I'm retired from racing. Really.

AM- 13 miles on the canals south of IF.  5 miles at 7:30 pace, then 4 miles a bit faster at 6:45 pace, then 4 more easy. 1:35:30.

PM- 8 more in about an hour.

I just realized the apartment I will be living in is closer to my work than I thought- 0.3 miles.  Love that commute! 

AM- Late start- 10:20 am, already warm.  Drove to Temple Fork and ran up Worm Fence, the last part of the Great Western Trail in Cache Valley that I haven't done.  It was rather enjoyable, 3.7 miles each way to Turkey Trail I ran last Sat.  I pushed it on the way back, running every step of a .6 mile, 500 ft uphill.  Then I ran up Spawn Creek, which is a nice singletrack that doesn't appear to be used often.  I turned around once the trail was too slow and overgrown for my liking.  Added on a few more miles up Temple Fork singletrack.  Only saw 2 ATV the whole run.  13 miles exactly in 2:04:30 with 2600 ft climbing.  I haven't quite recovered from GM50, yet- my legs feel ok for the first 10-12 miles of runs, then are very tired beyond that.  I also am a bit sick, thanks to my daughters- that's life.

I have now run the entire Cache Valley GWT- LHF up Richards, then Marie Springs road to Ricks, back up Willow, then Temple Fork to Worm Fence, Turkey Trail, Peter Sinks, Stump Hollow, Sink Hollow, and Gibson Basin.

PM- After only 2 hours without my running clothes on, I put the exact same clothes on for my afternoon run.  Met Cody and Joe and we drove to RHF to try a partly-new trail- Maughan Hollow.  It was ok, not overly impressive, and we found it interlaced with cow tracks.  We eventually reached the ATV track up top and ran east till it intersected the Temple Fork road near Mud Flats, then ran all the way back to Cottonwood Springs and back to the car.  The last mile was very nice singletrack.  The whole route is generally exposed and not as pretty as many other runs, though we enjoyed looking at some of the surrounding mountains.  And there were cows- lots and lots of cows.  Hundreds.  Literally.  My legs died the last 2 miles and I lagged behind, but that was farther than I expected to keep up.  10.5 miles in 1:41 with about 2150 elevation.  And I have to give Joe props for putting up with the odiforous surprises emanating from Cody and myself.

87 miles in the last 4 days running.  I am pooped, but this is the time of the year to be pooped- the more miles I can run, the better off I'll be for the race.  The race is in 6 weeks, and the next 3 are really the crux of my training.  I'm guessing I won't have much in the tank for El Vaquero Loco next week, but I'll do my best. 

A few pictures- Beaver ponds from this morning up Spawn Hollow, and Cody and Joe looking towards Logan Canyon and Logan Peak.

AM- My cold has hit full force (stuffy, achy), so I bagged a harder run and ran 8.5 easy from Stokes to past Spring Hollow.

PM- Spent the day swimming with the family.  On the very first waterslide, I got my second toe of my left foot stuck on the edge as I started to go down.  It hurt so bad I thought I had broken it for a while, then starting thinking it might just be bruised.  It is big and swollen and multi-colored.  It's the kind of stupid little accident that can derail lots of training.  I cross-trained tonight, and I'll ice it and see how it looks tomorrow.  I can walk on it, so hopefully it won't be a big deal.

AM- Ran Ephraim's Grave, a great route, for possibly the last time.  Really enjoyed it- nice day, and my legs felt relatively fresh for the first time in a week.  Saw hundreds of sheep, one sheepherder, and 2 bikers the whole time.  What a nice morning to be out on a fun trail  12 miles, 2800 ft climbing and descending, in 1:56:20.  Toe was stiff and sore, but didn't slow me down at all.

I received a shipment of 4 shoes from SGRC today, which means I have 15 pairs of shoes I can wear!  7 road, 8 trail.  I should be good for a long time, now. 

Self portrait at Ephraim's monument 

 Descending the fabulous Steel Hollow, one of my 3 favorite trails in all of Cache Valley

AM- Paul proposed running the river trail this morning, so we met for a very relaxing run.  10 miles at 8 min pace with about 930 ft climbing (according the Sporttracks), while discussing all kinds of topics.  Another enjoyable run with Paul, possibly my last.  I'll miss all the Utah trail runs with all my friends, but I'm trying to make the most of them this month.

