Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

Week starting Apr 21, 2013

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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
36.60
MR10 (2) Miles: 25.10MT110 Miles: 11.50
Weight: 0.00
Total Distance
7.00

So, last week turned out to be far worse than I expected it to be. Even my easy three mile run on Friday felt forced, and I ended up not having time to run on Saturday, as I had to take two finals and then skip out of town. 

But now we're in LA for a week, so I'll be able to get back on track now. This morning I was supposed to run a 10K or a time trial. but I don't know where you find a 10K on a Monday, and a time trial didn't sound fun at all, so I decided to run a trail instead.

I went over to Deukmejian Park near my parents' home and started up the Mt. Leukins route. It's about a 12 mile round trip, but I just ran uphill for 40 minutes (about 3.5 miles, I think) before turning around and running back down.

I didn't feel great. It turns out that mid-80s temperatures feel VERY hot when you're not used to them, and I felt like I was melting the whole time I was out. Fortunately, it should be a bit cooler at Ogden.  

MR10 (2) Miles: 7.00
Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
6.60

Nothing more than easy miles this morning. I went to the Rose Bowl with Catherine and ran two laps while she and Elliott went on their own run. I'll be honest--I felt like garbage. But I'll blame that almost entirely on timing. It was later in the day than I usually run, which means I was underfueled and that it was hotter than I'm used to. Also, my legs were a bit sore from the hills yesterday. 

In the afternoon we took Elliott to the beach in Santa Monica. Among other things, we spent about an hour riding cruiser bikes on the boardwalk. Good times.  

MR10 (2) Miles: 6.60
Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
5.50

I decided again to blow off the scheduled workout and run a trail instead. Actually, it was a more of a fire road, but whatever. I drove across the small valley and ran up the Whiting Woods Motorway to the antennas up on top. It was a nice run, and I felt pretty good, except for the stupid unleashed dog that nipped at my ankles for a quarter mile or so. Also, it was super foggy, so visibility at the top was limited to a couple of hundred feet, which was cool in its own way but not as cool as the view on a clear day. 

MR10 (2) Miles: 5.50
Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Six easy miles this morning. There are very few flat places to run around here, but rather than going all the way back to the Rose Bowl I drove down to CV Park and ran laps on the mellow trails through the oaks. The trail around the park is the course my high school uses when the cross country team hosts meets or races or whatever they call them. Running there makes me wish I had run in high school. But maybe I would have burnt out long ago if I had. In any event, I had a good run today. 

MR10 (2) Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
11.50

So I departed pretty far from the training schedule today. Instead of running 23 miles on teh road with a fast finish, I ran for three hours on the trails above Draper with a friend who is running the Timp Trail Marathon in a few weeks. The beginning and the end were pretty good, and the views were incredible the whole time. But we spent the biggest chunk of time in the middle bushwhacking and searching for the trail and wading across snow fields, which explains why the average speed was a touch under 3 miles per hour. 

As far as marathon training goes, today's run was probably a 3 out of 10. But it ranked much higher on the adventure scale.

I think I'd be interested in running another 50k this year if I can find a good late-summer option.  

MT110 Miles: 11.50
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
36.60
MR10 (2) Miles: 25.10MT110 Miles: 11.50
Weight: 0.00
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