Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

December 22, 2024

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Location:

Provo,UT,

Member Since:

Apr 07, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K - 17:11 (Cougar Run)

10K - 34:35 (Deseret News)

15K - 57:33 (Utah Running Club)

1/2 - 1:22:26 (Mountain View Trail)

50K - 4:22:31 (Sapper Joe)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Sub-2:45 at Saint George Marathon

Win the Antelope Island half marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

I'd like to run the Angeles Crest 100 at some point. And I'd still like to go sub-4 at a trail 50k. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912

Personal:

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<iframe height='454' width='300' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912/latest-rides/184689bbf831149f2053e60709730c07651232d3'></iframe>

I was a competitive cyclist for years. In 2009, after racing in the Tour of Utah, I decided I had plateaued as a cyclist--I could continue to improve, but I wouldn't break through to a new level. So, I started looking for a new challenge.


I thought that challenge would be mountain biking, but I'm a terrible bike handler. I married Catherine in January 2010 and a couple of weeks later I entered the SLTC Winter Training Series with her. A couple of weeks after that I decided I'd like to run ultras, so I signed up for a couple of 50Ks to get started.

Those first races came and went, with varying results. I was looking forward to running more and possibly pushing into the longer distances, but I injured my knee in June 2010 and I've never been consistently healthy since.

I started law school in August 2010, which meant less time for training. In June 2011, Baby Elliott was born, which meant even less time for training. But she's worth it. 

Baby Nora joined us in October 2013, with the same effect on training as Elliott (who, incidentally, is no longer a baby). 

I (finally) finished school in April 2014 and now I'm an evil corporate lawyer in Salt Lake. I have no illusions that I'll ever get back into the shape that I once was, but I'm perfectly at peace with that. I still have many goals to accomplish and many years in which to do it. 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Total Distance
17.40

I wound up with a longer run than expected this morning.

After yesterday's run, I was feeling good about the possibilities around here. I almost went out to run the same course this morning, but I decided I owed it to myself to explore some new routes. I had just about decided to run from South Fork to Windy Ridge, but then I decided to try a point to point from Vivian Park to Provo. Catherine dropped me off at the park, and my plan was to follow the Squaw 50 course to Rock Canyon Campground, from where I'd descend to the mouth of Rock Canyon and then follow the roads to Gold's Gym, hopefully just in time to meet Catherine as she finished her run. Based on the Squaw 50 course description, I was planning on 11-12 miles tops (although in retrospect, my calculations may have been wrong from the start).


Naturally, I got lost, and I got lost soon. I'm not sure where I went wrong, but it must have been somewhere between miles 2 and 3. From the BST I was supposed to begin climbing a series of trails that would criss-cross the Squaw Peak road and pass through Hope Campground on the way to the Squaw Peak summit. Instead, I ran the BST all the way around the front of the mountain before running up the downhill MTB runs to the lookout and then following the dirt road to Rock Canyon Campground. I ended up reaching Hope somewhere between 7.5 and 8 miles (instead of 5.5 on course) and Rock Canyon at a little over 13 (instead of 10.8 on course). Plus, I missed a lot of singletrack, because once I was off course I didn't want to risk getting lost.

By the time I reached the mouth of Rock Canyon, I was pretty beat. Fortunately, my sister's house was less than a mile away (and almost entirely downhill), so I went there and called Catherine for a bailout. She picked me up and we went to J Dawgs. Sweet.

My Garmin ended up with 17.4 miles in 2:27:32. I accidentally stopped my Garmin for a bit when I first picked up the BST, but I don't think I missed any more than half a mile, if even that.

It's amazing how big and beautiful the mountains behind Provo are, and I plan to spend more time back there. I'd like to get to know the entire Squaw 50 course, but after today I think I may need to find someone who's run it before to guide me.


Brooks Cascadia 4 Miles: 17.40
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Aaron Kennard on Sat, Sep 25, 2010 at 21:11:36 from 24.8.144.22

You are going to get a reputation for getting lost if you keep that up! Cool run.

From catherine on Sat, Sep 25, 2010 at 23:26:14 from 69.169.157.242

I think he already has one.

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