Summit junkie!

I spent the day on Mission Beach with my family. We had such a fun time. I was able to take each of my kids out to teach them how to boogie board and they loved it, but the water got a little cold for them, so they wouldn't stay out for long. I spent about 2 hours out there riding the waves and I had an amazing time. I caught some really good waves and they started to get pretty big, so I came in and a few minutes later the lifeguards made everyone come in because of the big waves. I was pretty spent afterward. Boogie boarding is a great workout. We made sand castles, caught sand crabs and even a few oysters that my kids are still playing with.

After we got back and cleaned up I went to the fitness center and did 3 slow miles on the treadmill. Everything feels really good.

Spent the day that the San Diego Zoo wild animal park. It was hot and everyone was a little cranky from all of the miles we have been putting in at the parks. We had the kids go to bed early and I got in some TM miles.

We went back to the zoo this morning to finish seeing everything and it was soooo crowded. We were glad that we saw most of it on Tuesday. After the zoo we went to Mission Beach and it was definitely a party atmosphere down there with a lot of people. We had dinner on the beach and then headed back to the hotel to get packed and ready to leave in the morning.

I did get in 5 on the TM after the kids were in bed. Everything feels really good.

I hit the gym early this morning to lift and I had an excellent session working my upper body. I worked out really hard since I didn't get in a great session last week and I think I may have worked too hard because I was very nauseated after I finished. It was also a sweat-fest.

After the kids went to bed I hit the gym for some TM miles. I did the first two at a 9:00 pace and wasn't feeling great. The next two were at an 8:00 pace and then I wanted to push a little harder just to see how my knee would feel, so I did the last mile at a 6:50 pace. My legs felt great, but the rest of my body didn't like it much.

Did the Wasatch Crest trail this morning with Jun, Matt and Jason. We had an amazing time. The first mile gets pretty steep and I was feeling pretty good until just before the top of the first hill where my ITB started to get a little stiff. I took a short detour to the top of a minor summit and then met the guys back at the saddle. When we started back up I got a stitch in my side that wasn't fun. but luckily it went away after about a mile. It was a beautiful morning and we were really having a great time. It was so green up there.

At mile 4 I started to fill the blister on my toe that I had from bryce Canyon. It was huge after Bryce and had healed, but the skin just so thin there and I could tell it was getting bad, so I stopped and luckily had some band-aids in my water bottle pocket. I put them on and it helped a lot. It still bothered me the rest of the way, but wasn't too bad.

We took another detour to climb Desolation Peak and that was fun, and we saw a huge healthy buck just below the summit.We took some peak jumping pics and then headed down to the lake, and just past it we saw another 4 deer running through the meadow. It was just unreal how pretty it was in there.

I started to get into a great groove and was doing a 7:40 mile and then we had to stop because a mama moose and two calves were blocking the trail and Jun was getting pretty close with his camera. After a few pics they took off and after that I didn't get into a really good groove the rest of the way.

With about a mile left I tripped on a root and crashed into some rocks, but luckily my water bottle took the brunt of the fall. The last mile was really hard for me because my blister hurt and I actually got another one on the same toe (other foot). I haven't had blisters in years and it is sooo annoying. My ITB did get a little tight at times, and was sore at the end, but I really focused on my form and posture today and I think it helped. Thanks for the tips Aaron and Jun.

We had a great time though and it was a perfect way to start the day. Jun has some cool pics on his blog. check them out.

**Update**

Worked my abs/core at midnight for 30 minutes on my ball. I hung out with some friends from high school that I hadn't seen in a while, so we got home late and I barely had time to squeeze in a work out.

I will be working out later after work, but I wanted to welcome my friend Matt to the blog. I know he won't toot his own horn, so I'll toot it a bit for him.

I have known Matt for 3+ years now and he has been one of my best hiking/climbing partners. We have shared many trails and peaks together, and mostly we have shared a lot of laughs. Going out with Matt is always a fun time.

He is a very modest guy, but don't let that fool you. He has been on the summit of nearly all of the peaks around here, and done some incredibly tough multi-peak ridge runs. He has summitted some of the toughest peaks in winter, and loves difficult spring mountaineering days in the Wasatch.

He is new to running, but I think he will do just fine. He did the Wasatch Crest trail with us yesterday and did awesome. Please welcome him to the blog.

About the only thing that is a little suspect about the guy is that he loves wearing edible underpants on summits. Please tease him about this.

http://matthewvh.fastrunningblog.com/

Hit the gym this morning to lift and I had a really good session. I worked my upper body. Afterward I stretched and ran a slow mile on the TM because my hammy has been tight for a few days. It seemed to really help a lot.

