Summit junkie!

I knew I would be climbing Grandeur Peak in the morning, so I didn't want to do too much, but I still wanted to stretch out my legs and get some cardio, so I did 35 min on the elliptical.

What an incredible morning! I woke up 5 minutes before my alarm at 3:40 am this morning and met MatthewVH at the Grandeur Peak trailhead at 4:30. It was pretty cold when we started out, but once we got going I heated up fast. The trail was completely covered in snow. Luckily, there were some steps we could climb up in from previous hikers, but the snow really slows you down.

Matt lead the way and pushed a decent pace and as we got higher up the views continued to get better. There was a light fog down in the valley and with all of the lights it just looked surreal down there. It was really cool. There was very little wind this morning, which isn't typical on the west ridge, but Matt did find the windiest place on the whole ridge to stop for a potty break. I took a gel (Hammer espresso) and had a drink and I had to zip up my vest to block the wind. That was the only time the whole day I got cold. From here the trail was pretty icy in places and the packed snow was frozen solid, so we had to take care not to slip and it also slowed us down. At this point we also could see a planet in the east that was as bright as any planet I have ever seen before. It was huge.

We were about 4/5 of the way to the top and Matt told me that he had to go back down in 15 minutes. I told him to push and we did, but after 15 minutes we were about 5 minutes from the top. We were now on the summit ridge breaking trail in crotch deep snow. We were not moving fast at all and snow shoes would have really helped, but it would not have been worth it to carry them up there. What noramally would have taken about 5 minutes took us 20, but we pushed to the top where we spent about a second each.

The views were absolutely amazing up there this morning. I was thinking that the only sunrise I had seen with better views this year was in Titcomb Basin in the Wind Rivers. It was that good. The colors in the sky, the snow covered terrain and the misty fog down in the valley were just incredible. That is why I love Utah. It doesn't get much better than this.

The descent was pretty fast, but I did slip on the ice and fell twice because we were moving pretty fast. I was wishing I had taken my trekking poles. We made it back down in about 35 minutes. What an amazing morning.

Here are a few photos. The first is Matt just below the summit (you can see the moon and that planet) and the second is on our way back down.

I hit the gym to lift for an hour. Upper body. Great session.

I wanted to get up early and run Lake Mountain, but I got home late last night and didn't get to bed until early this morning, so I didn't wake up early, but I still wanted to run on a trail, so I went up there anyway. I didn't have as much time as I would need to get to the summit, but I figured I would push as hard as I could before I had to turn around.

I parked right at the start of the dirt road. There was a little bit of mud, but it wasn't too bad. After about a half mile there were a few small sections that were a little more muddy, but nothing serious. Just a I hit the first mile the snow started. It was so warm out and I stripped down to my short sleeved shirt and felt great. I was in snow the rest of the way and I tried to run as much as I could, even though it gets pretty steep. There is a nice track from some 4X4 vehicles and the trail is runnable even in the snow. I was able to get 3 miles up before I had to turn around, so I was about a mile from the top. I stopped and took a quick gel and then ran pretty fast back to the car. I pushed it pretty good in some sections, but it was tough where there was mud. This is a really good winter training run and I will be back for sure. Oh the views up there were great, but the air in the SL valley is just sick!

I hit the gym to lift (upper body) and had a really good session for an hour. My back was a little stiff, but other than that everything feels good.

I did a really fun run up to the summit of Lake Mountain with Jun this morning. The trail was pretty hard and frozen, so there wasn't any mud to deal with, but once we hit the snow it was pretty icy in sections and I knew the run down would be a bit dodgy. We hiked up the steeper slopes and made it to the top in 1:15. The views were fantastic across the lake and looking over to Timp. It was cold on top, but not as windy as I thought it might be. I took a gel and had a drink and then we ran down.

Jun took off pretty fast and I held back a bit because I was worried about the ice. There was a thin layer of snow with solid ice below on a lot of the tracks, so I didn't want to fall. I did slip a few times, but I was able to avoid going down, although Jun wasn't quite as lucky. He made it back down about 5 minutes before I did. What a fun morning. I love that run.

3000+ vert

4 on the TM. I didn't want to do too much because I wanted to give my legs a bit of a rest after two trips to Lake Mt. this week. The first mile was at 9:00 and my legs felt so heavy. They weren't really sore during the day, but I was feeling it now. By the end of mile two (8:40) I was feeling a little better so I pushed it to a 7:40 pace for mile 3 and then by the end of that one my legs felt great so I did the final mile at 6:53.

I went to the gym and lifted for 45 minutes, focusing on lats, back and chest. My friend bailed on climbing Grandeur on Friday because he is getting sick. I might try and get out Sat morning.

3 on the TM. AP 8:40. Legs felt really heavy.

No Grandeur this morning. I hit the gym in the afternoon for 4 easy miles on the TM. My legs were still feeling heavy and I never got into a good groove, so I kept it at an 8:30 pace.

