Rob Murphy

Week starting Jul 07, 2013

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Location:

Salt Lake City,

Member Since:

Feb 11, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

I had some success in high school and college. Winner 1985 Rod Dixon Run 

Had a fair amount of success as a Masters runner for most of my 40s. 

Short-Term Running Goals:

Have fun with running, explore more trails, stay healthy.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Keep running and racing consistently for as long as I can. Find what is sustainable for me over the long run.

Personal:

I teach AP European History and other courses at Alta High School. I coached the track and cross country teams at Alta for 16 years.

Married, two kids - Abby and Andy

My Twitter  @murphy_rob

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Miles:This week: 11.50 Month: 121.75 Year: 375.97
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
80.000.000.000.0080.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.250.000.000.0016.25

16.25 in 2:04 around Liberty Park.

This whole run was a struggle. I might have to re-think my plans to run a marathon in a couple weeks and go for the 10k or the half.  

I strongly object to a letter to the editor in my new issue of Outside magazine that arrived yesterday. The letter is from a woman named Marjorie Woodruff from Grand Canyon Village, AZ. Based on the hometown and the info she references, I assume she works for the National Park Service. Her letter concerns the recent crackdown by the NPS on R2R and R2R2R runners in the Grand Canyon. Here's what she writes...

On May 18, a thousand such runners came through. These people do not yield to mules or uphill hikers. They force elderly hikers and children off the trail. They leave their trash along the trail and in the bathrooms. This is the kind of nonsense I go hiking to avoid.

What a load of BS!

First of all, I am a veteran of two R2R2R runs in the Grand Canyon. I did it in 2010 with Jon and Cody and in 2011 with Steve Anderson. I'm skeptical of her claim that a thousand runners attempted this in a single day. Unless it was a one-time thing and some sort of semi-organized activity. I think I met a combined total of maybe 15 total fellow R2R2R runners in my two efforts. How would they even know this to begin with? You don't check in with anyone before setting out. The first time I did it I don't think I even encountered a ranger along the way.

Secondly, I object to her gross generalizations and her frequent use of "they". For every one person who is attempting a R2R2R run, I bet there are several hundred hikers in the Grand Canyon. Hikers and runners often carry the same sort of stuff. How can she tell whether trash was left by a hiker or a runner?  Clearly, hiking is an activity she engages in and approves of, and running is not. I know there are exceptions, but I never left a shred of garbage along the trail and I've never met a trail runner who was in to trashing our national parks. Of the thousands of hikers and backpackers who use the trails, how many of them need to leave some trash behind before I can lump them all together into one group and ban their activity?

I know that in my two crossings I spent a considerable amount of time yielding to mules and long lines of Japanese tourists. When it comes to yielding to "uphill hikers", sometimes I yielded to them, sometimes they yielded to me. But there was never a problem, we worked it out without any conflict. I'm not even sure why this is an issue as most of the time the trails are plenty wide enough to accommodate  both of us.

Finally, these are public lands and it is the responsibility for the National Park Service to manage them effectively. I get that. What I don't get is why this one particular activity is a problem. From a safety standpoint, I bet there are many more injuries and rescues of hikers than there are of R2R2R runners. I can't even begin to list all the stupid, damaging, and destructive things I've seen people do in national parks over the years that rangers don't seem to have a problem with.

They need to either keep it legal to run in the Grand Canyon or make it illegal (although I don't know how you outlaw running in a national park). But they need to stop all this passive aggressive crap. 

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Comments(10)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.000.000.000.0014.00

Great run this morning with Jake, Kramer and my XC team.

Met Jake and Kramer at 7 AM in the gully and ran the GLR then met the rest of the guys at 8 and did it again with a little extra tacked on. 13.5 miles in the gully in 1:45. Another half mile in the gym to give me an even 14. Not sure why I did that.

Good run, but I'm tired. Need to think about getting some more sleep, diet, iron, electrolytes etc... 

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
1.250.000.000.001.25

I'm going to take a day off. First one in 25 days.

Got bored during Abby's swim practice so I went over to the gym and lifted. Pretty hard actually so that I might not be as fresh and chipper tomorrow for my Alta run as I otherwise would have.

Only 1.25 on the treadmill to warm-up so still pretty much a day off from running. 

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

12 miles at Alta Ski Area with my team plus Jake and Kevin.

We had our first moose sighting - a mama and a baby cruising through the campground.

My guys that are showing up consistently are really making progress.  

 

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.007.00

Seven miles in 54 minutes. Tired legs.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.500.000.000.0014.50

Jeremy Ranch Road with Kramer. Rainy, almost cold at some points. FYI, the Jeremy Ranch Road is pretty treacherous when muddy. There's a lot of clay and it gets really slippery.

I saw something new today. In my years of running I've come across a lot of interesting and strange things while running but today was brand new. A team of 16 sled dogs training along the road. All of them husky's of course pulling several people on this all-terrain looking cart. Now I know what those Iditarod type dogs do for training in the summer. 

We went to the Blue Plate for breakfast after with Kramer as well and bumped into Ben Saarel and his dad. We had a great conversation about training, college recruiting, the University of Colorado, etc. The Saarel's are really good people. Typical of most runners when you think about it - taking almost as much interest in the success of others as they do in their own success.

I felt great on the run so I'm enthused about that as well. 

PM: 3 mile walk. 

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
15.000.000.000.0015.00

15 miles in 1:56 - all of it on the trails up at Quinn's Junction east of Park City. What a great place to run! For much of the run I was thinking about how I live in the best place to train in the country. I was actually feeling sad for runners that don't live here.

My racing season just opened up/changed quite a bit as I failed to renew my USATF membership on time this year and won't be eligible for the circuit. Too bad since I think I could have finished second in the masters standings this year. 

On a positive note, it looks like the U.S.A is not going to yield first place in the obesity race to Mexico without a fight. Twinkies returned to the shelves at Walmart today after a one year absence. I was saddened to read this week that Mexico had surpassed us as the #1 fatty nation. I don't like being #2. Thee return of twinkies is a small step in the right direction.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Comments(10)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
80.000.000.000.0080.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
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