Fly on the Wall

I again ran hilly, snow packed trails. As of now I'm thinking I'll run a trail marathon next (BST).  So, I'm loosely following Pfitzinger's 12 week, <70 mile training program.  Today called for 9 miles with 4 at pace.  I did 3.5 uphill warm up, 4 "hard", and 2 cool down.

The 4 "marathon pace miles" were really just see how fast I could run miles.  And that was not very fast.  The 1st three of these miles were on snowy trail.  I was breathing hard and my legs were burning on the uphills.  On the downhills I couldn't run faster for fear of crashing.   My heart rate remained in the mid 150s.  I'm not sure what to make of this.  Maybe my legs just need to get stronger to run fast on this terrrain?  By why am I breathing so much harder than my heart is pumping?  The last pace mile was down City Creek road at 5:59, 165 bpm (DOWNHILL).  This makes me think I wasn't working nearly as hard as I thought on the trail.

In a way I'm learning how to run again and that is fun! 

Jordan River Parkway to Legacy Parkway Trail.  I'm thankful that the air is clean enough to breath, I think (I hope).  I was a bit tired and I am looking forward to a ez, short day tomorrow.  

Nice, EZ recovery miles.

Ran from work to the Center Street trail head on the Legacy Parkway Trail.  Running out was way to easy and when I turned around I was greeted by a stiff head wind.  Luckily this wind cleared the air and made my labored breathing joyous.

5 EZ up City Creek.  A nice light rain was falling.  I turned around where the road was a wet ice sheet.

I planned on 17 trail miles but it got too dark and I was beat.  So I cut it short.

I ran the first leg of the trail marathon I'm thinking about trying.  The route goes steeply down into City Creek Canyon, then right back up the other side and up to the radio towers on the ridge line, then back down to the shoreline in North Salt Lake.  At this point the it got really tough.  The stinking trail went straight up the mountain, then straight down to the ridge line above City Creek.  The snow was quite deep in places, the wind was blowing, it had started to snow, and I lost the trail a few times.  From the ridge line the route dives straight down the pipeline right of way to the bottom of City Creek, no switch backs.  Then it was an "easier" climb back up to where I started. 

On this loop my legs were beat, my feet soaked, and I started feeling demoralized.  I was thinking, these trail guys aren't runners they're massocists.  It took me 2:23 to finish that first loop and it was only 11ish miles, yack!  I was really having second thoughts about running this.  I mean what's the point?  But I took a quick break ate a few hand fulls of pretzles and a gel, drank some GatorAide and went back out for another 5 miles.  I was still tired but mentally felt much better.  The pretty sunset and twinkly lights of the city below were a great inspiration.