After we took our kids to the pool for the afternoon and washed our cars, so we definitely got some sun today. Finished it off at the AF Steel Days festivities and fireworks. Sleepy.

I did the elliptical for an hour today while watching the World Cup final. The last 40 minutes were on the max setting, so it was a really good work out and definitely a sweat-fest.

I also rolled my ITB and stretched for 20 minutes. Everything seems to be feeling pretty good.

On my way home from work tonight I got a wild hair and wanted to go climb a peak tonight, but I couldn't find anyone to go on short notice, so I decided to go to the gym instead.

I lifted for 50 minutes. I worked my shoulders/delts, lats and chest. It was a really good work out.

I had a really busy day today (yesterday). I was able to find time to get some TM miles after the kids went to bed. I did 5 while watching Deadliest Catch. Everything feels really good.

I also picked up some Brooks Cascadia's for a great deal today and I will be trying them out in the Uintas with Jun on thursday. I will be doing Kings Peak and possibly South Kings while Jun goes for the Triple Crown (highest 3 peaks in Utah). It should be a fun day.

Kings Peak marathon-

This would be my 7th trip to the summit Kings Peak, which is the highest point in Utah (13,528 feet). It never gets old. I met Jun at his place on Wed at 9:00 PM and after picking up a few snacks from the 7-11 we were off on the close to 3 hour drive to the trailhead. It was fun talking about peaks, runs, and what our strategies would be on our runs in the morning. Jun was going for the Triple Crown (Highest 3 peaks in Utah) and he wanted to set a speed record for getting all three in one day car to car with no camps in between. I really wanted to do the Triple this year, but I knew with my knee issues of late it would not be smart. I also knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with Jun, so even if I wanted to grind through it I wouldn't want him to have to wait several hours for me at the finish.

It was cool at the trailhead, but not as cold as it had been the two previous years. We set up the tent, got our gear ready, and then settled in for a restless 3.5 hours of sleep. I fell asleep pretty fast, but I woke up at about 3:30 to use the bathroom and I never could get back into a good sleep. The alarm went off at 4:30 and I felt pretty good considering the lack of rest.

Jun cooked up some oatmeal that really hit the spot and we got our gear together and we were ready to hit the trail just after 5:00 AM. The temperature was almost perfect. It was cool, but not cold. We settled in to a nice running pace and chatted for the first few miles as we ran. I knew Jun was going for speed, so it wasn't long before he got too far ahead and I wouldn't see him again for about 5 hours.

The run to Elk Horn Crossing was so nice. The temps were good, and I felt great, but my ITB started to get tight between miles 3-4, so I had to take it easy. I would not run any of the steeper sections, so I was alternating between a nice easy running pace and a power hike, depending on the trail. I reached Elk Horn crossing (5.3 miles) in 1:20, which was 35 minutes faster than my previous best time. I took a short break, had a gel and put on my iPod.

The next 3 miles I again alternated from fast hiking to easy running and the views were just impressive. Towering 13, 000 ft. peaks, wild flowers and everything was very green. I really enjoyed this section. I would stop about every half mile to stretch my ITB and take in the views. Once I got to Dollar Lake (about mile 8) I was expecting to start seeing groups of people making their way to the summit because most people that climb Kings use the area for their base camp. I didn't see anyone at all. After about a mile I did see a couple of groups far ahead almost to the Gunsight Pass switchbacks, and my next goal was to pass them. I picked up my pace and ran most of the way to the base of the switchbacks

Just before the switchbacks I stopped to fill up my water bottles in a spring where we normally stop. I used iodine tablets with all of my water to make sure it was purified. After a quick stop I turned my attention to passing the two groups ahead of me. It turns out it was two scout troops, and within 10 minutes I had passed both groups on the switchbacks. They were moving s l o w and they couldn't believe I was running past them. I heard one guy mumble an Oh my Gosh. I am not very fast for a runner, but compared to most arm-chair hikers my pace actually looks quick.

I noticed one solo hiker left to pass, so I pushed to pass him and get up to Gunsight Pass. He kept looking back at me and then started to speed up, so I didn't quite catch him, but we both arrived at Gunsight within seconds of each other. I stopped to take a gel, while he headed down into Painter Basin. It was very windy up there, so I didn't stay long. I started my traverse over to the Gunsight plateau and I noticed that the guy had dropped way down into the basin and now he kept looking back up at me and where I was going. I think he was second guessing his route, because I saw him turn around, but I never did see him again, until I was on my way down from the summit.

