Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

I ran on the treadmill today for two reasons, none of them being the weather. First, Catherine is still recovering from her surgery, and even though her sister stayed with her while I was out running, I didn't want to be too far away if anything happened. Second, after a relatively bad run yesterday morning and minimal sleep last night, I didn't want to run out of gas halfway through my run and find myself 7 or 8 miles from home with no bailout option.

I basically ran back-to-back 1-hour workouts. For the first, I ran at a steady 8 minutes per mile, throwing in two 15 minute sets on a 5 percent grade. For the second workout, I started mellow and slowly cranked up the pace before bringing it back to where I started. I'd call it a progression run, but the pace stayed mellow enough that it probably qualifies more as LSD.

Anyways, this week was pretty good. I increased my mileage for the third time in a row, and I hope to increase it again next week.

Rest day today. I feel surprisingly well, despite two longer runs in the last two days. I hope that means the coming week will be a good one.

AM: I felt pretty good, but not great this morning. I ran the Conference Center-Beck Street-Memory Grove route I ran last week, with one small variation that added a little more than a quarter mile.

Average pace - 7:41/mile

Total vertical - 600 feet

PM: I planned to do a double tomorrow, not today, but the weather was so nice this evening that I couldn't resist a lap on the BST. City Creek to Dry Whatever. My head and my stomach felt a little off, but my legs felt pretty good and I finished the loop much faster than ever before.

Average pace - 7:48/mile

Total vertical - 1900 feet

I had another solid trail run after work this evening. I ran up through Memory Grove and on to the Ensign Peak trailhead. After tagging the peak I continued on to the ridge above City Creek Canyon. I descended to the canyon, ran another lap up to the ridge, and ran back down to the canyon and on to Memory Grove Park, where I met up with Catherine and Tigger. Lots of short, steep hills, so I guess today's run counts as an informal interval workout. 

Average pace - 7:55/mile

Total vertical - 2200 feet

AM: I felt a little sluggish this morning, but I still went out for an easy run on my Beck Street loop. I hope the legs are ready for more trails and hills tomorrow.

Average pace - 7:47/mile

Total vertical - 600 feet

PM: Catherine and I went to the gym together after work and I jogged barefoot for 15 minutes on the treadmill while she did her workout.

AM: Another run on the BST, this time east to west (Dry Whatever to City Creek). I had to stop and sit for a while at the halfway point, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, that meant sacrificing my gloves for the cause, which was unfortunate because I've had them for so long. And my hands froze afterward.

Average pace - 7:58/mile

Total vertical - 1900 feet

PM: Six easy miles at the gym with Catherine. I'm feeling very tired right now. It's a good thing tomorrow is an easy day.

Recovery jog on the track at East High.

I was planning to run the Grandeur Peak loop with some friends this afternoon, but it turns out that my little sister graduated with her master's degree this week, so my parents are in town, which makes my weekend more hectic than I expected.

So, I went out early this morning and ran my BST-City Creek-Ensign Peak loop. I've run the loop three times before today, twice east to west and once west to east. The first time I was destroyed by the time I hit the climb out of City Creek. The second two times I was dealing with stomach issues almost from the start. Today, I ran strong for the entire loop, with no hiking and no unscheduled stops.

Average pace - 8:03 min/mile

Total vertical - 3200 feet

PM: Went out for a short run with Catherine. I felt tired, but not bad.

Rest day. Legs are a little sore, but not bad.

AM: I was not happy to hear rain when I woke up this morning, but my run didn't turn out nearly as wet and miserable as I expected. It was actually quite nice.

I set out planning to run through Memory Grove before doing two laps up the west side of City Creek, but it started pouring as I neared the mouth of City Creek Canyon, so I changed my plans and decided to run up the canyon to the power plant. But the rain let up as I reached the canyon, so I changed my plans again and took the BST over to Dry Whatever. 

Average pace - 8:00/mile

Total vertical - 1800 feet

PM: I felt tired all day at work, and I don't think I ate enough throughout the day, so I was sure this evening's run (BST, east to west) would be a disaster, but it turned out to be fantastic.

