Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

Grandeur Peak Fun Run

Previous WeekRecent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesFaceless Ghost's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageMonth ViewYear View
Graph View
Next Week
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2010201120122013201420152016
15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

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:

<iframe height='160' width='300' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912/activity-summary/184689bbf831149f2053e60709730c07651232d3'></iframe>

<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. 

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Total Distance
78.70
Brooks Cascadia 4 Miles: 21.50New Balance MT100 Miles: 21.75Brooks Launch Miles: 26.45Nike Lunarlite Racer Miles: 8.00Barefoot Miles: 1.00
Weight: 164.27
Total Distance
0.00

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

Weight: 165.20
Add Comment
Total Distance
22.75

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.)


Brooks Cascadia 4 Miles: 11.00New Balance MT100 Miles: 11.75
Weight: 165.60
Comments(3)
Total Distance
7.25

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.

Brooks Launch Miles: 7.25
Weight: 163.40
Add Comment
Total Distance
10.10

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

PM: 30 minutes on the treadmill with Catherine.

Nike Lunarlite Racer Miles: 4.00Brooks Launch Miles: 6.10
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
13.10

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

Brooks Launch Miles: 13.10
Weight: 163.20
Comments(1)
Total Distance
5.00

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

Nike Lunarlite Racer Miles: 4.00Barefoot Miles: 1.00
Weight: 163.20
Add Comment
Race: Grandeur Peak Fun Run (10 Miles) 01:54:15, Place overall: 5
Total Distance
20.50

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

Brooks Cascadia 4 Miles: 10.50New Balance MT100 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 165.00
Comments(4)
Total Distance
78.70
Brooks Cascadia 4 Miles: 21.50New Balance MT100 Miles: 21.75Brooks Launch Miles: 26.45Nike Lunarlite Racer Miles: 8.00Barefoot Miles: 1.00
Weight: 164.27
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Recent Comments: