Summit junkie!

Jun invited me to do a group run this morning on Ann's trail in Draper, but I wanted to get a few more miles, so MattV and I met early at 6:30 to run View Benchmark before we met the group. It was cold when we started, but we warmed up quickly as we gained elevation on Ann's. We had a really fun time talking and laughing and we made it to the summit of VB in exactly an hour which included a few pit stops. It was windy and cold and we didn't stay long. The run down was fun. We kept a steady pace and only had to slow down to move over the icy sections. One summit and 8 miles in the bag and we headed to Chevron to meet the group. We ended up on the Red Rock trail and ran a loop on Ann's. We all just chatted the whole time and enjoyed the views as we gained elevation. It was a really fun run with some great friends. First summit of 2012. I guess I need to come up with a new goal now.

Draper BST with Jun and Dors

What a fun run on a perfect trail in shorts and t-shirts. It felt like early October out there today and we had a really good time. We chatted for about the first 3/4 of a mile and then Jun put some distance on us. I tried keeping him in my sights until we hit 3 miles where we took a short break. On our way up the steep road I was hanging with Jun and my legs felt really good, but then he decided to push it and really put some distance on me to the 4 mile turnaround.

On the way back Jun and I talked for a little over a mile and then again he picked up the pace. I felt really good until about a mile to go and my legs started to feel some fatigue. The weather was almost perfect for running and I really enjoyed it out there today.

PM: 50 minutes at the gym lifting (upper body/core).

Dude Peak attempt with Jun:

Jun and I wanted to run to Dude Peak, which is on the north ridge above City Creek Canyon. To get there we started on the BST at the base of City Creek and turned left toward ensign Peak. MattV and I ran this last week and I really love the trail. It is a steady climb up to the ridge where there are several bumps that have radio towers on them that you can see from Salt Lake and Davis County. We took a slightly different route than Matt and I and went straight up the hill instead of taking the longer more gradual approach. I'm not sure it saved any time, but it was fun going up a different way, plus we got to top out on a few minor hills (not quite summits).

When we passed the radio towers Dude peak looked really far away and after about 20 minutes of running it didn't seem to be getting any closer. We soon realized that we were not going to have time to make it all the way to the summit, but we didn't care. We were running in shorts, t-shirts and enjoyng the warm sun. We decided to take the more gradual route on the descent and we had a fun time chatting the whole way. I did start to feel slightly bonky, so I downed a gel and then 30 minutes later I took another one because I could tell my energy was low.

The run down was a lot of fun. Once we hit the single track Jun took off at a blistering pace and I couldn't keep him in my sights. This is a tough run and I can't wait to get back and hit Dude when we have more time. Check out Jun's blog for some sweet pics.

Solo run up Mt. Wire.

I wanted to get out and enjoy the weather, but I didn't want to pound my legs too much, so I did a solo run/hike up Wire at a very easy pace. The temps were perfect and I really enjoyed being out there today, but I didn't push it hard at all. 50 minutes to the top and very slow back to the car. My legs felt really good though after I finished.

Another incredible run up to View Benchmark via Ann's trail with Jun and Dorsimus today. I was going to take the day off, but when Jun told me that he was going running it sounded like fun and since my legs felt really good I figured there was no reason not to go. The air was clean up above the inversion, the sky was blue and it was a perfect day to be out on the trails. I reached the summit in 46ish minutes and we enjoyed the view and chatted for a few minutes and then braved the steep icy sections on the way down. The last few miles were a lot of fun just cruising at a faster pace and chatting the whole way down.

Weights at the gym. No big woop. 

Weights at the gym. Great session with some good friends. 

Lake Mountain 50K (Circumnavigation of Lake Mountain) with Jun, Jsh and MattVS

Matt wanted to get in a long run to prep for his 100 mile race in March, so we got some of the fellas together and decided that the Lake Mt. 50K course would be the perfect option. We started out a little after 7:00 am and it was downright COLD. The car said 15 degrees and while everyone got their things together I tried stretching and dancing a bit to keep warm and it took a mile or two to start feeling good. Almost right out of the gate we started to climb up to Soldier Pass and we kept up a pretty decent running pace all the way up. The views from the pass were stunning and we were the only humans within several miles in all directions. After that we dropped down into the Cedar Valley where we could see the fog hovering eerily  and waiting for us to enter. As usual we were laughing and joking and the miles were clicking by.

When we got lower into the valley it became quite apparent that the temps had dropped significantly and we all felt it. We were dressed appropriately, but we all had to make a concerted effort to keep the water moving in our hydration tubes or they would freeze within minutes. Jun actually had to mess with his for several minutes after it froze up. At about mile 6 I took off a glove to take a gel and my hand was so frozen that it became totally numb and I couldn't even open a zip lock bag. The gels also were almost solid and became a little more difficult to swallow, but as long as we kept moving we were all fine. There was a fine layer of frost covering all of the bushes and brush and we all started to accumulate it on our facial hair as well, but we were having a great time.

 The dirt road we were on eventually takes you into the edge of Eagle Mountain and after a short stint on some pavement we were back on the trail that would take us around the north end of the mountain. We stopped here to take a break and at that point the trail seemed to be numerous rolling hills the rest of the way. At about mile 17 I noticed that my hamstrings were a little tight and I would try and stretch them out whenever we stopped. At mile 19 we had a cache of food and drinks and we took about a 15 minute break to eat and replenish our energy. I was feeling really good except for my hammies. They were still tight.

 The next 6 miles were pretty tough for me. I usually really enjoy hills, especially on a long run like that, but they were really hurting me and the farther I went the tighter my hamstrings got. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely slowed me some. It was one hill after another as we made our way south on the east side of the mountain. Eventually we topped out on Enoch pass with about 6 miles to go. I had been behind Matt on the way to the pass and he was running really strong up every hill and I was impressed with his toughness.

Running downhill was such a relief for me and my legs felt instantly better. I did have some fatigue, but my hamstrings were no longer hurting and it was nice to be able to run under a 9:00 pace, however I still wasn't keeping up with the other guys and Matt and Jun took off at a blistering pace which was very impressive considering we were over 26 miles in. I settled into a 9:00 pace for the next 3 miles and I was pretty content with that. Eventually I caught up to Josh who had stopped to take a break and we ran in the last couple of miles together. His ankle was hurting and my legs were quite fatigued, so we went pretty slow. Those were some tough miles, but it felt really good to finish. Check out Jun's blog for some really good pictures.

My wife and kids were watching some sort of 'chick' show that I had no interest in, so I went downstairs to watch the Jazz Lakers game on the TM. 4 slow miles while watching Kobe hoist up shot after shot. While running my legs felt ok, but as soon as I stopped they got a little stiff, but nothing to worry about.

Weights at the gym for 40 minutes. I tried to get out for a run today, but I wasn't able to get out.

Malan's Peak solo:

I had to visit a customer in Ogden today, so after my appointment I decided to take my lunch break running to the top of Malan's Peak. I did this run about a year ago with Jun, Dorsimus and Bryce and loved it, so I was excited to get back up there. I started at the 27th Street trailhead and parked my car in the neighborhood below. The trail was completely snow covered, but it was very well packed in all the way to the top.

I tried to run as much as possible on the way up, but my calves were pretty tight, so I did power hike some of the steeper sections. It was really cold and the sun doesn't hit the switchbacks much. I warmed up quickly though and had a fun time working the switchbacks all the way to the top where I ran into an older guy that was on his way down.

I stayed on top for about 15 minutes responding to some work emails until my hands became numb. I took a gel and then had a really fun run all the way down. I was wearing my Altra Lone Peaks and they are incredible in the snow. I didn't slip once and even ran the steeper sections faster than I normally would because they grip so well in the snow. I really need to hit this peak often. It is a ton O' fun.

View Benchmark via Ann's with Rob B.

My good friend Rob texted me yesterday to see if I wanted to do a trail run with him this morning and I'm always up for a good trail run, so we met in Draper to do View Benchmark. Rob runs mostly on pavement and he was excited to get in some trail miles. The wind was blowing pretty hard and I was a little worried about what the summit would be like, but we were dressed for the cold. 

We had a really good time and just chatted the whole way up. Rob really enjoyed the trail and the views. There was packed snow covering most of the trail with a few icy sections, but it wasn't bad. Rob actually did really well and pushed it hard on some of the hills. We hit the summit in 49 minutes and it was windy, but not as bad as I thought it would be. We stayed on top for about 10 minutes taking in the views and Rob took a few photos.

The run down was a lot of fun. I let Rob lead and he pushed the pace wherever he could, although he twisted his ankle after slipping on some ice. The last two miles were at a 8:00 pace and it was really enjoyable and my legs felt solid the whole day.I should also mention that I wore the Altra Lone Peaks again and they were awesome! I think I am finally getting used to the zero drop.

Total time including all breaks 1:31.

I don't mind running in the cold, but I hate the wind and it was really howling out there with this storm, so I decided to just get in some TM miles. 10 min warm up on the elliptical and then 3 easy miles. I ended with a 7:30 mile to get my heart rate up. No big woop. 

Mt. Wire solo:

I started from the zoo. There was a thin layer of snow covering the trail most of the way, but 2-3 people had already been up and put in some tracks. The snow wasn't really an issue except in the steepest section where it was a touch slippery. I felt really good today, so I pushed it pretty hard most of the way up and even though it was bitter cold I was sweating a lot. Up high on the ridge it got windy which made the cold air sting on my face and I had to turn my head to avoid it, but luckily it wasn't sustained and there were breaks where I could warm up some.

I ran from the second saddle all the way to the top and hit the summit in 43 minutes which is one of my faster times up. The wind was really strong up there and it almost took my breath away, so I didn't stay long at all and on my way down to the towers my head was actually so cold it felt like a Slurpee brain freeze. Luckily the wind wasn't as bad when I hit the saddle. I had to take it slow through the steep sections because there was quite a lot of ice, but after that I had a fun cruise back to the car.  I'll be at the gym lifting later (Yeah- arms n back).

Weights at the gym (upper body/core). It was a very good workout, probably my best session in the last few months.

Churchball. I haven't played in months. It was fun, but I played the whole first half and barely broke a sweat. No injuries so that was a plus.

Rain!!! I was forced to run on the TM today. I wanted to do at least 10, but I couldn't take it after 7. Pathetic week!

I really want to run to the summit of View Benchmark from my house, so today I just went out to see how far up to the top of Suncrest I could get in 45 minutes since I had 90 minutes to run. From my house I ran to 1500 N. in Highland and then went west to 6800 W. where I turned and went north. At Freedom Elementary I turned left and followed that to 7200 W. I was excited to run the huge hill here. I think it is as steep as any I have seen in northern Utah County and it was fun to blast down the hill and then make the steep climb back up to the top. When I reached SR-92 I turned right and ran on the road that has been blocked with construction cones. The construction crews were nice enough to leave the Honey Bucket open, so I took a quick potty stop and then continued to the road that goes up to Suncrest (Highland BLVD). I was able to run almost a mile and a half up the road before I had to turn around. I had to stop and make a phone call in a neighborhood and I was getting chilled fast. 