This was one of the best runs of the year because I was able to do it with my kids. My daughter Emma (12) wanted me to take her running and after I told her yes everyone including the dog wanted to come, so we made it a family adventure. The first mile was mostly with Emma and Amelia (10) right with me while I tried to slow the dog down. We just ran down 1120 N. to Hunter Park and back to the house. My son Alec (5) even tagged along and ran most of the first mile. Amelia and I finished in 9:50 and everyone wanted to keep going, so we ended up doing 2 miles together. I would run ahead about 100 yards and then turn around and run back to everyone and then repeat. The kids all ended up with 2 miles and they were tired, so I took them home and did another lap to the park and back. The kids had a blast, so I think we will do this every weekend.

I have to go get some work done at the dentist later and I am not sure that I will be feeling up for my usual Monday workout, so I decided I better get up early and get it done. I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffed up nose and didn't sleep all that well, but I went anyway.

I lifted for 45 minutes and had a really good workout. I'm glad I got up.

A friend of mine that I lift with at the gym wanted to get out and climb a peak with me, so I thought Lake Mountain would be a good choice to hit before work. We started at 5:50 am. It was cool, but not cold and we ran for the first mile and then Nate wanted to stop and hike because it was getting steeper. There was a little bit less snow up there this week and we had a nice fast hiking pace all the way to the top. We made it in 1:17 which was two minutes slower than Jun and I last week.

The sun was just coming up on the summit and it was incredible. It was a little windy, so we ducked behind the summit house to take a gel and have a drink and then after checking out the views for a few more minutes we ran down.

There was still quite a bit of ice to deal with and I slipped a few times, but never went down. Nate stayed with me for the first two miles, but when we came out of the snow and I felt really good, so I pushed the pace (6:45) for the last two miles. I finished in 1:55 and waited 5-10 minutes for Nate to get back.

3K+ vert

I had a very busy day, but I did manage to hit the TM for 3 miles. I didn't feel as sluggish as I thought I might, but I only had time for 3 miles. AP 8:30.

Weights at the gym for 50 minutes. Worked upper body/core.

3 on the TM even though I felt like crap. I actually felt a little better after the run. I did have the pleasure of getting a wellness physical today. They said I was healthy and there was nothing wrong with me, although as Fletch said, it certainly wasn't from a lack of looking.

To the gym at 8:30 this morning and it was packed. I got the last of the 9 TM's. Ran 5 at a nice and easy 8:40 pace after doing the first mile at 9:00.

40 minutes on the elliptical and 35 minutes of ab/core work.

I went to the gym and lifted for an hour (upper body/core).

In Vegas for a few days. I did 4 on the TM at the hotel gym.

Still in Vegas. I went down to the hotel fitness center at 8:00 am and all 5 of the TM's were being used by walkers, so I jumped on the elliptical for 15 minutes and then once a TM opened up I ran 4 miles. I also walked about 3-4 miles around the strip today.

Still in Vegas. I woke up early and couldn't sleep, so I hit the fitness center to get in my workout. I lifted for 45 minutes and then ran 6 on the TM because I knew everyone would still be asleep back in the room. Sweaty!!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone had a great holiday with family and friends.

I did an hour on the elliptical today while watching Dexter.

I wanted to get to the gym last night to lift, but I started putting my Christmas present together (a new TM) and it ended up being a bigger project than I thought. I finally got to sleep around 1:00 am and then I was up at 5:00 to meet Jun and MatthewVH in Lehi to climb Lake Mountain.

We started a little late. It was cold and the trail was basically frozen, and we started off at a slow pace to warm up. After about a mile we were hiking the rest of the way. Jun and I pulled ahead and Matt who has been spending the holidays eating fat and resting was lagging a bit behind. We waited for him once to catch up, but we had to push it some because I had to get into work. The conditions were near perfect this morning with a nice 4X4 track almost all the way to the top without much ice. Jun and I talked about our plans for 2011 and the time flew by.

The last 1/4 of a mile before the summit the 4X4 tracks stopped and Jun and I took turns breaking the trail in the knee deep snow on the steeper slope leading to the summit. It really slowed us down, but it wasn't too bad. Once on top it was COLD and the views were stunning in every direction, with a blanket of fog in the valleys below it reminded me of climbing peaks in the Cascades with the typical cloud caps. Incredible! You have to work for views like these. I choked down a frozen gel and had some of my slushy water and then we headed down.

Matt was just making his way up the deep snow, but turned around because of time. Once we were back on the 4X4 track I stopped to take care of a wardrobe issue and Matt and Jun took off and I didn't see them again until just before I got back to the cars.

The run down was just heaven. So much fun! This is why I run. I had a smile on my face and was just giddy. I felt great and just enjoyed running down the hard packed snow track while taking in the views. We finished in just over two hours which isn't too bad considering the conditions, and Matt kept up a great pace the whole way too.

3100 ft of vert.

An hour in the gym lifting (upper body/core). There were only two of us in there tonight, so it was a great session.

4 miles on my new TM. I love it. I would have kept going, but I didn't have time.

I did two hours of shoveling ice off of my driveway. That should count for something. We had a pretty busy day, so I had to run on the TM before leaving for our New Years party. Without the home TM I would not have run today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!