PM- Trail run with Cody.  We drove up to Stump Hollow.  If this trail were 15 min closer to Logan, I would run it all the time (assuming I weren't leaving).  It starts off flat, then climbs 1400 ft in 3 miles (all of it smooth and runnable), then has some rolling hills on top again at 8400 ft.  We turned around just past the end of the singletrack at 5.5 miles.  The downhill is spectacular.  For about a 2-3 mile stretch, this trail is the best I have ever run on.  Soft, dark brown, pine-needle covered dirt, minimal camber, almost no rocks or roots, only a few switchbacks- it truly is ideal.  We did 6:30-7 min pace on tired legs without even trying.  Great, great downhill trail.  It started pouring rain just as we finished- good timing.  Great run.  11 miles with 2000' climbing (exactly) at 8:50 pace.  If they have trails half this good in SC, I'll love it.

Paul running so fast he is blurry... 

Cody is behind this tree going... oh, never mind, you don't want to know. 

AM- Ran the last of the Bear course with Cody and Joe.  We have now run almost the whole thing this summer.  I paced Davy on this portion for the Bear last year, but 1/2 of it was in the dark so I was excited to see what I had missed.  Started at Tony Grove, ran over to the always pretty White Pine, down Bunchgrass (rocky at the top, smooth at the bottom), over the Franklin Basin, up the slow, rocky and twisty Steam Mill Hollow (climbs 900 ft in 1 mile), with a detour to the mill and nearby lake, then around to Steep Hollow.  Although we were confused a few times, we always ended up finding the right path for the Bear, sometimes aided by markers from last year.  My right foot started twinging at mile 15 and is a bit sore underneath, so I'll baby it, but given that this is my highest mileage week ever by 8 miles, that isn't a surprise.  I felt ok the whole run, a lot better than last week, but not perfect.  The last few miles were on gravel road and were fast- 6:56 and 6:20 miles.  Nice to be able to run fast at the end of a long run and very long week.  Very beautiful scenery and nice to share the experience with Cody and Joe.  Great morning.  

Sporttracks put me at just under 22 miles in 3:38 (9:54 pace) with 3600 ft climbing and 4850 descending.  116 miles for the entire week, with 15000 ft climbing and 16100 ft descending (all-time highs for all 3).  And not a single mile on paved road!!!  In all, I spent 17 hours running this week.  Plus I spent about 8.5 hours driving to all those runs, and probably 5+ more hours changing, showering, etc.  Adds up to at least 30 hours running or running-related.

Here are more pictures.  Lots and lots of pictures.

The 3 Stooges at White Pine lake

 Typical view for the run- hills, sage brush, trees, and Joe's and Cody's backsides

 At the old steam mill.  Someone dragged this a long ways up a steep mountain.

Anyone know why aspen trees never seem to be straight?

Cody showing Joe the sights from Steam Mill cutoff

The lovely Bear River mountains 

AM- Started out intending to run all the way up Spring Hollow, a steep trail that climbs about 3500 ft in less than 6 miles.  I haven't done it since 2003.  However, almost immediately my left shoe was rubbing my heel very painfully on the steep climbs.  I stopped a number of times to adjust and tighten the shoe, but nothing worked.  I knew it would give me a blister if I kept going, which I don't want the week of a race.  So, just 1.5 miles slow miles into the run (I climbed 1550 ft in that distance), I turned around and ended up running the relatively flat river trail to First Dam.  On the way back, I ran the adventurous canal on the north side of the river that Paul showed me a few years ago.  I'll have to run SH next week, but with different shoes.  12 miles in 2:03 with 2400 ft climbing.

Running on the adventure canal feels like part of a Dora the Explorer TV show, where the map is telling us where we need to go...

"Ok, remember kids, go around the big rocks..."

"Through the tunnel..."

"And over the water tube"

Remember, rocks... tunnel... tube.  

Rocks... Tunnel... TUBE!!! 

AM- The bottom of my foot/arch is definitely not happy with me.  Start of plantar?  Not fun- that could sure wreck a lot of training.  Took it easy this morning.

Resting the painful foot- no running.  Instead, I'll have to walk around Hogle Zoo all day today.  But I dug out my super-supportive hiking boots, so hopefully that should minimize the damage.

Race report is posted on my Greenshortsrunning blog.

On a related note, the race series between Cody and myself ended up being 58 miles over two races- Logan Peak and El Vaquero Loco.  In the end, Cody won the series by 5 seconds.  Total.  That's 0.09 seconds per mile difference.  Congrats, Cody.  Did we decide on an award/punishment?

AM- Standard Green Canyon run, for probably the last time.  I'm really going to miss this run- it's probably the trail run I've done the most other than the river trail.  8 miles to just past the yurt.  Gorgeous morning for a run.  My quads are still a bit sore, which shows how much downhill there was and how hard I ran it- it's the first time I've been sore in 2-3 months, despite thousands of trail miles.

 Someone posted some pictures from the race last Saturday showing the clouds we descended into that we so gorgeous.  Also, some pictures of running in the fog and all of the flowers.  Now you can get a taste for yourself of how beautiful it was.

AM- Joe and I drove to North Ogden to do the challenging Ben Lomond mountain via Northern Skyline trail.  It is 8 miles each way to the summit, with about 3700 ft climbing along the way.  The trail was suprisingly fabulous and very runnable- it climbed a very consistent 520-550 ft/mile for 4.5 miles, then smoothed out a bit to about 350 ft/mile for 2.5 miles, followed by the final grunt to the top, which was still only 700 ft/mile.  It would be fairly easy to run the whole way up this trail, and it would be a great race on fresh legs.  The views from the 9712 ft peak are amazing- Ogden is 4000 ft down but only 1/2 mile away horizontally.  Very steep cliffs all around.  And did I mention it was windy on top?  We took some pictures of Ogden, Ogden Valley, and even Cache Valley before turning around.  The run down is nice, though it was about 3 miles too long for my tired legs and painful foot, plus a 2-3 mile section in which the trail is covered with small to medium rocks got a bit annoying.  But again, it would be a fabulous trail to run fast on fresh legs, with a great reward at the top.

16 miles RT, 1:37 up, 1:03 down- about 20 minutes faster than I expected due to the nice grade and good trail conditions, though Joe and I were laughing at ourselves for thinking 10:10 pace is a good average.  3700 ft climbing and descend.  Very glad we did this run.  And thanks for driving, Joe.

 Joe and Ben Lomond, 2/3 of the way up.  An imposing mountain.

At the top overlooking Ogden 

North Ogden and some steep cliffs 

AM- Woke up early and drove with Joe all the way to Beaver Mountain... just to turn around and come home.  We planned to run Stump Hollow, but a major thunderstorm was raging overhead.  I'm not a fan of running on top of mountains with lightning nearby.  We drove down the canyon, hoping Jardine or even the River Trail would be clear, but no luck.  So I went home and slept for 2 more hours.  It may be the first time I actually drove 1.5 hours without running, but that's life.  A bit bummed I couldn't run the wonderful Stump one more time.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED 

AM- For my final short run ever in Logan, I wanted to run my favorite- Jardine Juniper.  And I wanted to set a record, which would be challenging- 9.5 miles with 1900 ft of climbing.  Plus I had done two hard runs the past two days, and my foot was killing me.  Cody was trash-talking me last night, saying I would never be able to set the record after last night's run.

The old record was 1:16:56, with fastest final 4 mile descent of 23:51.  I knew my legs were very tired from the previous 2 days, but I had tons of desire.  I thought I could break 1:15, and always believed that the best I could ever do would be a 1:12.

I knew the difference today would be running a fast uphill, so I went hard right from the start, maxing out the whole way up.  I didn't feel great, but I reached the first ridge in 27:00, 2-3 min faster than normal.  I reached the 4 mile intersection in 37:47, 2 min faster than normal (splits up were 9:05, 10:05, 9:29, 9:15, and 7:59).  I cruised the rest of the way to the top and then really picked it up on the downhill.  