The run down and back home was fun. I had a lot on my mind and the miles went by really fast. I did make another potty stop and also had to make another call, so that slowed me down, but my pace was faster on the way back. Hopefully I can run all the way to the top of VB next time.

Weights at the gym for an hour. I worked my upper body and core. 

View Benchmark with Jun:

Jun and I had a tough but very fun run up to the summit of View Benchmark in winter conditions. The trail was completely snow covered from the start and after about a mile we were breaking the trail all the way to the top which made the running tough. There were several inches to run through, but as we got higher on the mountain the drifts became deeper and it really slowed us down. The final push to the summit became more difficult because we were post-holing in deep snow and getting blasted by a really cold wind. When we left Jun's office it was nice and sunny and it was hard to believe that we were getting slammed with this cold wind, but there was no way we were going to turn back. 

We slogged up to the summit in 1:06 which is about 20 minutes slower than normal. The summit was enveloped in clouds so the views weren't great and the wind was very cold. After Jun made a phone call we took off down the mountain running as fast as we could, but at times we were really slowed down by the deep snow, but we were having a blast. We usually run fast the last two miles, but it wasn't really possible to push it with all of the snow. We did pack a nice trail in up there though. Just before we got back to the car we saw a HUGE buck running on the side of the mountain. I rarely see 'em that big in northern Utah. It was a really fun day and the effort was much greater than the mileage total would indicate.

Check out Jun's blog for some pics.

Salt Lake County canal loop with Jun:

This is a run originally done by Crockett and it is 25 miles of running on dirt trails/roads that run next to canals that run right through the Salt Lake Valley. We started out at a park near Camp Williams at 4:00 am. Just after we started we had to crawl under a fence and then within the first mile I was already heating up. I was expecting it to be colder out there. We had an absolute blast laughing and joking and just chatting at a comfortable pace and the miles flew by. We had to cross a few roads and go over a few fences, but nothing serious. The trail winds through a lot of rural property, neighborhoods and for quite a long way runs in the back yards of several houses. We had a lot of dogs barking at us and set off a lot of motion lights and I'm sure we woke up a handful of people. At mile 8 I took a gel and almost barfed it up. Sick!

At 90th South we got off of the canal road and ran east for about a half mile until we reached a different canal trail that we would follow all the way back. We took a small break to dump some rocks out of our shoes and have a gel and I noticed right away that there was a bit of a headwind on the way back and it lasted almost all the way back to the car. The run back had a little more adventure as we had to jump more fences and cross Bangerter highway. The fence before Bangerter had some barbed wire and I just about sliced my bits and pieces while Craig laughed and threw trash at me. haha. At about mile 19 I noticed that my left hamstring was really tight and it slowed me down the rest of the way. We did stop a few times so I could stretch it out, but it seemed to get a little worse with each passing mile. The last 3 miles are much more rural than the rest of the run and it was really cool to see that part of the valley. Eventually we came to a paved road that took us up a hill and right back to our cars. It was an awesome run and I will definitely do it again. About 95% of it was on dirt trails/roads which is amazing considering we ran so far into the city. Check out Jun's blog for some pics.

4:16 total time including all breaks.

Weights at the gym for an hour. I worked my upper body and core. The weight room is pretty dead on Saturday. I love it. 

5 on the TM. No big woop. 

Mt. Wire solo:

I parked at the zoo and ran to the trailhead. It was really warm and I was thinking I could have gotten away with shorts, so I pulled up my long sleeves and took off my gloves. It was muddy and sloppy right from the start and I tried my best to stay on the patches of snow. Just before I reached the ridge I saw a woman coming down with 6 dogs (none of them on a leash). As they got closer one of them made a beeline for my packaged goods where it commenced a sniff-fest. I felt kind of dirty and cheap after such a quick encounter, but I'm used to that on the trail, so not a huge deal. By the way, how many dogs to you have to own before you can get on Animal Hoarders? She was the only person I saw the rest of the way.

The trail was still pretty muddy and slippery and I just got into a comfortable pace and pushed it on up. The higher I went the more the wind blew, then the sun ducked behind some clouds and it got cold. At the second saddle I decided I was taking it too easy, so I ran hard the rest of the way to the towers and on up to the summit. It has been a while since I pushed it that hard on the final stretch. I didn't stay long at all.

The run down was slower than normal because of the snow. I just took it easy on the steeper slick sections and then once I was down to the first saddle I picked it up and ran it in.

View Benchmark peak with Jun and Dorsimus:

I love this run! Even when the conditions are crappy I still enjoy every step. It was a bit muddy and sloppy out there again today and it slowed us down, but the weather was fantastic and it was a great day for a run on the trails. Dorsimus lead out and I spent the first two miles trying to make up some ground. Once we got to the VB trail I slowly caught up to Dors, but Jun was still ahead. I tried to run as much as I could and I only hiked a few times on the steepest sections. I tried to push it up to the top, but it was hard running in the soft snow because we would sink every few steps.

The views from the summit are always saweeeet and today wasn't any different, some of the best views along the Wasatch Front up there. The run down was slow at first while we made our way through the deeper snow, but once back on Ann's trail we opened it up a bit. I ran pretty fast down the hills and had a blast. We ran the last few miles at a pretty quick pace. I didn't have my Garmin on, but I am guessing 6:50-7:00ish, which was pretty good considering the crappy conditions. Jun and Dors both caught me just before the finish and Dors went down hard in the mud a few seconds later. No harm done. Once again the effort was a lot tougher than the miles. Jun put up some really good pics on his blog.

Grandeur Peak loop with Jun:

I met Jun at 5:00 am and in typical Grandeur fashion the canyon winds were blowing. We made a friend at the trailhead that was surprised to see someone else climbing the peak that early. Jun said "We're not very smart". Haha. The trail was snow covered nearly the entire way. I didn't have my spikes, but the Altra Lone Peaks have solid traction, so it wasn't too much of an issue. The wind died after about 10 minutes (always does). I tried to stay with Jun, but he dropped me before the summit ridge. It was so cool watching his headlamp moving up the  snowy summit ridge and I would take a few moments when I could to check out the view of the Salt Lake valley all lit up below. Awesome. 

I hit the summit in 1:11, gagged down a gel and then we were off down the back side into Church Fork. The trail conditions were actually much better than the last time were were up there. There wasn't much ice to deal with. We got into a good groove and just enjoyed the run down.  Near the bottom the wheels came off a bit for me. I slipped on some solid ice and took a couple of falls and the muscles in my lower back started to spasm. Suck! I kind of lost my groove for a few miles there while I worried about another fall.

We went down Rattlesnake Gulch where we kept a watchful eye for the Millcreek Flasher, but we weren't lucky enough to see him today. The run down the canyon was fun and I started feeling better, so I was able to pick up the pace again. Jun put a little distance on me the last mile and I finished around 2:30. I love this run. It never gets old.

I wanted to bag another peak today to hit 4 in a row, but it just didn't workout for me. By time I could get out the wind picked up and I didn't want to deal with that, so I ended up doing 4 easy on the TM. My back was pretty stiff and tight, but seemed to loosen up a bit after the run. 

Mt. Wire solo:

When I got off the freeway onto Foothill Dr. the first thing that I noticed was the wind was blowing a lot harder than in Sandy.  I parked at the zoo and the wind was even stronger. Dammit, should have done View Benchmark. Oh well, I was prepared. I put on my windstopper fleece gloves, hat and vest and told myself not to be a wuss.

Mud! Slush! Ice! The lower trail is in bad shape right now. Once I got to the ridge it improved and I saw someone ahead of me above the first saddle, so naturally I picked up my pace. It was a woman and I caught her and passed her before the second saddle. Nice lady. Above the second saddle the wind was horrendous and when I hit the towers it slugged me in the chops and took my breath away. I ran hard to the top and turned right around and went down.

I took it slower than normal because I didn't want to slip and tweak my back again. Below the second saddle the wind seemed to die which was nice and then it was a messy slog back to the car.

We went to the Lehi Legacy Center with some friends and our kids and while the kids were swimming I hit the weight room to lift for about an hour. I had to be careful because of my back, but after I finished my workout my back was actually a lot less tight. Worked upper body/core. 

5 on the TM while watching The Daily Show. No big woop!

The big news for the weekend is that I got into Wasatch 100 for 2012. Also congrats to Jsh, Jun and MatthewVS for getting in as well. It will be fun to hang out with those guys and run the race again. Last years race was a huge unknown for me, but this year my approach will be completely different. I really want to go under 30 hours, so I'll do whatever I have to to reach that goal. I am psyched for all of the training and especially for the race. 

6 on the track at the gym. My friend Nate was there and we ended up running the whole time together which made the time fly by. I am not a fan of the track, but running it with a friend makes a big difference and I actually enjoyed the run. 

View Benchmark peak with Jun and Dorsimus:

We decided to mix things up a bit and do VB starting at the Red Rock trailhead. The trail was pretty sloppy as we made our way up Potato Hill. Mud, slush and ice. It made the climb a lot harder than normal. Jun kind of pulled away and Dors and I stayed together. I was trying to stay on the crusty snow as much as possible because where there wasn't snow there was mud. Once we reached the VB trail the wind really picked up and we mostly stayed together, although Jun pulled away again. There was some post-holing to deal with, but I tried to push it where I could. It was windy on top and we didn't stay long. 

The run down was a lot better and we decided to take Ann's trail all the way down to avoid the slop. With about 2 miles to go I started feeling pretty tired. I struggled with energy most of the run. Maybe it was not bringing any water. I'm not sure, but I wasn't feeling great. Dors on the other hand pushed a very strong pace and went out of site meeting us back at the cars. Back at the Ann's trailhead we took the road back to our cars and Jun really put some distance on me as well. They both finished well before I did. It was a much tougher day for me than the mileage would indicate.

Weights at the gym for an hour working upper body/core. 

I was go to take the day off, but ended up doing 4 to stretch my legs.