Except for the stupid rain. I was insulted this morning when the rain finally stopped right at the end of my run, but it was even worse this evening when it started up again right before my run. And it stopped again right as I finished. If that's not proof that the weather gods are out to get me, I don't know what is. Seriously, yo.

Anyways, I got wetter and the trails got sloppier as my run progressed, but other than a few pitches on the final descent that were so slick I descended them more slowly than I climbed them this morning, the conditions weren't a problem at all.

Also, I almost ran into a porcupine. It was awesome, because I didn't even realize there were porcupines in the area. In fact, I don't know if I've ever seen one before, except maybe in a zoo when I was little.

Average pace - 7:44/mile

Total vertical - 1800 feet (or something. I have no idea what to make of the Garmin's inconsistency, so after tonight I'm done posting vertical.)

After running in the rain all day yesterday, I wasn't up for any more today, so I just got in some easy treadmill miles in the evening.

AM: Easy run at Liberty Park. There and back, plus two laps on the cinder track.

PM: 30 minutes on the treadmill with Catherine.

I assumed that all of the rain in the past few days would have turned the trails to pudding, so I skipped the BST for a longish, steady road run this morning. Basically, I ran a loop around the Avenues and through Memory Grove, with an out and back to the water station up City Creek Canyon. Plenty of gradual climbs and descents, and almost no flats. As I returned home I saw that my run was going to hit 13 miles, so I ran part way around the block to make it a half marathon.

1:34:36

Easy run on the track, with a few pickups to loosen the legs.

Well, that was something different.

The Grandeur Peak Fun Run is a low-key, free race that I found out about from the Samurai, a cycling friend of mine who is a skimo racer recently turned trail runner.The real challenge in this race is the vertical: about 4,000 feet. That's a lot for a ten mile race, but it's even more when you consider that all of the climbing happens over less than three miles. I believe that makes the average grade on the climbs something like 25 percent.

From the trailhead, the course climbs about 3200 feet in the first two miles (18:23. 26:19) and change. From there, it's a couple of miles of technical singletrack descent into Millcreek Canyon, followed by a couple of miles of flat, easy singletrack on the Pipeline trail. Then things get nasty again. The course leaves the pipeline trail and climbs sharply up what seems like an old game trail--narrow, muddy, and brutally steep--followed by an equally steep narrow and slick descent. At 6'4", I spent a lot of time ducking here. After the descent, it was a relatively mild mile or two of rolling, mildly technical trail back to the start.

Now that I've described the course, here's how the race went. I jumped into the lead group right from the start. After a brief, steep and runable intro, we hit the real climb, and there wasn't much more running for a while. I could tell I was in a bit of trouble, because I don't really do any hiking, and my achilles tendons were killing me on the steep grade. I did what I could, and the lead group began to take shape. I wound up in fourth place, a little behind one runner and a lot behind the two leaders.

Coming off the top, I somehow missed a turn and went plunging down a rockslide path. After descending for a minute or two, I realized something was wrong. I stopped, waited, and eventually saw the runner who had been behind me running down a ridge in the distance. I turned around, scrambled back up to the trail on all fours, and set about making up for lost time.

On the descent in to the canyon I caught three of the (I think) four runners who had passed me while I was on my little adventure, including the Samurai. I put some time into all of them on the descent, and I continued to do so on the Pipeline trail. I felt a little dead on the flat trail--not bonked, or fatigued, but off a little. Even so, what felt like a conservative pace was in the mid to high 6s per mile, so I guess it wasn't too bad.

I blew up a little on the next climb. It was slippery and steep and I was tired, and the runner behind me was making up ground quickly. But he stopped gaining on me once he was within 20 feet, so he must have hit a wall, too.

I hated the next descent. It was too tight and steep to run fast, and with all the low branches I was afraid of losing my head. Plus, I had some rocks in my shoes that were rubbing my feet raw. But I survived, and from there all I had to do was cruise for the last mile or two.