My legs weren't happy with the fast downhill, but they would get no reprive from me today.  I reached the intersection after the loop at 48:43, then pushed even harder the rest of the way down.  I was flying as fast as I could, with my eyes watering from the wind.  Splits down were 6:09, 5:53 (first sub-6 mile in months!).  At this point, I saw an old, bearded trail runner moving briskly up the trail towards me.  He told me there was a moose 2 switchbacks down on the trail.  Not wanting to run into a moose at 10 mph, I slowed down and started calling "Hey, moosie, moosie".  I also got out my camera.  Sure enough, in less than .2 mile, I saw the moose 30-40 yards off the trail.  I stopped and took the best pictures I could before he disappeared into the woods.  My slowdown cost me probably 10-15 seconds.  I resumed my run, harder than ever.  Last splits were 6:08, 5:45, and the final 1/2 mile at 5:13 pace!  5:13 pace!!!  Total descent for the last 4 miles was 23:07, 44 seconds faster than ever before despite tired legs and my crazy run last night.  Total time was 1:11:46 (7:41 avg).  I had done it- crushed the old record by over 5 minutes!!!

This is a great last run for me and I am very happy to set such a great record on this course.  Not to say that Joe or Cody won't ever be able to break it- they might.  But it will be darn tough.  And I am sure that they will NEVER break it after running Ben Lomond and the Wellsvilles the two days before.  I am proud to leave this daunting challenge to them.  Guys, I challenge you to break 1:11:46.  Good luck.

My first moose picture ever- made it worth carrying the camera the whole way 

Proof of final time

AM- Well, today was my last run in Utah.  It's been a great week, one with lots of (slow) trail running.  I ran 5 times this week for 65 miles in just under 13 hours (that much time would be 100+ road miles), which means I averaged 12 min miles.  Add in last Saturday's race, and my last 6 runs total 95 miles with just a hair under 27,000 feet climbing and 27,000 feet descending!  And it's been a fabulous month of being a full-time trail runner with over 300 miles of trails and 127,000 ft elevation change.  Heck, my last run on pavement was Jul 23!

Today's run ran from Green Canyon up the Beirdneau trail to Beirdneau Peak, then across to Mt. Elmer and Mt. Jardine, then down Green Canyon.  I had done the first 5 and last 5 miles, but the middle part was awesome.  The first 2 miles and last 5 miles were on nice trail, and the rest was a combination of rough trail, deer trails, and no trail.  Joe, Cody, and myself started well before sunrise and were greeted with almost 2000 ft climbing in the first few miles.  The sun rose as we were on the ridge headed towards Beirdneau- pretty sight.  We enjoyed the views of Logan and Green Canyon.  The ridge took us to the top of Green, where we ran towards Mt. Elmer.  The final miles towards Elmer are slow and rocky, with lots of steep cliffs and scree.  The views were fantastic from on top, though, with big valleys, steep cliffs, and nearby mountains.  We backtracked a bit, then went off-trail to try to reach Mt. Jardine.  It was slow going with some ridgetop scrambling, but this is where we saw 2 backpackers.  We finally turned around and went completely off-trail for the next mile, dropping down into upper Green Canyon with 1000 ft drop in less than a mile.  Cody was leading us from cow path to cow path, claiming each one was an official trail.  Then it was down the familiar singletrack.  The last 4 miles are very runnable, and we pushed rather hard and averaged 6:30's for that section, which was a big change after all the 12 to 20 min miles.  Lovely.  19 miles total in 4:20 with 5500 ft climbing and 5500 ft descending, just under 14 min miles average.  Beautiful views, glad we did this adventure- thanks, Joe and Cody.

Between the Wellsvilles on Thursday and today's run, we did 32 miles in about 8 hours with 11,000 ft climbing.  Slow and steep, but lots of vistas. 

                          Dawn approaches                           

Sunrise over the Bear River Mountains, looking towards Right Hand Fork 

                     Ridge running                   

Mt. Elmer forest fire- lots of burnt stuff, and the fire is still burning right by the trail

Cody and Joe seem miniscule next to some steep cliffs 

Final approach to Mt. Elmer 

Looking towards Beirdneau Peak and Mt. Logan from Elmer 

The Three Amigos.  Or is it the Three Stooges?  

Rock scrambling towards Mt. Jardine  

Cody and I were talking about our favorite runs in Cache Valley recently. Here is my list:

1- Jardine Juniper- great all around run. Close enough and short enough for after work, with a nice loop at the top. Very runnable- fun to try to break the speed record. It's been my favorite since I first ran it 9 years ago.

2- Green Canyon- this was an enjoyable route when it only had 1 mile of singletrack, and now it has 4+. Close to home, runnable year-round (once the skiers pack down the trail), shaded. Just fun. If I could live anywhere, it would be at the mouth of this canyon.