Lake Mountain solo:

It has been a while since I went up Lake Mountain, so I really wanted to get up there this weekend. I started at 7:30 and it was really warm. I parked down in the neighborhood, turned on my ipod and settled into a slow pace to warm up as I made my way up the trail. After about a mile the ice started and the road was pretty icy for until about mile 2. I could avoid the ice on the side of the road, so it wasn't bad, but slowed me some. After about two miles there was a track in the snow all the way to the saddle. I alternated between a run and a fast hike and only stopped a few times to pee. :)

I made decent time to the saddle, but from there it was horrendous. I had to break trail to the top and the snow conditions were horrible, with a hard icy crust with sugary powder below, so I would sink with every step and my ankles and shins took a pounding from the hard crust. Slow! 1:13 to the top where I took in the views, but didn't stay long. Getting back to the saddle was almost as slow as going up. I re-traced my tracks and slowly made my way down. Back at the saddle I was able to get into a good run and I got progressively faster as I made my way down. When I got past the steepest section I could finally get into a fast pace, which got faster (sub 7) when I finally got off of the ice.

As I came out of the canyon I could hear gunshots and there was a group shooting guns just below me and they kept shooting even though I was only about a hundred yards away and only about 25 yards out of their direct line of fire. They were just blasting away. Gotta love Lake Mountain on the weekend. I got into a great groove and pushed a fast pace all the way back to the car. I love this run.

I was thinking about doing Lake Mt. again, but when I woke up to rain I went back to bed. I spent most of the weekend helping my son build a lego set he got for his birthday. Hours and hours! Did 5 on the TM to loosen up my back after that. 

Weights at the gym for an hour. I worked upper body/core. I spent a good amount of time on the pull up bar and I was feeling really good. I was able to do several sets of 20+ without much of a problem. Usually I start getting pretty worked after about 3 sets. 

Mt. Wire solo:

I had a business appointment on the east side of SLC, so I took my lunch break on the summit of Mt. Wire. I parked at the zoo and it felt really warm, so I didn't take a hat or gloves. The lower trail was muddy, but most of it was avoidable. There wasn't as much snow as I thought there would be and I didn't get into sustained snow until I was half way to the second saddle. I stopped to put on my spikes and the wind really picked up as a cloud moved in over the mountain. I was wishing I had my hat. It got cold. I picked up my pace and at the second saddle I really tried to pick up the pace. 

I stopped just before the towers to send an email and then I pushed it on up to the top in the snow. The sun came back out and the wind died a bit which was nice. The snow was much softer than what I had gone through on Lake Mt. a few days ago and I easily cruised in the tracks that someone else had left from earlier in the day. On top I took in the views and then ran at a pretty easy pace back to the saddle and from there I picked it up, except on the steep sections where I took it easy. I pulled off my spikes where I had put them on and then once I hit the first saddle I was able to run at a much quicker pace until I hit the mud.

I took this photo when I stopped to send an email. This is just before the first tower with the summit tower in the distance:

Grandeur Peak and Mt. Wire with Jun:

I met Jun at the west ridge trailhead at 4:30 am. We planned on doing a double up (uhh uhh) and that's why we started so early. We put on the micro-spikes at the start of the ridge and we were climbing on snow the rest of the way. Jun pulled away from me a few times, but always stopped to wait. We had a casual pace and just chatted the whole way up. We both noticed that we were going pretty slow and the higher we got the more snow there was. By time we reached the final push on the summit ridge the tracks we were following died and the snow became a lot more difficult to manage. It was deep sugary powder and even with the spikes on we were sliding. This slowed us down a lot. Jun reached the summit a few minutes before me and I came in at 1:34, which was 23 minutes slower than last time. We didn't stay long.

The run down was a lot more fun and we were able to pick up the pace. We chatted most of the way down and then Jun went ahead the last half mile. At the bottom we decided we didn't have time to do Grandeur again, so we cruised over to Mt. Wire to get in our second peak of the morning.

It seemed to me that the temperature was cooler on Wire, but maybe it was because I was wet and just got out of a warm car. I followed Jun until we reached the 'shortcut' where I went straight up and Jun took the longer route.We met back up at the start of the ridge as Jun caught me and then it started snowing and didn't quit the rest of the way. Jun got ahead and I put on my ipod and just put it in grind mode and pushed it up to the top. My legs were actually feeling pretty good. Jun beat me and didn't want to wait in the cold snow, so he passed me just below the first tower and I made it up in 54 minutes. It was snowing and cold, so I didn't stay long at all.

The run down was slow. There was a thin layer of snow on the trail, so I took it easy over the rocky steep section and then once I got down to the first saddle I picked up the pace back to the car. I was wet and cold, but it felt good to get in two peaks in the bag before work.

Life has been crazy the last few days and I took two days off from working out for the first time in months. I was planning on doing a 30+ mile run on Antelope Island today, but Jun came up with a better plan that we moved to Monday, so Antelope was out. I still wanted to get in a solid run, so my friend Nate and I ran Lake Mountain together.

We met at 6:00 am and it was much colder that I thought it would be and it was slightly breezy at the start which made it even colder. After a half mile though we were both fine. We ran the first 1.5 and then Nate wanted to hike the steeper sections, so we settled into a quick power hile and enjoyed a good chat th rest of the way up. We would run at times to get our heart rate up and then back to the hike.

The final push was tough as we post holed in shin/knee deep powder. Nate broke most of it since he had on his gaiters. On top we took in the views, snapped a few pics and headed down. When we got back to the road we ran a pretty quick pace (7:30ish) down past the steepest section and then I picked it up the last 3.5 running sub 7 the whole way. I felt fantastic. I think that was my fastest time on that descent. I finished about 5 minutes ahead of Nate and he looked strong at the finish. What a fun morning!

Weights at home for 40 minutes.

The Wedge at the Little Grand Canyon in the San Rafael Swell with Jun, Dorsimus and MattVS:

This was my first time down to the Swell and it did not disappoint. We met at the American Fork park n ride at 5:00 am and it took about 3 hours to get down to the Wedge where there is a sweet lookout into the Little Grand Canyon. We would be running on a rim trail that goes around the rim of the canyon for just over 15 miles and then back. It was 20 degrees when we got out of the car, but the sun was shining, with no wind and it looked almost perfect for running. After a few pics and a little goofing off we hit the trail. The first 5 miles were a lot of fun running in the mid 8's, talking and laughing a lot. We also stopped at most of the lookouts to take pictures. 

My hamstring was really tight and sore after my run up Lake Mountain on Saturday and I was worried about it, but hoped it would loosen up. It didn't bother me at all early on, but was tight. At about mile 5 I noticed that my stomach was unsettled and by mile 7 it hit hard and the guys had to wait for me for a few minutes. From about mile 10 to the half way point I was running by myself and had to stop a few more times to deal with my stomach. Damn tamales. They were good though.

I passed Jun on his way back and he told me I was about .5 from the turnaround. I also passed Dorsimus and then MattVH and I convinced MattV to hang back with me because I was worried about my hamstring which was now really tight and hurting. We took about a 10 minute break at the turnaround taking in the views and I put some glide on a hot spot on my toe and had some GU chomps.

The next 5 miles were by far the most difficult of the day for me. My hammy was really hurting and I had to stop again because of my stomach. Matt was a good sport to hang with me. I popped 800 mg of Ibuprofen about mile 19. I hate taking it when I run, but it was almost a necessity. We had a pathetic pace back to where we had cached some food just after mile 22. I had run out of water and the Coke I had stashed was fantastic. I also refilled my water and ate about 500 calories. The Ibuprofen also started to kick in and I couldn't believe the difference.I felt like running again.

The next 4 miles we tried to pick up the pace and just chatted away. I was having fun again and enjoying the views that we would stop to take in at the lookouts. It was tough getting into a fast pace on this trail because it winds a lot and there are a lot of rocks to deal with, but I really enjoyed it. About mile 26 we stopped so Matt could retrieve some clothes he had stashed and I told Matt to just catch up and I would run slow, but I got two great songs in a row on the ipod and all of the sudden my legs were feeling incredible and my energy was up so I picked up the pace and ran it in pretty well the last 4.5 miles.

The last mile on the road I was feeling really good and I actually saw the 7's for the first time in a long time. I was having fun and felt great when I saw Jun and Dors driving toward me about a quarter of a mile from the finish. I ran it in hard and jumped on a rock and yelled out a primal scream. Awesome. MattVH came in a few minutes after, but he also had an extra mile since he ran back with me and I am sure I slowed him down on the way back as well. I really enjoyed this run, even though I went through a lot of issues out there. The views and the company were as good as it gets and I was happy that I finished strong. I can't wait for the next adventure.

Total time including all breaks: 6:11. I think the total moving time was closer to 5:20ish.

You can check out some pics here: The Wedge

I am surprised at how good my legs after our run on Monday. My left hammy is a bit sore and my core has some soreness as well, but overall I feel good. I went to the gym to lift for an hour and worked my upper body.

I started out with 20 min on the elliptical and everything felt great, so I did 4 slowish miles on the TM. My legs felt good during the entire run, but as soon as I got off I could tell there was still some fatigue there. Good sweat. 

Busy day! I wanted to get out during the day, but that didn't happen and it was just me and my kids tonight, so after I got them to bed I hit the TM in the basement. It took me about 20 minutes to get down there because I despise that thing, but I made it. I got through some of my DVR backlog and worked up a fair amount of sweat. 

View Benchmark peak solo:

I wasn't feeling well last night, so I wasn't sure if I would be running this morning, but I woke up and couldn't sleep and I felt good, so I jumped out of bed, grabbed my stuff and drove to Draper to run VB via Ann's trail. It was slightly breezy at the start, but pretty warm, so it wasn't bad at all. I was hoping to beat the storm that is moving in today. 

The trail was a bit sloppy today with soft snow, but at least the mud wasn't bad. The soft snow did slow me down a lot and once I got to the upper mountain it became worse and it really slowed my progress, but it was a great workout. I had the mountain to myself today and my ipod kept feeding my one good tune after another. The final push to the top was slow because of the deep snow and I made it to the top in just under an hour. I hung out for a few minutes, stretched my hammy and took in the views. I could see the storm moving in from the north and the clouds were getting dark.

The run down was a lot of fun, but slower than normal. As I went down the wind picked up and it was really blowing the last few miles. More great tunes in the ipod and more solitude. I really had a fun run even though the conditions made it tougher than normal. I finished in 1:44.

6 on the TM while trying to clear out my DVR backlog. 

View Benchmark Peak solo:

I got up early to run VB before work. It was cold and breezy at the start, but once I got moving it wasn't bad at all. The trail still has a lot of snow and ice on it, so it is tough to go fast, but I just slowly made my way up. It was a little better than Saturday because the trail was still pretty frozen so I didn't sink as much in the snow and there wasn't any mud. I didn't see another soul as I made my way to the VB trail where it is snow covered all the way to the top. The lower portion is in decent shape, but the higher you go the deeper the snow is and it becomes more of a slog. 

I was on the summit in 58:00. Slow, but it was just tough to move fast. I watched the sunrise for a few minutes, stretched out my hammy and then had a really fun run down. It was much slower than normal, but I still had a blast and I had the mountain all to myself.  Total time 1:42.

