Like the canyon

Catching up a bit.  Took it pretty easy last week recovering from the race.  Got out for a short hike Tuesday, 30 minute easy spin on wednesday, 4 miles thursday, 6 friday, skiing saturday morning with the 3 year old (rough and slushy) Indian Trail Saturday afternoon. Love that trail!! Feeling pretty beat up still, energy is good but legs still a bit beat, which is fine and  to be expected.

Indian Trail on Saturday. No snow, sweet forested single track and a good amount of damage from the wild winds this winter.

Looking down Ogden Canyon at the waterfall from Indian

Got out tonight for a bit of a wild adventure up Colld Water canyon from Indian trail.  Took the loppers, saw and some pruners to do a little trail work.  Glad I did.  3000 vert, lots of off trail madness. 3 hours.

Sweet recovery.  Got out for a fresh feeling 7 toninght.  Finally had some pep in the legs which was confirmed when I ran into Pablo and we flew along at a mid to low 6 minute pace from Strong's to 22nd (ok, its mostly downhill but did include busting a gut up Taylor to the first bridge).  Kid can run, it was fun to hear him tell me about how his 50K at Antelope Island went (3rd palce overall in his second race ever). 

slow and easy hour pm the trail.

A little more trail work with Cory and the dogs.

Zion traverse with Cory and Matt.  Perfect! Great weather and the trail was 95% dry unlike last year's mud slog.  Cory's first trip ever to Zion, guess running from one end of the park to the other is a great way to see the place. Pretty much had the whole trail to ourselves, except right in the main canyon of course.  Went West to East, which feels uphill pretty much the whole way, except practically falling off a cliff at the end of the West Rim trail.  Still seems like the more aesthetic way to do it to me, though could see the other way being faster. Fast wasn't the goal for this one. Unsupported on the run, 34 hours house to house.

No pics for this one. Here's a link to last year's trip for pics and a map.

http://bryce.fastrunningblog.com/blog-05-2011.html

Spent the last 3 days getting through most of a cold that kicked in pretty hard the at mile 35ish of the Zion Traverse last Saturday.

Got out for an easy four.  Legs felt really fresh, energy was good but still a bit congested.

Wintery run up Malan's tonight.  Haven't been up there in months and it felt great to get back up the big hill.  Legs felt great on the climb.  Little BST add on. 5.5 miles, 2300 vert.

View from the top

Snowy trail, wasn't it 80 degrees yesterday?

Easy 4 around the the recovery loop. Meh.

Wicked triple sister-O-pAiN! (to borrow some Oreo lingo.)   Started with an Indian Trail over and back.  Felt great! Ran into the the Hyperphil/Cory/Matt/Goat train going the other way and was nearly persuaded to follow the Goat on his quest for the triple sister.  Choose to stick to my solo run to avoid having to chase that Mtn Beast all day. 

Felt great coming back outa the long climb from Ogden Canyon.  Trail is in great shape except for the weird fallen tree carnage all over the place.  In ten years I have not seen so many trees down across and near the trail. Not just winter fall either, they keep happening.  Almost everytime I run up there a new tree has bit the bullet. Crazy. 

Even crazier is the rock fall.  Two huge boulders sitting right on the trail wedged into trees. With in the last three days a boulder the size of a truck cut loose above the trail, leaving giant exploded pine trees and a huge rock completely blocking a large section of the route!  Maybe the indian spirits are pissed at the graffiti morons that seem to hit something up there a couple of times every summer.   

Anyway, back over Indian, across on the BST and up Malan's.  Felt great until I hit the snow covered trail, which zapped me completly.  Kept something resembling a run going all the way up though I was seeing a few stars by the top.  Goat and I exchanged a hand slap as he was runnig down and I was shuffling up. Spent a few seconds doubled over with hands on knees at the fogged in peak and then pushed the pace hard on the way back down. 

15.5 miles, 5000 vert.  Kept a run going all the way through. Legs are now Jello-sauce. Still amazes me that this is 30 seconds from my door and I was never more than 5 miles form home.  Very thankful to have world class trails so close.

9 miles at a good clip.  Lots of bikes and typical warm weather BST strange follk out tonight (kids with big knives and swords, a guy dressed in black ninja clothes, and dude in a long black trench coat and cowboy boots walking 8 dauchshunds, just normal things you see on a 9 mile trail run)  Felt sluggish...Gotta eat better on Sundays. Meh. 

