Artichoke's Running Blog (Ken Spence)

A great 7 mile run with Tina on the Dark Trail and in Settlement Canyon.  7:30 a.m.  Nice and cool along the trail, but very warm at the end.  Tina can still rip those downhills and is a great trail runner.  She ran 20:48 for the 5K on the 4th and took 3rd Overall in the Women's Open category.  Not bad for 48 years old!

8:00 p.m. run.  1 mile to meet Gina, then another 5 miles with her.  Gina did the Smelter Hill all the way to the top for the first time.  No stopping her.  She really dug in and did it.  Slowest mile was 11:40 even with the steep hill.  We were both very excited and what a sunset to view when we got up to the top and turned around.  That was a run to remember!  Another run tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m.

6:00 a.m. Very slow recovery run wtih Gina for 3 miles. 1 mile to and from, also very easy. Cemetery Loop and 7th down to 400 N. Nice morning. Headed to Arizona for a couple of days for a wedding. Back tomorrow night. 10K on Friday, Deseret Peak hike on Saturday.

Arrived home from Arizona.  Didn't run in 111 degree temperatures.  Good thing.  Went for 9:00 p.m. run with Gina for 2.75.  Very warm evening, but an enjoyable run still.  A few runners and walkers out late tonight.  Rest tomorrow.  10K on Saturday with Gina.

Resting today prior to 10K tomorrow morning and Deseret Peak hike on Saturday.  Maybe I'll walk the dog..........when it cools down..........if she's good..............we'll see.  Went to pick up our race numbers at noon.  Ugly black shirts.  Doesn't anybody do white anymore now that we're going with tech fabric?

Deseret News 10k this morning.  1:01:58 with Gina and Matt2.  Gina did great!  I'm really pleased.  I know she wanted to get under 1 hour, but I still think she did very well.  Nearly the same pace as her 5k on July 4th.  Splits: 9:26, 9:26, 10:05, 9:58, 9:45, 10:37.  Clock time will be in the 1:04 or 1:05 range and will be posted that way by the Deseret News, which is lame.  Nobody manning the first waterstop.  What a joke this race is!  They definitely need to get their act together.  I have had some kind of issue every year with this event.  Short course, one year, on a "certified" course.  Late starts, etc.  Lousy aid stations.  They need to learn from some of the better races, in my opinion.  I hope the marathon runners received better than what I saw with the 10k.  Why I continue to support this race is beyond me!

Hiked Deseret Peak.  9+ mile hike turned into about 12 with the road into the upper campground being closed.  8:30 a.m. start.  4:30 p.m. finish.  Took it slow and enjoyed the day.  Took in some great views as well.  Few people along the trail.