Weights for an hour. This is the first time in a few months that my back wasn't sore, so I was able to do my normal workout.

On the track at the gym. The miles were easy and I pushed the pace pretty hard for most of the run. 

Crazy day. By time I was able to go for a run it was snowing hard, so I ended up at the gym again. First 3 at 8:30 and the last 3 at 7:45. 

Set a new PR today. 3 days in a row on the track at the gym. I hope to never surpass or repeat that for the rest of my life. 

I went to the gym to lift for an hour. Yeah yeah- arms n back. 

6 on the TM while I tried to clear out my DVR backlog. 

View Benchmark peak solo:

I finally got outside for a run. The weather looked perfect, so I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to get out. I ran VB via Ann's trail and it was a total mess. SLOG! Ann's trail has a lot of snow, a lot of slush and a good amount of mud. After about a mile the snow was up to my knees and when I got to the turnoff there were no tracks, so I was breaking trail all the way to the VB trail. SLOW! There were a few occasions where the snow was up to my thighs. It was a total slog until I got the the VB trail where there was a solid track put in all the way to the summit and I was able to run most of the way up to the top. It took me 1:10 to the summit which is about 30 minutes slower than normal. I didn't even stop and just turned right around and ran down.

The run down was also pretty tough because the snow started to get really soft, so I was sinking a lot more than on the ascent. I said a lot of curse words, but it was easier than going up. I was able to keep a nice running pace until I got back to Ann's where I was slogging again for about a mile in the deep snow. The last mile was tough and I was just happy to finish, but it was good to get back out into the hills again.

No way I was going to run with this wind, so I went to the gym to run. My friend Nate was there so we ran the track together chatting about running and the time flew by.

I went to my first spin class ever this morning at the gym. It was a really good workout and I was dripping sweat everywhere when I finished.  We also did some upper body core work during the class. I'll be back.

Arms N Back

Weights at the gym for 50 minutes working upper body/core. I have a sore (or strained) ab muscle, so I took it a little easy on the gut. 

Antelope Island 50K with Jun, Jsh and Dorsimus:

I had the most enjoyable run out on Antelope Island with the crew. We started at White Rock Bay and our goal was to run the 25K course with the out and back added on for 19 miles and from there see how much time we had and hopefully get in a 50K. It was a touch cool at the start, but we were all wearing shorts and it was almost perfect weather for running. It was really fun for the first 5 miles just chatting with the fellas and running at a nice easy pace. Everyone pushed it up the hill to the Elephant Head aid area and I dropped to a power hike to save my legs. From there we dropped into the valley and we spread out for the first time. Jun took the lead and I tried to keep pace while Dors and Jsh were just behind. We were all running about a 7:30 pace and it felt easy.

Climbing out of the valley on the switchbacks was really fun and we were all moving well. We all ran the entire way up and that was the first time I have ever run that section without hiking. At the top I stopped to pee and Dors and Jsh never came, so I went back to see what was up and Jsh was cramping, so we slowed for a bit so he could stretch it out. There was a bit of mud and snow over the next half mile, but nothing to slow us much. It was really the only place we encountered any mud all day. Back at Elephant Head Jsh decided to go back to the car because of his cramps and sore ankle and we continued with the out and back to Elephant Head. On the run out I stopped to pick up an S-Cap and the other guys got a little bit ahead and I just tried to keep up. It was really fun and the views are incredible. At the turnaround I was still a little behind the guys and they slowly put some distance on me and I would be running by myself all the way back to the car.

My hamstring that has been bothering me started getting tight and I slowed down. After the Elephant Head aid area you run down a pretty steep hill and at the bottom I stopped to take some Ibuprofen. I was able to get back into a pretty solid pace, but the other guys were about a half mile ahead. I just cranked up my tunes and had a nice run back to the car. After a few more miles my hammy seemed to be getting a little better, but it was still tight. I made it to the cars (mile 19) about 8 minutes after Jun and Dors and I had to hurry and cram some food in as fast as I could. French toast, sausage, V8 and Pepsi. Mmmmmm. We left the aid stop and ran west around Buffalo Point. My legs were a bit stiff at first, but they slowly came around and felt a lot better.

Jun pushed a pretty solid pace and I really enjoyed the views going around the point. Incredible! The views all day were unreal, but I really enjoyed this area as I had never been over there before. When we came around to the north side we picked up the road and ran over to Buffalo Bay. Jun kept a solid pace and again put some distance on us. Matt wasn't far behind, but they dropped me a little there. We picked up the trail that goes south to the Ranch and ran that back to the fence where we turned and headed west again in the direction of the cars.

We hiked up the steeper hill there for a few minutes and hit our 26.2 point. At the top we decided to go to the top of Buffalo Point or I should say Jun decided that. Dors and I were looking up there and thinking it was really far and high up, but we thought we could give it a shot. The run on the road over to the point was awesome. We were all feeling great and we had a very solid pace. To get to the trail to the point you have to run up a very steep road and all three of us were strong all the way to the top. I kept running when we got to the trailhead and tried to catch Jun who was ahead. We ran about 3/4 of the trail all the way to the summit. Awesome! We were all feeling great. We hung out on top for a while and took some pics.

The run down was fun. We kept a strong pace all the way and even pushed it at times. When were were coming close to the cars we decided to take the longer route to get a full 31 miles for an ultra distance. When we got back to the parking lot I had to run zig zags and some circles to finally hit exactly 31, which I hit at the car door. What an incredible day with great friends. It was one of the best runs I have ever had. 5:28 minutes total time.

4 slow recovery miles. There was still some soreness in my quads and IT bands. 

3 easy miles around the hood. No big woop. 

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

Spin class again. Sweat-fest. 

Sloppy slog up Lake Mountain with Jun:

Jun and I got up early this morning (3:30ish) so that we could do a double of Lake Mountain. We met at 4:45 and were running up the trail just after 5 am. It was warm. After about 1.3 we hit our first patch of mud and we continued through it off and on with slush mixed in for the next mile. It was a sloppy mess. The last few miles to the top were on soft slushy snow and it was tough to get a quick pace, but it was a really good workout. 

We took a new route to the summit and on top it was pretty windy, so I didn't want to stay up there long. We post-holed back down to the road where I took a gel and then we had a SLOW run all the way back down to the dry trail. We still had a great time chatting the whole time and I'm glad we got out, but we scrapped the idea for a double because of the crappy conditions.

I tried to beat the storm so I got out and ran on the roads in Highland/Alpine/American Fork. It was breezy when I started, but not too bad. I ran north into Highland and eventually made my way to the Apline Hwy where I kept going north. The wind picked up and I even felt some sprinkles, but nothing that serious. When I hot to Kohlers I turned left and went west on the Timp Hwy. I had some great tunes and really picked up the pace. I was running mostly about an 8:30ish pace, but once in a while I would go into the 7's when I got a good song.

At 6000 W. I went south back towards my house. I had to pee and saw a POP in a new housing development, but kept running and figured it wasn't worth it because the wind was now blowing really hard and I just wanted to get back home. The wind was very strong at times and slowed me up some, but it was fun. 

I finished in 58 minutes.

Almost the exact same run as yesterday except it was more direct as I went straight to the Apline Hwy from my house instead of meandering through Highland. The wind was blowing and it snowed the entire run, but I loved it. The wind wasn't quite as bad as yesterday, but I did have to deal with heavy snow at times. I just cranked the ipod and enjoyed the run. 

The snow was pretty bad for the first 20 minutes, but it slowed a bit when I hit Kohlers. Today I hit the POP at the housing development and I was glad I did. It added 3 minutes of time. No big woop. The run was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the route a lot. 

Total time 1:00

Weights at the gym for 50 minutes. I have an ab strain of some sort, so I didn't do any core work. I just did 'arms n back' with a little chest mixed in as well. 

DD gully with Jun and Brent:

It was a fantastic day to get out for a run and we had a really good time. We started at 13th and ran up to the Bell Canyon trailhead chatting the whole way. Saw St8 at the TH and got to chat for a bit and then we went up to the reservoir. It was awesome up there. 

The run back down was just as fun. I really enjoyed it out there. The weather is getting good and I'm excited to get back up into the mountains on some dry trails.

Spin class at the gym with the ladies again. This is the third week in a row and I am the only guy going. It was a lot of fun and a great workout. I sweat all over everything in there. 

I'm super stoked to be pacing MattVH at the Buffalo 100 on Friday. It will be his first 100 and it should be a lot of fun out there. 

Pacing MattVH on the Buffalo Run 100:

I had an incredible experience pacing MattVS on his first 100. I met Dorsimus out there about 8:00 pm on Friday. We had to get out there early because they closed the gate to the island at 8:00 pm. On a hunch we decided to check the aid station near the fence (about mile 44ish) and remarkably Matt was just coming up to the road when we got out of the car. We walked with him for about a half mile and had a good chat. Then we went over the the campground a few miles away to cheer him on again. After that we went back to the start/finish to wait for him to come in. We got to chat with several runners and crews and eventually Matt came in looking good.

Dors went out with him to pace and I hung out in the tent helping other runners that came in. Eventually a friend of Jun and Dors (Tyler) came in looking like crap. He is 18 and this was his first 100. He couldn't keep anything down and had been puking and was dehydrated and cold. His Mom and supporters told him that 50 miles was good enough and they started to tell him to quit. I went over to offer some advice and tried to be positive with him. I spent the next hour with the aid station doctor talking with Tyler and his family. I told him to warm up, get some food and water down and try to get moving. Two of his friends showed up and offered to pace him the rest of the way. I thought her was going to give it another shot and I wished him luck and then went to my car to catch a little sleep. I found out later that Tyler never got back out and DNFd. I am sure it was a great learning experience for him.

I tried sleeping in the back of my car, but it was tough and I was restless. I finally dozed after about 45 minutes and I was able to get about 90 minutes of rest before Matt knocked on my window about 2:30 am. I got dressed and drove over to our meeting spot (the short out and back on the east side of the island). I waited for about 15 minutes and they finally showed up. Matt was still looking good, but I could tell he was tired and he said he needed to walk for a bit because his stomach was unsettled. For the next 11 miles we would walk for a few minutes and then run for a few. A couple of times we kept the pace going for about a half mile and before the Frary aid we actually ran for about 3/4 of a mile without stopping. We laughed a lot. I tried to joke around as much as possible and even though Matt was feeling like shite we were having a blast.

We tried to keep the aid stops as short as possible. We would try to get Matt everything he needed and then kept moving. We hit the ranch aid just before sunrise and Matt was getting cold, so he put on some warm clothes and I rubbed out his legs. We had the two aid station workers laughing pretty hard. So far we had not been passed by any runners, but about 10 minutes after we left the ranch we saw the first runner and he was looking strong. Matt started to bonk a bit over the next 5 miles and for good reason. He was over 85 miles in and had been awake for 24 hours. I tried to get him to run as much as possible and eventually the guy that we passed came into view. He obviously didn't spend much time at the ranch. I kept telling Matt they were coming, hoping it would motivate him to move faster, but I could tell he was just wrecked. He did pick up the pace just enough to stay ahead of the other runner to the Frary aid station. We stopped there and ate pancakes, sausage and Coke. Mmmmm. After a brief rest we got moving again. The sun was up and it was definitely getting warmer. About a half mile out of the aid and we could hear and see the runners high on the hill for the other races. There wasn't anybody within a mile of us, but I still tried to keep Matt moving fast. We joked and laughed some more and the next 5 miles actually seemed to go by pretty quick, at least for me, but I am sure Matt would disagree.

The 50 mile runners started coming into view and they looked fast and fresh. We saw Bryce and he was looking strong. I think he finished 7th in the 50. Awesome! There is a nice little hill after the fence line aid station and we grabbed some food and walked the hill. I could tell that Matt was really feeling it here. An older guy passed us and he was moving well. After you get to the top of the hill you make your way over to Buffalo Point. It seemed like Matt was really having a hard time and I just tried to stay positive and make him laugh. For the most part it worked.

At the campground aid (mile 96) we saw Matt's mom and Dad and I could tell that it lifted his spirits a lot, but I think he was looking forward to seeing his wife and boys. Going around the point was slow. I took in the incredible views that I didn't get to look at too much a few weeks ago because I was trying to keep up with Jun and Dorsimus. What an amazing part of the island. As we rounded the point I tried to keep pushing Matt as much as I could, but he was very fatigued. Eventually we saw a runner coming from behind and he was looking strong. He was closing the gap quick and I told Matt we needed to beat him in. The next 2-3 miles to the finish were the most exciting of the whole race. After prodding Matt for a few minutes he came to life and started to run. It was a 12 min pace and soon became 11. A few more minutes and we saw the 10's for the first time in hours. I would yell out our pace every time we broke another minute barrier.

The other runner seemed to be gaining for about a mile, but eventually our pace was strong enough that he wasn't making up any ground, but I didn't tell Matt that. I told Matt he was still coming and looked strong. It was fun to see Matt pushing it so hard at mile 99. We came to a pretty decent hill with less than a mile to go and I told Matt to hike it strong and he did and we ran hard on the dirt road back to the finish. I finally told Matt the hill killed the other runner and I could see the relief on his face and we both knew he wasn't going to get passed. One more quick walk break to catch his breath and then we ran it into the finish. We passed Faceless Ghost who had just finished the 25K and said hi and then Matt's wife and kids were there with posters to welcome him in. It was pretty awesome and I am just happy I got to experience part of it. Congrats to Matt for finishing his first 100 in under 24 hours (23:20).

Here is a link to some pictures I took of the race:

Pictures

Malan's Peak solo:

I had to go to Ogden for a family event and my legs were feeling pretty good after my 28 mile day yesterday, so I decided to do Malan's Peak. The weather looked threatening, but the temps were great. I parked on a residential street below the trail and started running up the hill. I really love this run and if I lived closer it night be my treadmill. The first 1.5 were really fun. My legs felt good and I ran a lot and only hiked the steepest sections. After that I started running into ice patches that slowed me down some because I didn't want to take a dive. The last .4 were actually snow covered, so that also slowed me as the snow was getting soft. I made it to the top in 49 minutes and I took a break to stretch and take in the awesome views.

The run down was fun, although I did have to slow down again to take it easy over the ice. My legs felt really strong the whole way and I just enjoyed blasting the ipod and cruising down. Awesome! The trails are drying up and it is time to get out into the mountains.

I lifted at the gym for an hour. I still have a slight strain in my abs, so I had to take it slightly easier than normal. Overall it was a really good workout. 

Avenue Twin Peaks with Jun:

What a fun day!!! With the dry trails and almost perfect weather it would have been a sin not to get out into the mountains today. Jun and I had a really fun run from the Capitol building up City Creek Canyon to the summit of the Avenues Twins. I spent most of the time trying to keep up with Jun and he pushed a pretty good pace the whole way. My legs were actually feeling pretty good on the way up and I ran more of the route today than I ever have. I even ran the steep hills that I usually hike, but I was still not able to keep up with Jun. He was looking strong out there all day. I made it to the top in about 57 minutes which is my fastest time up. We took a quick break and then pushed it pretty good all the way back to the car. My legs started to feel pretty fatigued by about mile 8, but I just pushed through it. We had a lot of fun chatting and enjoying the sweet temps and views. 

Awesome day!

AM- Spin class with the ladies. Sweaty mess.

PM- Weights at the gym for 30 min.

Wire and Red Butt Peaks with Jun:

This run was just what I needed today. It was breezy and cool at the start and I was hoping the wind wouldn't be too bad on top. We had a very moderate pace up Wire just chatting the whole way and enjoying the trail and the views. We were up to the summit in 49 minutes and we stopped to take in the sweet vistas and then we cruised over to the summit of Red Butte. The Red Butte ridge is very rocky, so we were not fast moving over that. We stopped again on top of Red Butte. It was a very casual run. We stopped a lot and just enjoyed the morning.

Instead of dropping down to the BST like we normally do we kept going on the ridge and then eventually dropped in Red Butte to run the loop. It was slightly muddy in a few spots, but not too bad. We had a very fun run back to the car. It was a decent effort with some good elevation gain. Check out Jun's blog for some pictures.

Mt. Wire solo:

Perfect day to run on top of a mountain. My legs felt fresh and I pushed a faster pace than yesterday with Jun. At the first saddle I took off my shirt and it felt great to be outside with the sun on my back. I was on the summit in 45 min and the wind was really blowing up there by time I reached the second saddle. The run down was fun, but the wind really picked up and the sun went behind a cloud that was moving in so it wasn't quite as nice, but it was still very enjoyable on the mountain.

I stopped by Fast N Easy for a Diet Coke and donut on the way home, but they were out of the good donuts. Ugh! DC was good though.

6 very easy miles on the road in my hood. 

My left hammy is still tight, so I figured I would rest it. 60 min on the elliptical. No big woop. 

Weights at the gym for an hour. Excellent workout today. 

7 at a 7:52 pace around my hood. I ran down to the Alpine Hwy and then turned north  to Kohlers and back. I felt really good today until about a mile to go and then my hammy started to get sore. The weather could not have been better. 

Spinning with the ladies again. It was probably the toughest spinning session so far. Sweat, sweat and more sweat. 

View Benchmark Peak solo:

I had a really awesome run today on Ann's trail to the summit of View Benchmark. It was cool, but not cold at the start. I had on my shorty shorts and a long sleeve shirt in case it got windy at the top. The trail was completely dry and I really enjoyed the run. On the steepest hill two mountain bikers came a rumblin' down a little out of control. There are a lot of rocks there and for a few seconds I thought they were going to nail me. The bikes looked to be just off the Wal Mart rack and I thought for sure a part was going to come flying off. One of the dudes nearly wiped out, but had a pretty nice save. I was kind of shocked they made it down in one piece. Haha.

I made it to the summit in 45 minutes which I think might be my fastest time up. It was very cold and breezy up there so I didn't stay long. My hands were slightly numb and I was wishing I had my gloves. I saw a golden eagle and a lot of deer out there today. I ran pretty fast all the way back to the car and enjoyed every step.

View Benchmark solo:

I woke up early so that I could get in a good run today. I had a lot of fun running to the summit of View Benchmark via Ann's trail. This is becoming my favorite training run. I love it. I just blasted my ipod and got into a good running groove most of the way up. I reached the summit in 47:30 which is a little slower than Thursday, but I still felt like I was pushing it pretty well. 

 I saw several deer and some cool birds, including a bird of prey with a small animal dangling from its mouth. I really love this run.

4 in the hood. No big woop. 

View Benchmark with Jun:

Perfect day for a run. I met Jun at Ann's trail and we had a very fun run up to View Benchmark. Jun had a pretty good pace all the way up and I just tried to stay with him. The sun was out and we enjoyed chatting most of the way up. We took a new route to the top that I really enjoyed. We hit the summit in 44:40 which is a new PR for me on this route. 

We spent a few minutes on top checking out some mountaineering routes on Timp that we will hopefully get on this spring and then we cruised back down. We picked up the pace on the descent and it seemed like each mile was a little faster. The last few miles we had a fun cruise at a fast pace back to the cars. It was awesome out there on the trails today.

PM- I hit the gym to lift for 45 minutes.

View Benchmark solo:

I had another incredible run on VB today via Ann's trail. There is a reason why I have been hitting this route so much lately. Actually more than one reason. First of all it is awesome. Second, it is close to my house and near the area where I have been working lately, so I can do a fun mountain run without taking up much extra time traveling. I have not even come close to getting tired of these trails. Today I only saw two other people the whole day and the trails are in excellent shape. 

My hammy was a bit tight today, so I didn't push it quite as much as I did yesterday. I just put on some happy tunes and had a nice cruise to the top. It was warm again today, but a little breezy and when I got close to the top it cooled off a lot, but I never got chilled at all. I reached the summit in 48 min, which was 4 minutes slower than yesterday, but it was still a good effort.

The run down was fun. I stopped at the benches to dump some rocks out of my shoes and stretch the hammy, but otherwise I had a nice cruise all the way back to the car.

PM- Weights at the gym for an hour.

Spin class with the ladies + one older dude in super tight biker shorts. Hot. Maybe I need to invest in some of those. Tons O' sweat again today. 

With the crappy weather I hit the track at the gym. I ran a mile with my friend Nate and then he hit the weights. I got into a really good groove and was running 7:00-7:30 pace for most of the run. It feels easy not running up a hill. 

I didn't have much time to run today, so when I found an extra 30 minutes I ran 4 in my hood. AP: 8:15. I ran down to the Apline Hwy and just turned around at 2 miles. There was a headwind on the way back, but the run still felt easy. I enjoyed it. 

7.1 solo around the hood:

The weather had been strange all morning. We had sunshine, rain, wind and clouds. I knew that the trails would be muddy, so I figured I would run my standard Alpine Hwy route. There looked to be a small break in the weather, so I grabbed my gear and ran out the door. As soon as I turned north on the Alpine Hwy the wind blasted me and I battled it for the next 2.5 miles. I took a slight detour in Highland to a park to use the bathroom, but it was locked. Dang!

