Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

Week starting Oct 02, 2011

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
7.20
Singlespeed Chain Miles: 21.90New Balance RX507 Miles: 6.20Mizuno Ronin Miles: 1.00Road Chain Miles: 20.00
Weight: 164.70
Total Distance
0.00

I got my mountain bike back today, so I decided to go for a quick ride on the Dry Canyon Loop. I wanted to see how my time measures up. Not great, it turns out--51:xx isn't slow, but it's not even remotely fast. Of course, I could easily gain a few minutes by 1) not getting lost, and 2) not starting with an empty bottle and stopping on course to fill it. And  I could save even more time by not sucking on the descents. But I do suck, so there's no reason to worry about that. For now I'll just worry about getting those first few minutes back.

Also, I almost ran over two guys wearing camo and carrying guns on Trail 51. I saw another similarly equipped guy at the bottom of the Pipe. It makes me nervous to think that there are hunters up there. Even if I am usually wearing bright colors.

Singlespeed Chain Miles: 7.40
Weight: 166.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
3.00

Another day, another three miles. I miss long workouts and high miles. On the other hand, my knee doesn't hurt, and I'm feeling comfortable at a relatively high pace. I think I really will be okay by the time I can get back to real training. 

New Balance RX507 Miles: 3.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Total Distance
0.00

My brother and I went up American Fork Canyon early this morning and rode the Tibble Fork loop. About 10.5 miles and 2300 feet of climbing. Despite some hike-a-bike on the climb, the route was great. Conditions, however, not so much. Because of the recent rain, parts of the trail looked a lot like something I'd expect to see in Elliott's diaper--very slippery. At one point, my tires collected so much mud that both wheels jammed against the frame or fork and stopped rolling. 

Singlespeed Chain Miles: 10.50
Weight: 164.80
Add Comment
Total Distance
3.20

It got cold and wet overnight, so instead of running outdoors I decided to go the gym for a treadmill workout. For the first 30 minutes I held a steady 15:00 pace on the 15 percent grade, with a one-minute interval at 10:00 every ten minutes. I finished with ten minutes on the flat, super, super easy at 10:00, but I threw in a 5:00 pace for the last minute. One minute at that speed isn't any trouble aerobically, but my legs are not used to that kind of turnover. For the entire 60 seconds I was wondering if I was going to fly off the back of the treadmill in front of the entire gym crowd. 

New Balance RX507 Miles: 3.20
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
1.00

Just one, just to say I did.

I've been sick all day, so I wasn't going to run at all. But by midnight I was feeling well enough to give it a go for consistency's sake, so I headed out for an easy mile around the neighborhood. It's cold and wet out there. 

Mizuno Ronin Miles: 1.00
Weight: 163.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
0.00

I had a chance to get out for about 90 minutes after Catherine's run this afternoon. I had to decided between mountain biking, running outdoors, or the treadmill. I chose mountain biking, and what a poor, poor decision that was. 

I rode up Hog Hollow, intending to ride a loop in Corner Canyon. On the way up, the trail felt a little sloppy, but mostly fine. But on the fire road at the top, the soil composition must have changed, because the mud was so thick and heavy that it jammed my bike up completely. I ended up having to walk back to the creek, clean my bike as best I could, and ride back to the car with mud and rocks flying into my face the whole way as they broke free from my tires. All in all, I rode about four miles, even though I was gone for as long as it should have taken me to ride my planned ten-mile loop. And now I have to clean my bike again (at least it's a single-speed, so I don't have to worry about derailleur cables.)

I made partially made up for my lack of a long workout by sweating out an hour on the rollers before going to bed. Better than nothing.  

Road Chain Miles: 20.00Singlespeed Chain Miles: 4.00
Weight: 165.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
7.20
Singlespeed Chain Miles: 21.90New Balance RX507 Miles: 6.20Mizuno Ronin Miles: 1.00Road Chain Miles: 20.00
Weight: 164.70
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Recent Comments: