Fly on the Wall

8 miles at lunch on the JRP.  8:21 ave pace.  I felt good today.

Our building's main sewer line broke 2 days ago, hence no water and thus no showers.  Just be glad you don't work with me.  I've warned my coworkers to stay away, though they probably already know that.  

6 ez am

4 ez pm 

20 miles, about 18 of them on mountain trails in the snow.  total time- 4:19, 12:57 ave pace.

FLY'S STUPID ADVENTURE

I missed my long run and a couple other runs last week and so I was determined to get in my miles this week.  As the family had plans for the weekend and I had a ton of errands to do Friday day, I needed to run this Friday and finish by noon.  The trail marathon is only 3 weeks out so I was determined to get in trail miles with some steep climbs and descents. 

So off I went into Friday morning's snow storm.  About the only thing good I can say for the weather is that it wasn't too windy for a good part of the run.  Trail conditions started out with wet snow and got worse from there.  I was post-holing for much of the run.  The worst sections were easily shin deep (I wore gaiters).  Every so often I'd hit a drift and sink to my knees. On many stretches the trail was lost in the snow.  Luckily I know these trails well enough to have not gone too far astray.

Normally I enjoy great views but I was running in the clouds and the visibility in some areas was probably about 25 feet.  This lent an eerie feeling and I would find myself playing melodramas in my head, "I'd better not get lost or trip and hurt myself, or I'll die of hypothermia in the snow...."

Coming down and toward home the trails were becoming sloppy, snowy mud puddles and rivulets.  My feet were soaked (but not frozen, I love SmartWool socks).  At about mile 18.5 I finally did fall.  My feet slid out from under me and my back side became as soaked and muddy as my feet.

This may not have been the smartest thing I've done but I did get it done.  I feel prepared to at least finish, if not finish strong in my upcoming trail marathon.  Time wise, this was the longest run I've ever done.  After the run I did NOT take an ice bath, but a quick, warm shower.  Then it was off to play chauffeur for my kids.  Recovery wise I felt good Saturday and skied a full day with my kids.

Full day of skiing with my kids.  My daughter is now good enough that is fun to ski with her! (as compared to fun watching her learn to ski)

5.6 ez.  This run belongs to last weeks training and was a recovery run.  I ran from our rented "cabin" at Sundance ski area up to where the Alpine Loop road is closed for winter.  It was a gorgeous day and I felt good.  9:16 ave pace with hills and elevation

pm cross training - drug tree limbs and logs to the curb for big trash pickup.  Exhausting.  

3 mile warm up.  5x 600m @ 5k pace w/ 90 sec recovery.  3.62 recover.

A bit tired but kept intervals on pace.  The last one was really tough though. 6:14, 6:10, 5:56, 6:04, 6:13 (no HR monitor)

slow, ez miles.  8:40 ave  pace.

EZ miles. 

I ran around looking at the treasure piles in our neighborhood.  The neighbor kid used to call this time of year, the trash pick up holiday.  People put things they no longer want out on the curb for other people to take.  What ever is left over the city picks up and hauls away.  At least that's my take on it.  I found 5 antique doors and a vanity for the house I'm working on.  I also contributed some "nice" items.  One man's trash is another man's treasure.....

Cross training- 9 hours of sanding floor.

6 miles ez pace with 5x 100 strides.  8:42, 130 bpm ave.

15 ez pace.  Last 2 faster.  10:30, 141bpm ave.  Trails behind house....

The conditions for this run were much better than last week.  It wasn't snowing and the wind only howled in a few areas.  It was warm enough for shorts.  The trail is still a mess with lots of mud, icy water, and wet snow.  I only fell down completely, twice but lots of slipping and sliding.  For mile 16 I followed some runner down the trail to the road in City Creek.  The last 1/3 or so was pavement, and my average pace for that mile was 6:37 @ 162bpm - fast for me.  Finished out the run on downhill pavement at 6:52 pace.  My over all average pace wasn't too bad, though I didn't tackle the monsterous parts of the course. 

8 miles with 8x100m strides.  ave pace 7:43

6 miles with 3 x 1 mile intervals.  (Did not hit button on first mile interval) 2nd and 3rd intervals both at 6:29, 171 bpm.  Ran with co-workers.  Felt strong.

5 EZ.  

I decided to run the Salt Lake Half.  It was peer pressure that did it.  At least 5 of my non-forum running friends are doing it.  So I'm following like a lemming off a cliff.  I signed up at the expo today (Thursday) at lunch.  I was planning on 13 miles this Saturday anyway.  I just need to try and save some of my legs for the trail marathon on the next weekend.  (Hopefully I still get to run that.  I still need to find a sitter for my kids.)  The trail marathon will use different muscles, right?

rest for Saturday's half.

I've been training for a full trail marathon next Saturday but most of my lunch time running buddies were running the Salt Lake Half, so I caved to peer pressure and ran it this morning. My goal time? I didn't have one but figured with the net ~600 feet of down hill I should be able to beat my 1:29:xx at Painters and still save something for next Saturday.

It was an ideal morning for a race. A few clouds and temps in the mid 40s. I took Trax to the start and made it to the very crowded starting line with about 3 minutes to spare. Yikes! Anyway we started right on time. I gotta say, despite all the bad press I really enjoyed this race. The 1/2 course is very nice and this years organization for the 1/2 was great! I ran smart and stayed strong to the end and even feel like I will be ready for next Saturday. All my running friends also had great days!