At Kohlers I turned left (west) and I noticed that the wind wasn't as bad, but it started to rain a little bit. The next mile the rain went from a sprinkle to a downpour. Oh well, I was having fun anyway... ummm I was until I turned on 6000 W. (south) and noticed my tummy doing back flips. Ahhh man! The next few miles back home were horrible. I needed a POP. I was getting soaked and my glasses were fogging, but the tummy distress was the only thing bothering me. I picked up my pace a lot and was running in the 6's. I barely made it home. There were a few scary minutes there. Haha.Whew! I still had a blast out there even though some of it was crappy.

Weights at the gym for an hour. I'm taking a break from running for a few days to see if I can get my hamstring to calm down. 

Spinning with the ladies. I really worked hard today and about 50 minutes in after 4-5 sprints I felt like I was going to puke. I stuck it out to the finish, but I didn't enjoy it. Sweaty! 

This has been a very busy week for me and I have about an hour per day to workout, so I have been taking advantage of my Highland/Alpine route (Highland Hwy to Kohlers- to 6000 W. and back home). It is exactly 7 miles and I really like the route even though it is pavement. By doing this loop I can get 7 miles in an hour. It was cool and cloudy at the start, but by time I reached 6000 W. I pulled off my long sleeve shirt as the sun came out. I ran about 8:30 pace (headwind) up the Highland Hwy and about 8:00 pace the rest of the way. 

Highland/Alpine loop:

No big woop.

Highland/Alpine loop:

My hamstring has been bothering me for about two months, so I have dialed back my training the last few weeks and it has improved slightly, but it is still nagging, so I tried running today with a wrap on it and it seemed to help. It was very hot out and I ran right during the heat of the day and my body just isn't used to it at all. I had no energy and I was dragging the whole run. I took a gel near Wendy's in Highland so I could drop the empty package into the trash and my energy improved slightly, but I never did feel great out there. I have found that my hamstring feels the same whether I run on the flat ground or the hills, so I think I'll get back to the mountains next week. I'm pretty sick of the road. 

4 easy on the TM after everyone went to bed.

Back to the hills. View Benchmark solo:

I had a really fun run up to VB today. I was on a call with MattVS and then Jun called, so I ended up starting about 30 minutes after I arrived at the trailhead. I cranked my ipod and started with 30 ounces of water. It was hot, but not terrible yet. I really love this run and I just enjoyed running up the hill at a steady pace. I hiked the big hill so I could take a gel and then as soon as I hit the top I ran the rest of the way to the summit.

About 1/4 of a mile from the top I saw a mountain bike in the middle of the trail with nobody around, so I figured someone had dropped it to hike to the summit and around the next corner I saw someone on the last hill to the top. I picked up my pace and reached the summit just as she did. 47 minutes up. We chatted for a minute before she went down and then I was about a minute behind her, but I quickly passed her and cruised down the hills at a pretty fast pace. My goal was to beat her down and I did easily.

The last few miles were just a fun cruise. I ran out of water with about two miles to go. 30 ounces doesn't go that far when it is hot like it is today. I think I'll do a double or triple later in the week if anyone wants to join.

Weights at the gym for an hour working my upper body. Arms n back baby. 

View Benchmark with Jun:

I got up early to meet Jun at Ann's trail to run to the summit of VB. Temps were good and we chatted most of the way up. I fell just before mile two when my toe clipped a root. My bottle took most of the fall though so it wasn't bad, but I did have a few scrapes. We hiked some of the steeper sections and it wasn't one of our faster times up. As always the views were sweet, but we didn't stay on top long. 

We were having a nice cruise back to the trailhead and then Jun caught a toe and also fell. It has been a long time since I have seen him fall on the trail. The last few miles were a pretty moderate effort, but it was still a really good workout.

Today was crazy busy and I didn't have time to run until after dark and by then the rain was coming down hard, so I settled for 6 miles at the gym. I pushed the pace pretty hard the last 3 miles (between 6:40-7:20) and it felt really good. 

I wanted to get outside for a run, but it was really windy and I didn't feel like running in it, so I went over to the gym and did 6 on the track. I wasn't feeling great today, but I tried to keep the pace decent the whole time. BORING! 

I woke up early this morning so I could go run up View Benchmark via Ann's trail. It was colder than it has been recently at the start, but I knew I would warm up fast and I did. I was by myself so I put on some good tunes and got into a good groove. I hiked the steepest hill but ran everything else and I reached the top in 47 minutes. I stayed longer than usual enjoying the views and the early morning. I checked out a few trails on the other side of the mountain and after about 10 minutes I went down.

The run down is always fun and I really pick up the pace. I didn't see another soul on the trail the entire run. I think that that it is fair to say that View Benchmark is my new treadmill. It is the perfect training run for me and I'm sure I will continue to hit it weekly. 

I went to the gym to lift after the kids went to bed. It was the first time in a while that I have been at night and it was CROWDED and stinky! 

Here is some friendly banter between me and a 12 year old kid that was working out:

Me: Hey can you make your pecs bounce like this (showing him mine). The chics dig it.

Kid: No. Can you make your ears bounce like this (shows me)

Me: No. Do the chicks dig that too?

Kid: I don't know, but you're sweatin' like a pig.

View Benchmark solo:

My life has been CRAZY the last few months. I got laid off from my job, started a business and then took a position with another company. My blogging has been sporadic at best. I have barely had time to check my own blog and haven't been updating regularly. The good news is I love my job and I couldn't be happier with how things have worked out, but I have been working my butt off, so time for blogging just isn't as ample as it was before. 

After work I hit Ann's trail up to View Benchmark. Thanks to Jun for letting me into his office to grab some water. It was a hot motha on the trail and I needed every ounce. I cranked up my ipod and got into a pretty good groove. When I started I saw a dude hiking just about the one mile mark. I passed him just before mile two and then I hiked up the steep hill and took a gel. At the top I ran into 3 shirtless rednecks that were drinking what appeared to be homemade brew and clearing brush just off the trail. WTFlip? I didn't stay long to figure out what was going on. Oh and they were all fat and pasty white. Hot.

The run up to the summit was fun. I only stopped once to hike on the steep hill just before the top and I made it to the summit in the exact same time (within 10 seconds) as Sunday. Weird. I checked my phone for messages and then bolted down. I passed the hiker dude about a half mile down and he was moving pretty well and I said hello. I got into a good pace and enjoyed the rest of the run. I did pass the pasty shirtless necks again and they looked at me like they were doing something wrong. It was weird, but I didn't stop to investigate further. I'll check out the area the next time I am up there. Maybe they are runnin' shine.

This morning I met MattVS early before work to run to the Ave Twin Peaks above Salt Lake City. This is one of my favorite runs and this morning did not disappoint. The weather was near perfect and it was a really enjoyable run. Matt and I chatted most of the way up and I just enjoyed the views. Awesome. We kept looking back for Jun and Dorsimus because we knew they would be starting about 15 minutes after we did.

When we hit the steeper hills I started to hike and Matt kicked me in the butt and told me to run so I did. We pushed it pretty good to the top of the first twin and at the top I finally saw Jun and Dors running up the hills below. On the second twin I gave Matt some meds for his aching knee and we took in the views and then went down where we ran into Jun and Dors and chatted with them for a few minutes.

The run down was a nice cruise and we actually ran at a fairly decent pace. I really love this run. It was a perfect morning.

Ave Twin Peaks with Matt:

I love this run! I met Matt at 7:00 at the Capitol building in SLC to run on the BST up to the Ave Twins. We did this on Thurs and it was so good we went back for more. The first mile seemed to take forever. We were running an 8:00 pace, but we had to stop for a break and although it was hilarious it hurt our split. We were kind of slow moving up the first few miles today, but we were talking the whole way up and enjoying everything about the run. When we got on the upper portion I felt really good so I pushed it hard up the hills and ran up some of the steep hills that I have been known to hike at times. We hit the first summit and then cruised over to the second summit where we stopped for a break. 

 The wind really picked up and the summit became really cold, so we went down. It took a few minutes to warm back up, but Matt was pushing a good pace and both of us ran pretty fast the rest of the way back to the car. After the steeper hills we pushed into the 6's and held that for a good distance until we hit some rollers and then we stayed in the 7's most of the way down. It was a blast. Both of us had some good tunes and we just got into a good groove. Back down on the road Matt took off pretty fast and I stayed back a little enjoying the views. we ran past the cars and back up to get an even 10. What a fun morning.

4 mountain runs and 4 peaks for the week.

Weights at the gym for an hour. AF fitness center was closed, so I went to the Lehi Legacy Center. It was crowded and stinky.

I set a new PR today!!! I consumed more calories in a single day than any previous day in my life. I'm in Boise (yeehaw) for work and my company keeps taking me out for these high calorie meals. They have been tasty, but I was feeling like a big bowl of pudding, so after I got back to my hotel I put on my running gear and went out. My hotel is by the airport in an industrial area which wasn't ideal, but I didn't feel like driving around to look for a good place to run so I just started running from the hotel. The sun had just gone down, so I had about 30 minutes of decent light left.

 It was one of the strangest runs I have ever done. The roads I ran on had multiple large industrial buildings and there weren't a lot of people out, but the ones I did see looked a little sketchy. If someone wanted to kill a person just for the heck of it I was the perfect candidate and after getting sized up by a few shady fellas that passed me a few times I got ready to run fast. I never felt threatened in any way, but it was just weird. After about 3.5 miles I came to the end of the road and I noticed that beyond the barrier blocking the road there was a dirt road, so I figured I would run on it to see what was down there... or maybe I just had to pee and it looked like it could yield a decent spot. After tunring the first corner there was a steep hill that lead to a large pit with a lot of heavy machinery at the bottom AND also a port-o-pottie. Sweet! I ran down the hill and nobody was down there which was a touch eerie, but the POP was open, so I used it and then ran back up the hill back to the road.

By now it was getting dark and the wind was really blowing, so the run back to the hotel wasn't as nice, but I still had a lot of fun peering into all of the businesses and checking things out. I did pass a strange looking dude wearing all black and carrying some rebar, but he didn't look like he was in very good shape, so I knew I could outrun him if he decided to whack me with his stick. Overall it was a fun run. I have been semi-tapering for the Zion traverse on Friday. I'll be running the second half of Jun's double traverse. It should be incredible and I am totally psyched. I'll post a few updates on facebook and Twitter, but I can't update to FRB from my phone. Lame.

Zion traverse- Pacing Jun on his Zion double with Jun, Dorsimus, MattVH and Jsh:

The Zion traverse is a 48 mile run across Zion National Park and it has become a popular destination in the last few years for ultra runners that want to test their skills in some of the most scenic and difficult terrain in Utah. Last year our crew attempted the traverse, but we were forced to bail out after about 20 miles due to heavy rain and snow. This year we got our revenge and there was a twist- Jun would be doing the first ever double traverse. There are several things that make this run challenging. There is significant elevation gain and the climbs are steep and tough. Of the 48 miles I would say at least half of them are on technical trails. Some are rocky and rugged and there is several miles of beach sand that is almost impossible to run in. There are also several rivers and streams to cross as well. 