The traverse across the plateau is very rocky and lumpy and not easy to run on at all, so I just kept a fast hiking pace. I didn't see anyone in front of me at all. Just before Anderson Pass I did see some hikers that looked totally confused and they came over to talk to me, asking where Kings Peak was. I pointed up to the ridge and the guy just didn't want to believe me. I spent about 5 minutes telling him right where to go and showing him the way, and finally he said "We will just follow you." They had come from the next basin over and had never been in the area before. There was another guy and his 12 year old son that followed us as well.

After about 15 minutes all of the hikers were lagging way behind, but the 12 year old kid stayed with me all the way to the top. I started chatting with him about hiking and mountains and then I asked him how he was in such good shape and he told me he is a runner and runs 5K's. I found out his PR is 20:04 and I told him he was going to be a great runner and to keep it up. It was fun and I shattered my previous PR to the summit, reaching the top in 4:50. I was the first person on the summit for the day, and I had started 8 miles further than all of the Dollar Lake folks. I started to feel fast (I know I am not).

I was seriously debating a trip over to South Kings. I felt really strong, but after hanging out on the summit I started to feel nauseated, which happens every time, so I decided to go back down. On the descent I passed several parties going up and I had a few comments like "You're fast" and "You look like this didn't even faze you." Haha. Again, I know I am not fast. Most of these were scouts and their leaders. I ran into Jun after about 20 minutes and he was kind of in a bad mood. He was tired, but he was making great time. We chatted for a few minutes and then he took off for the top.

I had been feeling really good (other than my knee being tight) the whole day, but the descent from the summit was murder on my knee. It started to hurt. I couldn't push off or land on it hard or it would hurt, so I had to really slow down because going down is just one massive pile of boulders. I was so slow. When I finally got down to the trail I took about a 25 minute break to eat some solid food. So far it had only been gels. I felt really refreshed, but the traverse back over to Gunsight Pass was very slow as I was now being very tentative with my knee and I was much slower than the way up.

I found a spring and filled up my bottles and took another short break, and then I finally saw someone coming up behind me. I couldn't tell if it was Jun, but I figured if it was he was flying. I was really slow coming back, but I was way ahead of him when we passed each other. Once I reached the pass I picked up my pace a lot. It felt so good to be back onto the trail and my knee felt much better. I made pretty good time going down and just before I reached the bottom I saw Jun taking a short cut to avoid the switchbacks. He had passed me and I didn't even know it. He was only about a minute ahead of me, so we both stopped to take a break to put on sunscreen and make some gear adjustments.

We ran together for about 10 minutes, but he passed me and slowly built up a huge lead. After about 10 more minutes I couldn't see him anymore. He still looked pretty fresh and had an excellent pace going. My body felt relatively good, but I was losing steam. The elevation really works you and I was feeling it. Most of the route is above 10,000 feet and you can definitely feel it. It is much harder to get a fast pace going up there. I alternated from running to hiking all the way back to Elk Horn crossing, passing several people that were shocked to see someone running up there. The people I talked to all asked where I came from and what I did and seemed surprised.

At Elk Horn (mile 21) I stopped to fill up my water bottles and have a gel. The bridge that is normally there has been washed out, so you have to cross the river on wet logs. It is easy, but I guarantee a few boy scouts will take a swim crossing it this year. From Elk Horn back to the trailhead always seems really long. I alternated between running and hiking the rest of the way. When the trail was in good shape I ran, if there were a lot of rocks, boulders or hills I hiked. My knee actually started to feel better, but my energy levels were gone. I was hammered.

Jun was waiting for me at the finish and it felt really good to be done. My mileage was exaclty 26.2, which is pretty cool. I finished in 10:40, which is about 3 hours faster than my time from last year. It isn't earth shattering, but I am happy with it. I think I could have easily shaved about an hour off if my knee hadn't been giving me trouble on the descent. It actually took me almost an hour more to come down than it did going up, and believe me it is much easier going down.

The new Brooks Cascadias were soooo good! My feet felt great the whole day and the shoes take a pounding quite well. After all of the rocks, boulders and scree I was expecting them to be more beat up than they were.

We had an amazing time and Jun set a speed record for the Triple Crown. He was fast and strong and it was fun having a front row seat to watch him go. Even though this hike/run/climb has become waaay too crowded I love it. I will be back every year

I went to the gym this morning to lift. I worked my upper body hard for 50 minutes and then did a mile on the TM just to see how everything feels. I don't have any soreness in my legs or knees and I am very happy about that. I could have run several more miles, but I don't want to rush anything and I decided to give my legs a little break.

