Rob Murphy

Easy run around downtown Sugar House, through the tunnel, around the park, and back home.

Blah! Thinking of a new approach to my training. 

I just signed up for a race called the "Jupiter Peak Steeplechase". I thought it would be 3000 meters with some water jumps but apparently the trail running community has appropriated the word and in that world it means "a long race up and down a mountain" as best as I can figure.

So I'm going to start training for this. I will do a mix of real running and trail running. Some guy named Rob Krar won last year in 1:45 which seems really slow for 16 miles. I think I will destroy him if he shows up again.

PM: 3 miles of trail running in the rugged foothills east of Salt Lake City. Started growing a beard along the way.

So today I ran the gully longer run by myself at 7 am Then I ran 1.5 solw miles with my new kids but I'm only giving myself 1.25 for the number of times I had to stop and walk with them. Then I went into the gym and lifted some and finished with a hard mile on the stair master.

If anyone is interested in reading about this special place (the Alta Lodge and Alta in general), you can google "miles gone by alta my alta" and just click on the first reference. It will take you to a chapter in the conservative commentator, William F. Buckly's autobiography written just a few years ago before his death. He writes about his annual trips here with three friends including the Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman. Even if you don't like Buckley's politics you will have to agree that he's a very good writer and captures the essence of this place perfectly.

PM: Three miles of hiking from the Alta Lodge to Albion Basin and back. We Murphy's are up here celebrating out 20th wedding anniversary tomorrow but we decided to make it even more romantic by bringing our two kids with us.

Off to the hot tubs with Abby and Andy now.

Oh, and if anyone is interested, I accidentally posted some more stuff about Alta on yesterday's (Monday) entry.

Alta run.

From the Goldminer's Daughter up to Albion Basin and around seven or eight times, I lost track. Felt solid on the uphills and was able to open it up some on the downhills. I'm thrilled.

The campground opens on the 4th but they were turning the water on today which is great for the longer runs.

Went to Sprouts on the way home. Apparently Wednesday is some sort of sale day and there were a million people there. Abby was traumatized to see that they sold ground kangaroo.

Busy morning.

Took the dog to the park, mowed the lawn and did yard work, and ran 6.25 miles around the neighborhood. Andy joined me for some of it on his bike.

I've decided that Abby and I will run the Magna 4th of July 5k tomorrow because it starts at 7 am so we can get back to our neighborhood parade/breakfast at 9 and because it's $15.00 not $25 or$ 30 like all the other races.

Louis Zamperini died today at 97. 

Uff da! As they say in  Minnesota - and Norway.

Today ended my streak of 12 consecutive 4th of July races. I fully planned on racing but Jon Kotter called me last night and asked me to do a long run with him. So Ann agreed to take Abby to the race while Jon and I headed out at 6:30

This run wore me out. With the hard Alta run on Wednesday and today's hard run, I realize that hard days every other day is too much at my advanced age. I know I was holding Jon back.

We started at my house and ran up to 2700 East and hung a left at the Parley Pratt statue. Up to Sunnyside and then left at the post office through research park, Fort Douglas and The University of Utah, Past the hospital and through the Jewish Community Center grounds to the Bonneville Shoreline trail, then through Federal Heights and the Upper Avenues to the top of Mmemory Grove by the mouth of City Creek Canyon, down through Memory Grove and up the Lower Avenues back towards the U (stopped at a neighborhood pancake breakfast for some chocolate milk), past Rice-Eccles Stadium and south on Guardsman, crossed Sunnyside again and wound through some streets to 1900 East, stopped at Fritz's house to drink some water from his hose bib (did not re-attach the hose - sorry Fritz), liked the 1st place Mesquite Marathon stepping stone in Fritz's yard, then back to my house. Spent a little time talking about Jon's chances of beating Fritz at Des News. Should be a good one if they both race.

17.25 miles, pretty hilly, in 2:08. With my roundabout jog to Highland High and my march in the annual Highland Park Fourth of July parade, I give myself 19 hard miles. Good run, and the type of run I don't push myself through often enough. I'm pretty knackered now and ready for an afternoon nap. 

You can see the Sugar House Park fireworks show great from my yard if anyone wants to come set up some chairs in my yard before 10 pm. Although traffic around hear is a real bear before the show.

Happy 238th USA!

Walk/jogged to the gym and back. 570 floors on the stair master in 60 minutes. New PR!