonehenge.
The trail was mostly single-track and shallow sand with very few technical spots. My left leg was super tight the first 5 miles, but I seemed to work out the funk and transfer all the discomfort to my right hip flexor which is more familiar and tolerable. Pretty psyched that I could run 20+ miles on not a lot of "training" and I actually negative split which is pretty neat since it got hot! I listened to tunes the 2nd lap and was able to hit the downhills a little harder since I had worked out some bodily funk.
We hung out at the end of the race and I drank about a gallon of water and made my own pizza to grill (what a great idea!) and had hilarious converations with some Dugway residents that ran their first ever trail race - I think they are hooked!
This race had more schwag then any other race I have ever attended! The finisher medals were beautiful with wildhorses on them and nearly everyone got an award with some sort of animal skull and rocks on them and a raffle prize. The race bag had all sorts of goodies like a tiny race cup to reduce waste, KT tape, mutiple tubes of bug repellent, a nifty GSI lightweight flask that I love, a Sea World San Diego watter bottle (wtf?), a blank envelope filled with some unidentifable white powder, and a ton of other things.
I absolutely loved this event and am sad that more people didn't participate. I'm going to make it my mission to drag a ton of people out there next year!
Wheels text me "Wanna run to Dog Lake" this afternoon to which I laughed hysterically since I could barely get up from the couch. "What time?" seemed like the only appropriate reply and it was lovely! Only a few days before the road to upper Millcreek closes so I wanted to get up there at least one more time.
Sunrise run with the Rooster in Upper Milcreek. Most gorgeous cotton candy sunrise and frosty leaves - 27 degrees at the start felt soooo good. Feel pretty good from the race last weekend, just a little creaky but still better than I felt last week.
I've always wanted to run to Rudy's Flat from City Creek and ughhh I still didn't get there. I checked the weather before I left and there was ZERO percent chance of precipitation. I followed the City Creek ridge and got to Dude Peak and then the temperature dropped, the wind picked up, and these ominous black clouds came out of nowhere.
Running down from Dude it started to snow and I couldn't really find a trail and it turned into a horrible buchwhack bonanza. I got cold fast and I should have just turned around and went back the way I came since I had no idea how long it would take to get to Rudy's. I dropped down from the ridge because it was soooo cold and windy up there and then I totally lost any semblance of a trail. This may actually be the most freaked out I've ever been in the outdoors! I had on shorts and a t-shirt and a light windbreaker and it was whiteout condiitons.
I sent an SOS text message to Fritz who was picking me up at Mueller Park and told him if he doesn't hear from me in 30 minutes be worried. I took the first trail I could find that headed off the mountain, which ended up being the North Canyon Trail and dumped me out in some random neighborhood in Bountiful and then Fritz nicely rescued me.
And this is why I love trail running! And now I still need to get to Rudy's grrrrr!
Roo and I ran the Join the Voices Run at Liberty Park to raise money for brain cancer research. We started the first mile out strong, but then lost about 30 seconds for a poop stop. We had another stop the second mile plus a major leash trippage event. Roo must have been bored come the 3rd mile and decided to play tug-o-war with the leash and I had to fight/drag him for the last half mile.