I weigh myself every time I go to the gym and I was kind of surprised that I weigh the exact same as I did the day before the Kings Peak run. I was expecting to be down a pound or two.

I'll be working my abs/core tonight.

We took our kids on a drive on the Alpine Loop to get out of the heat and we ended up doing a couple of small hikes. It was a lot of fun, but still too hot.

CRAZY night. I ended up fitting in 35 min on the elliptical and 25 minutes of core/ab work after the kids were in bed. My legs feel great. No soreness anywhere.

I went to the gym to lift after the kids were in bed. The gym was dead and there were only 4 of us in there for the hour. I worked biceps, triceps, lats, shoulders and chest with my friend Mark for 50+ minutes.

I got out for a nice run after work. It was a super fun run, but sooooo HOT and I was a sweaty mess for sure. I haven't run on the road is such a long time, but I really enjoyed it tonight for some reason. I think I need to do that more often. I had a lot of fun and everything felt great.

I had a really fun morning climbing a couple of peaks above Brighton with MatthewVH. I set my two alarms for 4:25 and when the first one went off I promptly shut them both off and then in a fuzzy fog fell back to sleep. Luckily I woke up 15 minutes later and rushed to get out the door so I wouldn't have to make Matt wait. We were going to climb Kessler Peak, but Matt didn't quite have time for that one, so we decided to climb Mt. Majestic (Clayton Peak) and tag Peak 10,420 while we were in the area.

It was actually really windy when we started at Guardsman's Pass, which was nice because it kept the bugs away, but it was cooler than I expected. We arrived at the pass to an impressive sunrise over the Wasatch. This is a really steep hike and you can't run much of it. We did run the saddles and any place we could, but for the most part it is just straight up. It felt good to get my calves burning and we had a lot of fun.

We met a guy and his dog on the trail and we chatted with him for a while about climbing and peaks, and then Matt and I took a detour to Peak 10,420. It was windy on top and we took some really good peak jumping pics. When we got back to the saddle we ran to Majestic and then had a blast boulder hopping on the ridge up to the top. The views were fantastic!

We stayed up there for about 15 minutes chatting more with our dog friend and taking in the views and then it was a quick descent so we could get into work. We had some great laughs and some excellent views. Wasatch mornings are always the best.

I went to the gym and lifted for 50 minutes (upper body/core). There were some new faces at the gym tonight and people watching is always a bonus.  

I went and climbed Grandeur Peak with Jun during our lunch break today. It was HOT going up that West Ridge and it seemed like the sun just sapped all of my energy. I started off feeling pretty good, but a little after half a mile Jun cruised past me and I went into the tank. I don't ever remember this ridge being so tough, but it was hot and I was feeling it. I dripped sweat all the way up to the summit where Jun was waiting for me.

Jun wanted to run down into Church Fork, so we bet that I could beat him down to the pay station at the mouth of the canyon. I downed a gel and finished the rest of my water and Jun took off down the trail. I knew I was in trouble because that ridge is not runable. It is steep and loose.

I fell twice on the descent and really bruised my hand on a rock, but I avoided a nasty spill when I tripped on a rock and flew about 3 feet before I caught myself. I ran where I could, but that wasn't much. I got back to the car totally dehydrated and guzzled some hot water that was in the back of my car. I went to pick up Jun and he had indeed beaten me, but that wasn't a surprise. A positive note is I had absolutely no knee pain, and I can't think of a steeper trail, so I was happy about that.

Trip notes:

West Ridge in the sun- I am not a fan

Descending the West ridge- I am not a fan

Bathtub temperature water- I am not a fan

Jun without a shirt- I am a fan

Today was really busy and I ate waaay too much crap. I got home at 11:30 PM and by time we got the kids to bed it was after midnight and I was tired, but I still managed to do 40 minutes of ab/core work with my ball. I was so tired and didn't feel like working out at all, but after I felt really good and was glad I did.

My kids all wanted to watch a movie this afternoon, so I decided to go on a trail run with my dog while they enjoyed the movie. We went to the Grove Creek trail, which is on the south flank of Mahogany Mountain, which is a peak in front of Timpanogos and only about 15 minutes from my house.

The trail gains some really good elevation and at two miles you come to an impressive waterfall that has 3-4 smaller falls and one that is quite big. My quads have been sore since doing the West Ridge of Grandeur, so I wanted to loosen them up a bit and this trail was a great choice. I think the total elevation was about 1500 feet, but that is just a guess.