1 - 6:43 165 bpm
2 - 6:33 168 bpm
3 - 6:33 169 bpm
4 - 6:56 171 bpm
5 - 6:45 172 bpm
6 - 6:37 172 bpm
7 - 6:39 173 bpm
8 - 6:44 173 bpm
9 - 6:48 175 bpm
10- 6:51 170 bpm
11- 6:39 177 bpm
12- 7:15 175 bpm Up State Street and uphill to South Temple (These last miles were different from last time I ran this.)
13- 6:11 178 bpm Downhill!
.1ish- 5:40 185bpm. Kicked it in.

1:27:40 ?(I need to check the results when posted online) 172bpm ave
60th overall? (Where did all these fast people come from?)
7th in 40-44 age group?

5 miles ez.  8:09 ave pace.  My legs are a bit more sore than I would like but they felt better after the run than before. Walked about 1/3 of a mile after my run to aid recovery?

5.5 ez with 1.5 at 6:45 pace.  My heart rate stayed low enough, maxed at 166, but my quads and legs in general are still sore.  This is worrying me and causing self doubt.  Oh well I guess all I can really do is rest.  

3 very ez, even some walking. 

Rest tomorrow and then hopefully I'll be running what may prove to be a very wet and muddy trail marathon.  

Sorry this was a long race and the report ended up being even longer.  I recommend skipping to the end.

Today I ran my first trail race, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Marathon.  My only goal was to finish without bonking hard.  I thought I might be able to finish in under 5 hours but I had nothing to really base this on.

This race has no entry fee.  You are just supposed to bring food to share at the 3 aid stations and finish.  I think I read that the course is supposed to have 6,000+ feet of elevation gain and loss.  What ever the actual number it had some incredibly steep sections both uphill and down.  The route consisted of maintained single track trail, double track service road, forgotten dozer cuts, pipeline right of way, stream bed, deer trail, deer tracks, and even a few hundred feet of pavement.  It was marked with pink and yellow flagging tape.  In places it was quite foggy which made it more difficult to find the flagging.  If you are crazy you can read the full course description here- [url]http://www.users.qwest.net/~cirnielsen/bst.direct.html[/url]

We started on time at 7 a.m. with "Ready, Set, Go."  It had rained through the night and the trail was muddy.  The forecast called for more rain but we lucked out and only had a few drips with nice cool weather.  The first leg was about 11 muddy miles with an advertised 3,100 feet of elevation gain and loss- down into City Creek Canyon, up the other side, down to North Salt Lake, up a steep mountain (power walking), straight down back into City Creek Canyon (no switchbacks!), and back up to the start where the first aid station was (I ran with my Camel Bak).  I stayed on course and finished this part in about 1:50ish.  

The second leg heads back up to the Bonneville Shoreline trail and south to Red Butte Canyon.  Don't know what to say... It was muddy and I was tired.  I remember looking at my Garmin about mile 13ish and thinking-  :?  :(  :shock:  :x  :roll:  :|  :)  Anyway, about mile 20 I started passing runners who were headed in the opposite direction on the part of the loop that had traffic both ways.  This was the only crowd support but it helped give me a boost.  About mile 22 the course runs up Dry Creek but Dry Creek was ankle to shin deep with rushing water.  The gully is too steep and narrow to run anywhere but in the creek which was quite cold.  When the route left the creek it headed straight up the mountain on what is advertised as an "appallingly steep trail."  It was appallingly steep but it wasn't much of a trail.  On this section I did pass a young guy.  When I "flew" past him I checked my Garmin and I was burning it up with an 24 min/mile pace! :shock:  :lol:  He was the only other runner I could see and passing him proved to be a mistake.

After finally grinding up this mountain I knew the course was supposed to veer left and off the ridge line.  It was very foggy with maybe 20 foot visibility.  I kept looking for the flagging but missed it.  I found myself running, well "power" hiking up and over Twin Peaks and another hump and then straight down the other side.  It was foggy, I was 24 some miles into this thing, I was running down a rocky mountain with no trail, and I was alone and lost.   Not lost as in I'm spending the night but lost as in I'm not on the course and don't know where it is.  :roll:

At this point I ran into another lost runner.  We joined forces, ran down and out of the fog and then determined we were one or two ridge lines off of the course.  We ran side hill on some supper steep terrain, so as to not lose too much elevation, then down to a trail and back onto the route.  Once we hit a trail and I knew where I was and where I was supposed to be I left him behind.  Nice of me huh? :(

At about mile 26 I started to get a bit of leg cramping on the uphill sections.  Nothing debilitating but I didn't know how much further I had to go or how much further I had left in me.  I ended up running 27.13 miles according to my Garmin.

Few. I made it.  My time was about 5:02 and I figure the lost mile cost me about 15 minutes.  The winner was Carl Meltzer (sp?) who I gather is a trail/ ultra supper star and a professional runner I think.  The times aren't posted yet but I heard he set a course record with something like 3:45.

1- 7:38  155
2- 9:23  165
3- 12:23  167
4- 11:16  163
5- 8:37  162
6- 14:26  162
7- 12:02  162
8- 8:12  161
9- 8:04  162
10- 10:20  163
11- 13:45  157 1st aid station.  changed packs and changed shirts.
12- 12:40  162
13- 11:14  162
14- 8:45  162
15- 8:29  164
16- 7:43  162
17- 11:42  161
18- 11:53  161
19- 15:02  159  2nd aid station at the beginning of this mile?
20- 10:04  159  3rd aid station at the end of this mile?  (same aid station as 2nd).
21- 10:58  160
22- 10:16  161
23- 15:44  161
24- 18:33  160 lost in the fog?  OR just the steepest mountain.
25- 15:28  153 lost in the fog.
26- 9:21  163
27- 7:39  156
27.2- 6:20  162

27.13 miles
average - 11:09 min/mile, 160 bpm