We spent the night in Cedar City in a quaint little place with character... ok really it was a dive, but we weren't there for 5 star amenities we were there to tackle the traverse and a positive- I got to share a bed with MattVH. I enjoyed it. I actually slept better than I thought I would, but I still only got about 5 hours of sleep and since I had been traveling for work all week I didn't have a lot of sleep in the bank, but that didn't matter, once the alarm went off my adrenaline kicked in and I knew I would be fine.

Jun, Dors and Jsh started at the Kolob (west) entrance at just after 6:00 am on Friday. MattVH and I would drive the car around to the Hop Valley trailhead where we would meet them at mile 13. After getting gas and a bite to eat we were at the trailhead about 25 minutes before Jun showed up. We ran down the trail a few hundred yards to see if we could see them and soon Jun approached looking strong. I took his camera to snap a few pictures and while trying to run, turnaround and get a good picture at the same time I tripped into a pile of soft sand and also a cactus. I got sand in the camera and it was out of commission for the rest of the trip. Jun filled his bottles and ate some food and after about 15 minutes there was no sign of the others, so Jun asked Matt to gear up and run with him and after a few minutes Matt was ready and they took off. I waited and waited and after almost an hour after Jun arrived Dors showed up looking trashed. He has been dealing with the flu all week and he just didn't have any energy. He was shocked that Jsh hadn't arrived and he said that he had been behind both guys, so we started thinking that he probably missed the Hop Valley turn and after talking with a few other groups that had been on the trail we confirmed that.

We talked with a park ranger about an hour later and he gave us the number to call for dispatch in case we needed to call out SAR. We were pretty confident that Jsh would be ok, but we had no idea where he was. About two hours after Jun had left some ladies showed up with a horse trailer and we talked to them and they told us they would look for Jsh and we gave them my cell number. At 11:30 I was all geared up to run in to look for Jsh and Matt was going to leave and go meet the other guys at the Grotto as they would be expecting us there around 1:00 with supplies. Just as I was about to leave one of the horse ladies called me to let us know they had come across Jsh and he should be there soon. I decided to run out and meet him and run him in. He indeed had missed the Hop Valley trail and spent a few hours trying to find the right trail. He ended up with 26 miles and he was pretty sure he was done. We were relieved to have him back.

We went to the Grotto to meet the guys and I kept my running clothes on and prepared to go in case something happened to MattVH. When Jun arrived he looked terrible. He was dehydrated and it was about as bad as I have seen him look. He laid down and we went to work getting him food, water and taking care of a small blister on his foot. After a long rest he limped into the bathroom with his head down and looking pretty bad. About 5 minutes later he appeared with a smile and a new bounce in his step. He was back. Matt VH arrived about 10 minutes after Jun and he was feeling good, so I wouldn't have to start running until the east entrance at mile 48.

After the guys left we made our way over to the east entrance where the trail was closed and there was a sign that said: Trail closed for prescribed burn. WTH? We were trying to figure out what to do and a ranger showed up to remove the sign and told us that they were postponing it indefinitely because of dry conditions- Whew! We then waited for well over an hour for the guys to show up. They both looked pretty good. Matt was done and Jun took a few minutes to eat, drink and rest and then we started together on his second traverse.

The East Rim trail in Zion is probably the most scenic trail I have ever run on and once again it didn't disappoint. Jun and I chatted away the whole time. We got into a really good groove, running all of the flats and downhills and power hiking the hills, although we did run up several of the rollers and Jun looked strong. We stopped to fill up some water at the spring around mile 5 and saw a large wild turkey run across the trail. Awesome. The run down to the Weepig Rock trail was incredible and just as cool as I remember it from the year before. I tried to take a lot of pictures and Jun was looking good running all of the downhills strong.

Down in the canyon we got into a good running pace and took it into the Grotto where we were surprised to see that the guys were not there yet, so we sat down for a rest and after about 15 minutes we started to get worried. We could not go any further because the guys had our warm gear for the night and I needed more food and gels. After 17 minutes they finally showed up on the bus and had some much needed supplies. We were surprised to learn that MattVH had decided to climb Angel's Landing and he was probably on his way back down. After downing a sandwich, chips, cookies and some Powerade I was ready to go. I also put on my tights and long sleeve shirts because I had become chilled waiting for the guys to show up. After about 5 minutes of hiking I realized I was too hot and probably shouldn't have put on the tights.

Just after starting up the Angels Landing trail we ran into MattVH who had just gone up to the summit and was now on his way down. He's an animal! Most people would be crashed out in the back of the van after running 35 miles, but not Matt. He can't pass up the chance to tag a cool summit. I love it. Jun pushed a hard fast pace all the way up and he looked really strong. It seemed like we were moving up as fast as we did last year and Jun had an additional 48 miles on his legs. Awesome. The next several miles of the trail are mostly uphill and the climbs are relentless. We pushed a really good pace for several miles, but eventually Jun started having some tummy issues and that was the only thing that could slow him down. At one point he laid down on the trail and I told him to take a couple of minutes to rest. I knew he was feeling like shite because I have never seen him lay down during a run. I knew he needed it. After a few minutes he got up and both of us agreed that he would just take it easy, but as long as he was moving forward it would be better than laying down. After about 10 minutes he was able to shake it off and he was back. About that same time I started to feel quite sick. I could easily have puked, but I tried really hard to keep it in because I new I would need the calories later in the night. At mile 17 for me and 65 for Jun we stopped at a spring to fill up our water and I put in 60 ounces. I thought for sure that would be enough because it was now pretty cool and we wouldn't see the sun for several hours.

Just after the spring stop I told Jun I needed to stop, so I sat down on a log and tried not to puke. I was sitting there shivering and feeling like total crap and I was thinking this is hell. Finally I decided that I just needed to get up and get moving, so we walked for a few minutes and then I started to run. I figured I would be feeling crappy whether I was running or walking, so I might as well be running. Luckily after about 5-10 minutes my stomach came around and I felt great the rest of the night. We think that eating the big dinner and then pushing all of the hills just didn't sit well with either of our stomachs.

The next 10 miles on the West Rim trail seemed to go on forever. We would run all of the flats and downhills and then hike up the steep stuff. We were both moving well and we chatted away most of the time. It was a real grind though and the miles weren't easy. At one point we came around and we could see the lights from St. George way in the distance. It was cool and reminded me of our remote condition. Speaking of remote other than seeing a few people at the Grotto and two groups on the Angel's Landing trail we hadn't seen another soul on the trail. How incredible is that?

Eventually we came to the end of the West Rim trail and we stopped to take a break. I had two gels left and about 20 ounces of water and I knew I would run out of both going the next 9 miles to the crew car at the Hop Valley trailhead. I had a gel and we took a few minutes to rest and then we were back at it moving toward the connector trail. This was one of my favorite sections because it was slightly downhill for a few miles and we got into a really good groove, but eventually the trail became really rocky and annoying and it slowed us down a lot. We had to walk in several places where there were just too many rocks and we were tripping and stumbling every few steps.

We got on the connector trail and Jun did an excellent job of keeping us on it. He was still moving very well and I was amazed at how good he looked with so many miles on his legs. We didn't talk much on this section. I think we were both so ready for a break and it was a total grind the last two miles. This section is tough. We had to go 23 miles between crew stops and I was now out of water and gels and feeling like I needed both. After what seemed like an eternity we came onto the road and it was a short run to the trailhead where the guys (minus MattVH) were waitng for us to take care of us. We both sat down and Dors and Jsh took care of everything for us. They got our packs ready and got us food and drinks and took care of everything. They were great. MattVH had left several hours earlier with his remaining 13 miles for the traverse. He thought we would catch up to him and he thought we would make it in a lot sooner.

After a pretty long stop we put on our warmest clothes and took off on the final 13 miles to complete our traverse. The first few miles of the Hop Valley trail are tough. It is basically like trying to run in soft beach sand. It fills your shoes and makes it almost impossible to run. I had to stop and dump sand out of my shoes countless times during the traverse, but it is particularly bad on this section. Eventually we came out into one of the prettiest meadows I have ever seen. We had to cross the creek several times and there was no way to keep from getting your feet wet. After a few crossings we noticed someone a few hundred yards ahead in the meadow wandering around. I thought it was another runner coming from the west entrance because I could see the hydration vest. As we got closer I noticed that it was MattVH. WT?? He had become lost in the middle of the night, got confused and thought he was on the wrong trail. He had been wandering around for hours and was very happy to see us. He looked really tired. I was starting to wonder what else could go wrong before we completed this thing. Matt was happy to join us and we continued on making a few more creek crossings and eventually making our way to the trail junction.

We had to cross the stream here and then we were on the final stretch of trail that would take us up to Lee's Pass and the finish. We stayed together for a few miles, but as soon as the trail turned north Jun put it into a gear that we couldn't match and I watched as he moved ahead and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I tried to stay with him, but I just didn't have the legs. Wow. I also dropped Matt about the same time. The next three miles were just hell. HELL! I wanted to be done and it seemed like they went on forever. The last one was particularly bad, probably the longest most cruel mile of my life. I was starving and kept thinking about burgers, fries, pizza and donuts. Oh man! I wanted so much to be DONE. I finally heard the boys yelling at me and it gave me a bit of a boost and I kicked it into the finish. What an amazing run. The views along the entire trail are some of the best I have ever seen. The pictures just don't do it justice. Congrats to Jun for finishing a double, he is in amazing shape right now and he should have an excellent Wasatch 100.

Weights at the gym for 40 minutes. I was hoping for an hour, but a friend of mine was asking me questions about running trails in Draper, so we ended up chatting for a while.

I ran on the TM after my kids went to bed and everything feels good.

I had a long and stressful day, so it was nice to get to the gym to unwind. I ran 6 miles on the track fast and then did a boot camp class for an hour after my wife and a few gym ladies talked me into it. I actually enjoyed it.

5 on the TM late at night. It was the only chance I had to run today. I caught up on Modern Family on the DVR. 

I ran View Benchmark this morning with my friend Bill Hiatt and a couple of his friends. I can't remember their names, but the girl ran track for UVU a few years back. It was cold at the start, but I never felt chilled. We pushed a fairly good pace all the way up. I led the pack, but on the first really big hill Bill passed me and pushed it really hard to the top. When we reached the top of the hill the UVU girl bent over with her hands on her thighs panting- Awesome. I kept moving up the switchbacks and then at the top Bill and I had to wait for the other two. 