I think I wound up in 5th, and I'll confirm that when the results were posted. It was a good day, but my pride requires me to point out that I lost at least 5 minutes by running off course, and I think I could have held on to 4th and maybe even moved in to 3rd if I hadn't. Oh well, it's my fault. And besides, I'm now 0 for 2 when it comes to staying on course in trail races, so I should probably get used to it.

Catherine was at the finish with Tigger, and I was glad to see her. We hung out in the park for a bit, met some other runners, and then ate the breakfast provided. Not a bad morning at all.

PM: After having lunch with Catherine and then going to the temple, I decided to do another trail run. I was pretty beat from the race in the morning, but I thought adding some more miles while fatigued would be a good way to prepare for the longer races. I ran the BST, east to west, taking it pretty easy. I bonked near the end, and the return trip on the road was pretty miserable, but overall I think it was a good run.

1:26:55

Rest day. I don't feel too tired after yesterday's run, but my legs are destroyed. They're almost as sore as they were after the Buffalo Run 50K.

AM: Easy run at Liberty Park (6.1 miles). My legs are still extremely sore from Saturday.

PM: More easy miles at Liberty Park (5.3 miles). Still sore, but I got to run the last couple of miles with Catherine and Tigger.

AM: Still sore, still taking it easy. Easy run to and from Liberty Park, plus two laps on the cinder track. Six miles in 47:41.

PM: Short run on the treadmill. Four miles in 29:00. Varied pace, but it was mostly an easy effort.

AM: To and from Liberty Park, plus three laps. 7.5 miles in 57:00. I was hoping for one more hard week, but with Sapper Joe less than two weeks away I don't want to do anything to set myself back. Since I'm too sore to do hard workouts right now, I'm trying to make up for it with consistency. I hope to be ready for some hills tomorrow. 

PM: I ran up through Memory Grove and back down through the Avenues so I could stop at Smith's on my way home. 3.5 miles in 27:19. Afterward, Catherine and I ran the loop together in 34:00.

Catherine had to go to Saratoga Springs to conduct a focus group this evening, so I decided to go with her and run the Lott Canyon run from Crockett's blog. And naturally I got lost at the first opportunity. After bushwacking up the wrong canyon for a mile or so, I finally conceded that the trail I was on was not actually a trail. Once I admitted I had a problem, I was able to turn around and (quite easily) find the road I was looking for. Even with my detour, which added about 1.4 miles to the run, I hit the top in 44:19 (4.9 miles).

Without any more detours the descent went quickly. Unfortunately, I got lost again looking for the church I was supposed to meet Catherine at (Google Maps' fault this time, although I made things worse by not staying put). Fortunately, Catherine found me eventually.

Anyways, here's Crockett's route:

And here's my version, with scenic detours:

Just over 12 miles and just under 1900 feet in 1:37:58.

I went for a run on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail after work this evening. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go when I started, but since I was feeling pretty beat I decided early in the run that I wouldn't be going long. The rain and hail that came later reinforced that.

I ran from Dry Whatever to City Creek, with a brief detour on the Black Mountain trail. (It was my first time on the trail, and in the next week or two I plan to hit the summit.) Anyways, I'm pretty tired right now. I'm looking forward to taking it easy next week.

1:42:xx

Catherine and I thought it would be fun to race today, so we looked up a few options online and decided to run the Utah Running Club 15K for three reasons: 1) we needed to go to Provo anyway, 2) 15K was about exactly what Catherine wanted to run today, and 3) the price (5 bucks) was right.

Unfortunately, it was just a tiny little event and I felt like a sandbagger. There were probably just a few more than 10 runners, and I'm not sure how many of those were even running the 15K (there were also 5K and 10K options). Oh well.

I was the first guy across the line and Catherine the first girl, and we both PRed. I didn't feel great, but I'm happy with my effort. I've been running a lot (for me) for the last few weeks, so it was encouraging to be able to run reasonably fast with tired legs. And this course was harder than the last 15K I ran, so I think it's a solid indicator that I've improved since then.

Still, I was a little uncomfortable at speed, so I think I need to spend a little more training time running fast instead of running up hills.

Rest day. This was the last week of any real training before the Sapper Joe 50K. All I have to do now is keep things together for a week.

