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