3- Steel Hollow, either as Ricks-Steel loop or Ephraim's Grave. I like the Ricks-Steel loop more- all runnable, great downhill, shaded, though I don't like the road miles. Close enough for an evening run. And the Steel Hollow downhill is fabulous.

4- Stump Hollow- It's too far away, which is why I've only done it twice. But it is the nicest, most runnable trail in all of Cache Valley. There is a 2-3 mile stretch that is pure singletrack heaven.

5- Richard's Hollow- the lower portion is ok, but the upper meadow portion is a joy to run. Meandering stream crossings, beavers, and very gradual climb make for a fun experience. It would be higher on my list if you didn't have to drive 4 rough miles to get there.

First day of work at GE in South Carolina- I was there till 8:30 pm.  After work, I drove in the dark to Cleveland park, which has a bike trail and 3 small singletrack sections (each less than .5 miles).  5 easy miles.

PM- Drove the rental car to the airport and run home.  They thought I was crazy, which I must have been to try running on the crappy roads here.  No shoulder, no sidewalk, lots of turns, high speed traffic.  I even had someone yell at me from a car.  Classic.  Definitely can't safely run on most of the roads here.

Lunch- ran 9 miles with some guys from work.  There seems to be a group of ~8 guys at GE who run together at lunch a few times a week, though usually only 3-5 show up each day.  They showed me a little lake loop in the area.  500 ft climbing.

PM- First run at Paris Mountain state park, a wonderful "mountain" with about 15 miles of singletrack that can be made into all kinds of loops.  It is 20 min from my apt, and I already bought an annual pass.  Runnable year-round, though a headlamp will be required in the winter evenings.  Quite a few mtn bikers, a few hikers and runners.  No single climbs bigger than 500 ft (though that comes in just .5 miles), but continual up and down, with lots of roots and rocks.  Wonderfully runnable.  I will run here often, hopefully.  8.5 miles in 1:18 (9:24 avg- probably pretty typical for this location).

Lunch run

Lunch run

Why I run. 

Interesting note- Zeke Tiernan, who I beat at Grand Mesa 50 by 10 minutes, just placed second overall last week at Leadville 100.  Congrats to him!  And it definitely makes me wonder if I can do as well at the Bear... the competition at the Bear is heating up.  Scott Jaime, AJW, Ty Draney, Evan Honeyfield, and now Young Money just signed up.  I'm curious to know if anyone on the FRB knows who Young Money is.

My run today was in North Carolina.  I tried to run the famous Art Loeb trail, but kept getting lost.  So I drove to Mink Creek and ran up to Shut in Ridge trail.  Each run was about 1:50 long.  Total of 23 miles, 3:45, with 5050 ft climbing.  Left home at 7 am, returned from Asheville at 5 pm. 

Hey everyone- if I have any blog readers left, don't worry, I am still alive. I have been in South Carolina for over a week, and just bought a computer.  Still no internet, so I'm pilfering a bad connection from some neighbor.  And don't worry, I've run lots (getting home at 10 pm most nights), including some sweet trails in both North and South Carolina.  Put it this way- I ran over 5000 ft of vert climbing last Saturday on some sweet trails near Asheville, NC.  And 2900 ft today with 20 miles.  I'll update my blog once I have reliable internet.  But in the meantime...

I Need A Crew Chief for the Bear 100.  Anyone interested?  I have 3 awesome pacers (Joe, Cody, and David Nelson), but would like to add 1 person who can just worry about crewing/driving/etc.  Anyone interested?   Sept 24 and 25 in Logan.  I would be forever grateful.  Let me know if you want more details.

Lunch- 9.5 miles with some of the GE runners.  Warm and humid- I'm not used to finishing with a drenched shirt. 850 ft climb thanks to rolling hills.

PM- 10.5 miles at Paris Mountain.  1:36 (9:06 avg) with 2000 ft climbing.  Finished well after dark- ended up bailing on the trail and ran the last 1.5 on the road... cause I'm not as crazy as Cody. 

AM- 7.5 by myself before work.  Still muggy and sweaty.

PM- 12.5 at Paris Mtn.  1:57 (9:31 avg) with 2300 ft climbing.  Ran with Paul, a nice guy from Maryland whom I met on the trail, for much of the run.  He comes to GE once a month, so I think we will meet up again sometime.