After a mile and a half Shyla was TIRED and I was dragging her up. I could tell she was hot and eventually we came across a pool of water and she promptly laid down in it, so I let her rest for a few minutes and then I had to almost pull her the rest of the way. Geez, they don't make dogs as tough as they used to. Maybe it was the heat.

When we reached the waterfall Shyla got in the river and laid down again, and I let her rest for a few minutes and cool down. I washed off my face and filled my hat with water and then we headed down. We made much better time, but had to take care along the cliffy sections. I was worried about Shyla running into me and knocking me off my feet (It has happened before), but if it happened here it could be deadly, so on all of the cliffs I just took my time. The trail actually gets quite small in places with some pretty big drop-offs.

I let Shyla stop a final time to lay in the river with a half mile to go, and then we pushed it quick to the parking lot. This is a really fun trail with some awesome views. I will be back again for sure.

Monday= Weights. I had a really good session at the gym tonight, but the fan wasn't working, so it was incredibly hot in there. I did manage to lift for 50 minutes (upper body) but I figured I would quit when I started dripping sweat all over the bench. Gotta love summer. Gotta love sweat!!

4 easy miles on the TM. Everything is feeling really good.

I had a really busy day today. After work I did yard work until it was dark and then after the kids went to bed I hit the elliptical for 40 minutes.

Bringing sexy back on the Pipeline this morning:

I met MatthewVH at 5:15 AM for a run on the Pipeline trail in Millcreek Canyon. We had an excellent morning. The temperature was almost perfect and we set a nice 9:00 pace. The conversation was good and we talked about some upcoming trips to the Wind Rivers, and of course we talked about Sister Hutchins (a lady Matt home teaches) HAHA!

At lookout Point we stopped to have a gel and take in the views! WOW! My left hamstring was a little tight so I stretched that out for a few minutes and then we headed back up the trail. About half way back I put on my iPod (because Matt stopped talking) and when Bringing Sexy Back came on I had to sing out loud (mostly because it was fun). I was feeling good and at one point stopped to do a little dancing, and I had just finished when 3 ladies came around the corner- whew!

We had a great time.

I fell asleep last night in my clothes watching the news (must have been really tired) and when I woke up at 1:30 AM to get ready for bed I decided I would get up early to lift at the gym.

I was not feeling it this morning. I was really tired and it took about 15 minutes to get going. I did have a good session, but not a great one. Lifted for 45 minutes.

I had a really fun time running in the Big Springs 8K (Battle at Big Springs) up Provo Canyon yesterday. I had wanted to run in the Gruesome Grizzly as well, but I was still recovering from Bryce Canyon and couldn't make it, but I am glad I didn't miss this one.

I got up there around 7:30 and spent a few minutes getting ready and getting my race packet and I was happy to see fellow FRBer Lily up there. We talked for a bit and it was nice to hang out with someone I knew. I did recognize a lot of people up there, but didn't know a lot of names.

The race was a little late starting, and other than the fact that I had to pee really bad I was feeling pretty good. The first .3 the faster runners separated themselves and and the trail got really steep. I slowed down a lot on the hill and just tired to keep a good pace without burning out. After the initial hill we came into a beautiful meadow and I passed a few runners here, as I picked up my pace.

As soon as we went through the meadow the trail got really steep again and pretty much climbs for the next two miles. I ran most of the hills and I was actually passing some people, so I felt like I was pretty strong, but it was tough. At about mile 2.5 I was really hoping the downhill would come quick because I was really getting tired. The trail flattened out a bit and then there were a few ups and downs before we crossed the stream. I picked off another runner, but I had a guy right on my heels that passed me when I finally had to stop to pee in the bush :)

The last two miles are down hill and I was feeling really good. I was under 7:00 almost the whole way and I actually passed a few more guys. One guy passed me going really fast, but with .5 to go he was doubled over and I passed him again. The finish came a little quicker than expected and I just pushed hard at the end. I was shocked that I came in 2nd place in my age group (30-39) and I feel like I could actually run that course a little faster, so I am excited to go back next year to do it again.

Lily was incredible up there. This was only her second trail run and first trail race and she looked like a pro up there. I only saw her at the start and the finish :) Nice work Lily!

This was a great race and they did an excellent job marking the trail and taking care of the runners. They had a raffle and gave out some of the best gear I have seen for a race. It seemed like about half of the peeps got something. I didn't but that is ok. I had a super-duper time anyway.