Same Time, Same Channel

Easy run.

6:05 am, 20°F, 57% humidity, wind 7 SSE.

I didn't get out as early as I intended because I was up too late last night. I ran the County Line Road loop. Douglas County does a better job of clearing sidewalks than Arapahoe County does.

I skipped the hill sprints this morning to save time. I've got to get on the road to Utah.

AP: 9:26. Splits: 10:14, 9:21, 9:20, 9:43, 9:40, 9:09, 9:10, 8:55.

Very hilly easy run.

7:42 am, 17°F, 74% humidity, wind 5 S.

This run was mostly on SR 248 starting in Wasatch County and crossing into Summit County. The upside of this is that I was above the smog and the muck that is blanketing the Wasatch Front. The other upside of this is that this section of road has monster hills. From the start to 0.5 was a very steep downhill. This was from my sister's house, out of the neighborhood, to SR 248. Then it was uphill until about 2.25, and then down hill until 3.5 where I turned around, and then the whole thing in reverse. That last half mile from the main road up to my sister's house was a killer.

I ran from my sister's house to the place where the rail trail crosses SR 248 so that I could check out the condition of the trail. It is covered in snow, of course. I might give the rail trail a try in my yaktrax later this week.

AP: 9:12. Splits: 9:32, 9:46, 8:43, 8:58, 9:13, 8:46, 9:25.

Up and down a big hill mountain.

6:08 am, 19°F, 95% humidity, wind 10 SSE, light snow.

I strapped on the yaktax this morning and went out in the dark. I think there's actually less snow accumulation up here so far than in the valley. The roads are relatively clear here, but there was a thin layer of snow on the shoulder of the road, where I ran.

I went out of the neighborhood a different way than I did yesterday and ran the other way on SR 248. I didn't know what I was getting into because I've never even driven that way on that road. I had downhill for a half mile getting out of the neighborhood, and then it was uphill until I turned around at the 3 mile mark. I think I was maybe 50 yards from the summit at that point, but I didn't feel like finding out for sure.

I was going against traffic on my way out, but with traffic on the way back because I was disinclined to cross the highway. I had my headlamp and reflective vest, but several cars slowed and flashed their brights as they went past me trying to see what I was. I got sprayed by a snow plow once on my way back.

For your viewing pleasure, here's the elevation profile from today's run.

Easy run.

9:42 am, 22 to 29°, 72% humidity, no significant wind.

I was in Orem this morning and so I ran around the flat part of Orem. I started out on 8th South and ran east to 8th East, and then zig-zagged between 8th East and State Street going east on 8th South, west on Center Street, east on 4th North, west on 8th North, and then east on 12th North. Coming back, I went west on 8th North, but then headed straight down State Street back to 8th South.

AP: 9:10. Splits: 9:46, 9:48, 9:24, 9:31, 9:29, 8:57, 9:10, 9:24, 8:54, 8:43, 8:35, 8:40, and 0.33 @ 7:55.

I ran mostly on the sidewalks because the shoulders of the road were too snow covered. A lot of the sidewalks had been shoveled and had no more than a thin layer of snow, but some had several inches of snow that I had to trudge through. I probably would have done better if I had worn my yaktrax, but oh well. It was fairly icy when I started the run but quite melty by the end of my run and I stepped in a big puddle when I had about a mile to go. That was unpleasant. I had to hurry a bit at the end because I had to get back and get showered so we could go out to lunch for my son's birthday. I am now the mother of an adult. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Tomorrow I'll be back in the mountains and then it's back to Denver on Saturday.

I'm going to call this my long run for the week. I'll do a short run in the mountains tomorrow and I might or might not get a short run in on Saturday morning before we hit the roads.

Happy New Year everyone!

Confession is good for the soul. I was too lazy and/or too intimidated by the cold and the hills to get out and run in the mountains yesterday and today.

In other news, I am back home in Colorado. The weather was tolerable to good for the drive home.