AM: My plan was to run the BST this morning, but I knew that wouldn't happen when it started raining last night. I thought I'd run up City Creek Canyon instead, but it was raining so hard this morning that I decided that would be a bad idea, too. So, I set out on my Beck Street loop. But by the time I reached Capitol Hill the rain had turned to snow and I, underdressed for the weather, was so cold that I had to cut my run short. Instead of running home through Memory Grove, I headed straight down past Temple Square and then home. 

39:34

PM: I decided I may as well keep running doubles, even if I am tapering. Catherine came up with a good three-mile loop today. Up through the cemetery, down 11th Avenue and home. It's close and quiet, and there's a nice hill in the middle, so I decided to run it after work.

21:57

AM: I needed to get to work early today so I can leave early, so I went out for a quick lap of the cemetery loop this morning.

21:45

PM: Catherine and I ran to the track at West High together. I ran two 1-mile repeats with a lap between them. I tried to run quickly but not all out, but my first mile wound up being 5:25. That seemed too fast for what I want to be doing, so I slowed down for the second mile and wound up with 5:33, which still seemed too fast.

Interestingly, last time I ran a timed mile was on the volleyball team during my senior year of high school (2000). I ran 5:31, and to do it I turned myself inside out following (and out sprinting) Cameron, who had just finished cross country. (I know now that he must not have been that good at XC). Anyways, I guess that makes today's first mile my fastest ever.

43:35

AM: Short, easy jog through the avenues.

16:30

PM: Catherine had to go to Saratoga Springs again, so I went with her and took another crack at Lott Canyon. I didn't run back to the church she was at, so it was a shorter run, and I didn't get lost, so it was a better run. 32:35 up, 22:26 down.

55:02

AM: Very easy 2-mile jog through the Avenues, with a grocery stop on the way home.

16:38

PM: Easy run up 3rd Avenue to Virginia and than back home on 2nd Avenue.

18:55

Last run before the Sapper Joe 50K. Very easy, with a few strides.

26:03

Going into the race I wanted to break 4:30, which I expected would give me an overall win and a course record. I did, and it did. I'll have a full report up by tomorrow. For now, here's a picture of Catherine, Tigger and me with a tank and what may be my favorite trophy ever (I'm talking about the helmet, in case that's not clear). 

Now for the full story:

The race started at six in the morning, so Catherine and I were up just a little before four. Pre-race nutrition has been a source of problems for me as a runner, so I decided to do what I had done (seemingly successfully) before the Red Mountain 30K. Specifically, I ate a ton on Friday, capping it all of with a huge dinner, and limited myself to a banana and a couple of cans of soda before the race. I think that worked out for me.

We arrived at Camp Williams around 5:30, which gave us plenty of time to get our shoes on and use the bathroom. While we were hanging around, I met Jun (who I believe was the first person to comment on this blog). That's one of the best things about the Fast Running blogs--every time we go to a race, we get to meet in person people we already know from online.

Just before six we headed out to the start. I was jittery, as I always am before a race. In fact, I was more nervous than usual, because I had actually prepared properly for this race, and I was going into it with the expectation of winning. At the start line, I had a hard time not looking around and assuming that everyone there was faster than me.

Catherine and I lined up right at the front, next to Jun and Scott W., and a minute later the cannon fired and we were off.

I immediately settled in with a front group of three other runners. As we started the first climb, I found out that I was the only 50K runner in the group. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing, because it meant I was in the lead, or a bad thing, because it meant I was going out way too hard with more than 30 miles left.

As we approached the first brutally steep pitch, two of the runners with me started hiking. That seemed like a good idea, so I did the same, although I had left them behind by the top of the pitch. The other guy continued running and grabbed the 50 dollar bonus at the top, but he slowed down significantly after that, and by the first summit of the day (at about 4 miles), I was all alone in the lead.

The descent off the backside was a pain--so steep and rocky that I may have been descending more slowly than I had climbed. I've learned that my New Balance 100s generally do a poor job of keeping debris out on steep, gravelly descents, and today was no exception. At the bottom of the descent I stopped to shake a few rocks out of my left shoe, and while I was doing that a different 30K runner, who I hadn't seen before, passed me.