9 miles, 1100 vert, moderate pace.

Incredible video from the Buffalo Run put together by my buddy Les:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUxjAOSNVzY&feature=youtu.be

More trail work with Cory and the dogs.  Almost there....

BST to the BFL to the IT over to OC back on the IT to the BST. Three complete biker/hiker/runner/dog gridlock stops on the mile of BST between IT and Taylor.....Waaaayyy too many people on one trail. Had IT all to myself for the most part....nice, love that trail.

12 miles 2800 vert. easy to moderate with a pick up at the end.

Easy 4 on the recovery loop. 

15 miles out and back on the BST north.  With the warm weather setting in, may be the last run out there until the fall/winter trail runner gathering that always seems to take place along that section of trail. 

Pretty much alone through the whole run, not even any bikes now that the easier trails are clear. 

Stange encounters continue however.  Came around a corner on the way back and found myself staring at the wrong end of a big black assault rifle.  I was no more than 100 ft from the barrel of a gun pointed pretty much right at me! Idiot was target shooting into the hillside right below the trail! Guy had it on his shoulder, looking down the site, ready to pull the trigger. I dont even think he saw me until I started yelling Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!  Most likely wouldn't have hit me if he shot, but having a large caliber gun go off in my direction and at a target 30ft below where I was standing wasn't what I wanted to be a part of my morning run!  He dropped the gun down to his hip and kinda chuckled a sorry....and asked if there was anyone else up there?!   When I said no, he waited for to run by and proceeded to unload 15-20 rounds!

15 miles, 2300 vert or so, felt really sluggish toward the end.....damn allergies!

8 miles on the home loops. Hot. Legs tired...thinking about it on the run I put it together. Guess I went on a little vert bender without realizing it. I ran Malan's three times, and a full out and back on Indian Trail  two times in seven days...not consecutive, and broken up between "weeks" so it didn't really register that I had done so much vert, mix in the trail work and some other running and it adds up to a cooked trail runner..... 

http://vimeo.com/34674950

Great short little video that describes alot of the reasons I love running. Thanks CodyB

Malan's up and back.  Dry, pretty much snow free trail.  Been a while, almost forgot what it looks like up there without a cover of snow.  Got out pretty late and had the trail and peak to nyself, first time for tha tin a while too.

4.5 miles 2200 vert.

Busy night.  Took my oldest climbing to the local grid bolted crag. Had a great time. He did really well for his first time on rock....kinda hard to find the holds when they aren't bolted to the wall :). 

My buddy Anthony showed up with his wife to climb with a scout group.  Cool to talk with him about his new V14 and the V15 project he working on.  Unbelievable how strong he become....I still remember when he was a goofy highschool kid that used to hang out with us at the climbing gym. 

I even led a sewed up little 5.9.  Its been years since I have even tied into a rope and probably 12 years since I clipped a draw...felt sketchy and nervous but fun! Crazy! I used to do this every single day!

Came home, changed clothes and headed out for an easy 5 on the daily right before dark.

Short home loop.

Indian Trail over and back.  Got out late, not a soul to be seen.  dragged out anouther or mile or so running on the boulderfield loops waiting for the sun to drop out of the clouds at the horizion and was rewarded with some sweet alpenglow to finish off the run. 

Repeat of Friday's run.  Wanted more but was all I had time for as I had promised to take my 4 year old up waterfall canyon.  He has been obessed with this hike since we did it a year ago and couldn't go to sleep last night he was so excited to go. Gotta love it. 

AM - Indian over and back with a little add on.  Picked up last two miles

PM - 3 miles or so up the waterfall.  Carried a pack and anded up filling it with rocks I guess it should count for something.

Fantastic little late evening cruise around the lower/mid/upper BST/ Mt Ogden trails.  Did a little exploring down Strong's and south of the golf course...crazy as many miles as I put in up there I've never run those lower trails.

Picked it up coming back on the BST and felt great unitl I caught my toe square on a rock and took a nice full frontal digger.  It is in that moment, when flying hands and feet sprawled, face first at the trail, that curse words rarely uttered are extruded from the darkest corners of my mind. 

1:20, 1100 vert or I'd guess.