I put my shoe back on and continued along, about 200 feet behind the 30K runner, until all of a sudden he reached a clearing and turned around back toward me. Since I've gotten lost in every trail race I've done, I assumed we had made a wrong turn, but it turned out that the clearing (which was also the location of the first aid station) was simply a turnaround point for the 30K course. I continued straight ahead without stopping, and from that point on I was alone until the 50K course rejoined the 30K nearly 20 miles later.

(I'd like to point out that this was the most well-marked race I've ever run, and getting lost wasn't really an option. Every turn was marked with arrows on the ground and at least one sign, and there were ribbons marking the course every 100-200 feet for the entire 31+ miles.)

The next ten miles or so between the first and third aid stations were my favorite. Everything was cool and quiet as I wound through the valley and over the hills, surrounded my some impressive mountains I'd never seen before. I remember thinking that I should run there more often, but every mile or so I was reminded that that would be a bad idea as I passed another target range, artillery range, mortar range, or machine gun range. Clearly, the National Guard enjoys blowing stuff up.

Twice during this section I saw a runner in a white shirt on the switchbacks below me, but I could never tell whether he was right on my tail or 20 minutes back.

By the time I hit the third aid station, around 19 miles, my legs were starting to fade. Leaving the aid station, I hiked the short, steep climb to another summit and than suffered through a steep, rocky and punishing descent, all the while questioning my decision to wear such a light shoe on a run like this. At the bottom, the course turned uphill again for the final climb of the day. I knew that if I could survive the next 4-5 miles, the only think that stood between me and the finish was a long descent.

I climbed slowly but steadily, hiking several of the steeper sections but mostly running. Somewhere along the way I met back up with the 30K course and I enjoyed having a steady stream of runners to pick off and pass one by one. It blew my mind to think that they were 12 miles behind me.

I stumbled past the last aid station stopping only long enough to grab a few Endurolytes, and then it was on to the final descent to the finish. I had been out more than three hours by then, and since I still haven't done any training runs much longer than 2 hours, my legs were feeling destroyed. I wanted nothing more than to stop, but I knew there was another runner somewhere behind me, so I kept plodding along, looking over my shoulder every 30 seconds or so.

Eventually I reached the tunnel that took me under the highway and back to the base, and it wasn't until then that I realized that I was absolutely going to win the race. I crossed the line with a little more than 4:22:30 showing on my Garmin, nearly 20 minutes faster than last year's winner and course-record holder (this was only the race's second year).

Catherine was waiting at the finish, having had a good run in the 15K, and I was just happy to see her. We sat in the grass for a while and watched other runners come in, including the next 50K runner about 10 minutes later. Then we ate, picked up the award and headed home.

It was a great race. I'm sore today, but nothing like what I felt after the Buffalo Run. I'll probably be back next year to see if I can beat my time, but for now I'm looking forward to the next race. I've put my name on the wait list for the Logan Peak race, bit in case that doesn't work out, does anyone know of any other good races in the 50K range coming up in the next month or so?

Recovery day. I feel better in most ways than I did after the Buffalo Run, but worse in a couple. Specifically, my ankles and feet are quite sore. I think that's largely because of all the uneven and rocky footing at Sapper Joe, but my choice of footwear probably contributed, and I'm still questioning my decision to wear the New Balance 100s. On the one hand, they're very comfortable and nearly six ounces per shoe lighter than my Cascadias. The trade off, of course, is that they offer very little protection, and by the end I could feel it. The guy behind me, in contrast, was wearing those ridiculous-looking Hoka OneOne shoes, and I certainly would have welcomed the extra 40 mm of cushion on the final descent.

I went our for an easy run on the cemetery loop with Catherine this morning. I wore my Cascadias, even though we were on the road, because they have more support than any of my shoes. My ankles are still stiff and my right foot still hurts, but I think I'll be fine. Catherine and I are going to St. George after work on Wednesday, and I don't think I'll do any real training until we get there.

27:55