We pushed it all the way up to the top. Bill was really strong on all of the hills and I didn't even try to stay with him. On the last push I did get right on his heels and hit the summit in 42:37 just behind Bill and the other two showed up about a minute later. The views were incredible up there. It was a really awesome morning. 

On the run down Bill and the other dude took off really fast and the girl hung back with me and we ran all the way down together while Bill took a wrong turn and they ended up going an extra .3 miles. Haha. We all finished about the same time, so those guys were really flying down. Our total time was 1:15.

4 easy on the TM after the kids went to bed. No big woop.

Weights at the gym for an hour working my upper body. This was one of the best workouts I have had in a while.

I had no desire to run in the wind, so I went over to the track at the gym and ran 8 miles at a pretty decent pace. I tried to keep it under 8:00 the whole run.

View Benchmark with Jun:

After I put my kids to bed I met Jun at Ann's trail to run VB. On the way to the trailhead I noticed that the weather was a little unsettled across the valley and a storm was moving east and I could see pockets of rain. VB looked clear, but there was a chance it would hit us, but it didn't look too bad. The temps were almost perfect and we settled into a nice run talking the whole way. The miles flew by and we had a fun time.

On the upper trail the wind picked up and it was definitely colder, but still not too bad. We hit the top around 46 minutes, which is respectable, but we weren't pushing it. After a quick break we went down. I was usung a small handheld flashlight that I received from a vendor at the SLC Business Expo last week and it pretty much sucked. We held a solid pace back down to the lower trail and then it was an easy run the last few miles as we talked the whole time. Fun run. I'll give it 4 stars.

I got out early before work so I could miss the wind/rain that was supposed to move in. I only had about 40 minutes, so I just ran from my house down the Alpine Hwy for 20 minutes and then turned around. No big woop.

View Benchmark and sub peak solo:

It was a perfect morning for a nice cruise to the summit of VB. I wanted to beat the storm so I started early and the temps were so good with no wind. I put on my ipod, selected my "Ritz Classics" playlist (New Wave classics from the 80's) and got into a good gear and just had a nice run all the way up. I only passed one runner and two guys on bikes on the lower trail, but above Ann's I didn't see another person the whole time. I loved it. When I hit the VB trail I was in a casual running apathy when "Murderous" by Nitzer Ebb came on and immediately my pace picked up. No way you can run soft with Nitzer Ebb cranking in the ipod. While I was on the summit of VB the sub-peak to the west caught my eye and I decided I wanted to run over there and tag it, so I took the most direct route, which required some mild bushwhacking, but eventually I made it to a 4X4 road that goes up to the top. 

At the summit of the sub-peak I was greeted by a big hawk that took off only about 10 feet from me and I watched it float away. The wind picked up and the temps dropped a little up there and I took a few minutes to take in the views and then I ran back down the road which eventually runs into the VB trail. The sub-peak added a little over a mile and I will probably add it into my VB runs when I have time.

I was having a sweet run down, enjoying my music and when I was on the connector trail my toe caught a root and I took a hard digger in almost the same place that Jun did a few weeks ago. Luckily my handheld bottle took a lot of the impact, but I did bang my shoulder and my hip. Nothing serious, but it was a hard fall. The rest of the run was just a nice easy cruise back to the car. As always this trail didn't disappoint.

5 on the TM. No big woop.

Weights at the gym for an hour. I worked my upper body/core. I have been sick for the last few days and it is only getting worse. I'm running a fever and have a terrible cough. My boss is in town and I have spent the last two days entertaining and I am wrecked. I doubt I'll run today (Wed).

This week has been crazy and I have been about as busy as I have ever been. I have also been really sick since Tuesday, so that made it tough. My VP was in town and I was working 12-14 hour days. Wednesday was horrible! I was running a fever, had a sore throat and felt like shite and I had to go out until 9 pm with him. I came home and crashed with my clothes on and ended up waking up at 2 am to brush my teeth. On a positive note I LOVE my new job and I really love the company. 

Thursday I got home at 8:30 pm, threw my running gear on and made it to the gym to get in a run. I was still feeling like dung, but I needed to run, so I decided to hit the track at the gym because I didn't want to run on the roads in the dark. 

I put on my ipod and got into a good solid groove at an 8:20ish pace. I didn't want to push any harder and I kept it up the whole run. It was pretty funny because I had a younger girl and a guy about my age both trying to pass or run with me. I could tell they didn't want to get passed by me. The dude ran for about 15 minutes and he was out of gas. He did pass me once, but I ended up passing and then lapping him a few times. Just before he quit he had to run really fast to pass me and then right after he did he quit. haha. The girl however stayed with me for about 20 minutes until she quit, but I could tell she didn't want me to pass. I didn't push my pace at all, I just kind of laughed. It was fun. I was pretty wrecked when I finished, so I went home and crashed.

Tour de Draper with Rob Bladen:

I wanted to get in a long run this morning to make up for my horrible week. My friend Rob wanted to run with me, but he is getting ready for UVM so he only wanted to do about 10. We met at the Orson Smith trailhead in Draper at 6:30 am and started uphill on the BST going south. At the trail fork we went right and hit the Gasline trail which eventually took us to Ghost Falls. Rob was running pretty fast and I was hoping he wasn't planning on keeping the pace the entire run because I am not feeling 100% yet. I kept up with him for the most part though. 

We went up to the top of Ghost Falls and then took a quick break. The weather was perfect. It was overcast with a slight breeze that felt great. We went east to Canyon Hollow and followed that until he hit Broch's trail and then at the trail junction we stopped to take a gel. We then got onto Ann's trail and got into a good groove. There were so many cyclists on the trail today and some of them were a bit annoying as they would come flying down the trail and not even attempt to move or slow down. DBs! Luckily most of them were pretty cool, but I have never seen so many bikes on the trail.

We ran to the tunnel and then took a right and went back to the BST where it was back uphill to the trail junction. At the trail junction we decided to go right (uphill) instead of running the mile downhill back to the cars, so we could get in a little more mileage and some more elevation. We hit the trailhead in1:47 for just under 11 miles. Rob was done, but I needed more miles so I decided to head over to Ann's trail to go up View Benchmark. I drove over to Ann's and took a gel and hydrated. There were some ladies at the trailhead that looked confused and asked me for directions to Ann's and I told them to just follow me. I put on my ipod and got into a good groove. I wasn't as fast as normal, but I still felt great. The first mile clicked by and I noticed the ladies were well below me on the other side of the canyon. The run up to the VB trail was nice and easy, but when I got to the VB trail there was a dude running right behind me just starting up. I hate getting passed on the trails so I cranked up the pace a lot. I was thinking this guy has no idea I am 13.5 in, so I can't look like a wuss.

I kept a strong pace up to the big hill and he was still about 100 yards back. I power hiked the lower part of the hill while I took a gel, but it was quick and I noticed him gaining ground, so I picked up my pace and ran the rest of the way to the top with only a few short power hikes. I reached the top and he was nowhere in site. I crushed him! Now he was running in jean shorts and high top basketball shoes, but I was still pleased with myself for pushing it up. Haha. I was up in 51 minutes, which is slow, but the run up the VB trail was about as fast as I normally do it.

The run back down was tougher because my legs were getting tired. At one point I thought I was pushing pretty good, but I looked at my watch and I was only at a 10:00 pace. The last two miles I did manage to keep it in the 9's and high 8's and other than my hammy getting really tight I felt pretty good. With about 1/4 of a mile to go I noticed a huge snake ahead covering the entire trail. It looked like a rattler, but it didn't have a rattle and it was the biggest snake I have ever seen in the wild. I had to bushwack around it because it wouldn't move. I finished feeling good with just under 19 tough miles and a lot of vert. I got back to my car and saw a text from my 12 year old telling me she just got Justin Bieber tickets. Woohooo!

Weights at the gym for an hour working upper body/core. I have had a strain in my lower ab for a few months now and I have had to take it a bit easy while lifting, but tonight it felt really good and I was able to do some things I haven't done in a while. Sweaty!

View Benchmark with Jun:

Perfect run up VB 'smornin with Jun before work. The temperature was very nice, the wind wasn't bad and we had the trail to ourselves. We had a decent pace all the way up, but we didn't push it too hard. We hit the top in 46:00 and it was pretty awesome up there. Those views don't ever get old.

We had a very good pace most of the way down and just enjoyed the morning on the trails. Jun took a spill on the steep rocky section. There is a large pile of loose rocks on one of the steepest sections and it is nearly impossible not to slide a little there and his legs just went out from under him. Luckily it wasn't serious. My legs felt really good today and my hammy didn't get tight at all. It was near perfect out there today and I'm happy we beat the wind/storm.

I cranked out 6 on the track at the gym.

Mt. Superior South Ridge with Jun and MattVS:

I was up at 3:30 am to climb Mt. Superior via the South Ridge. The S. Ridge is one of the best mountaineering scrambles in the Wasatch and this would be my second time climbing Superior on this route. The route is very prominent from Snowbird and Alta ski resorts and it starts off with some nice scrambling followed by several exposed knife edges and ends with a loose scramble over a pile of rocks at the summit of Superior. If you don't like heights this is not the route for you. It is very exposed and requires several dodgy moves, but there are ample hand holds and as long as you take your time with route finding it never gets too bad (that is relative).

We started just before 5:00 am at Snowbird and it was cold (35ish) and I forgot my gloves. Ahh Shite! We crossed the street and bushwhacked our way up to the lower ridge where there are several ledges to work your way up. The first several hundred feet aren't too bad, but there are a lot of loose rocks and you have to take care and make sure of your hand and feet placements. I was a bit behind the other guys most of the day and the downside was they kicked off some rocks. Jun knocked off a few that I heard coming and I ducked below a bigger rock and could hear them flying down right next to me. Nothing serious. After about 5 pictures with my camera I realized that I didn't have the memory card (shite again) so I would have to take pics with my iphone. Not good.

After about 40 minutes the fun really began as the ridge turns into a knife edge and the scrambling becomes much tougher and a lot scarier. There is plenty of exposure on both sides and I just tried to have good hand and foot placements as I made my way across. About half way up there is a sign dedicated to Hartman Rector, a man that lost his life climbing on this ridge several years back. It is a good reminder of the seriousness of the terrain. I spent most of the morning trying to catch up to the guys and they were nice enough to wait. The serious scrambling went for about an hour although it seemed like we had been on it for hours. There are 2-3 really scary sections and for the first time in a long time I heard Jun say "That is scary" and he said it a few times. He doesn't say that often.

After working our way around the crux section it is a scramble over some very loose rocks up to the summit. The guys got ahead again and they made it to the top and went over to tag Monte Cristo while they waited for me. We all arrived back at Superior at about the same time and I realized I was out of water and my energy was really low, so I took a gel. We took the East ridge back and it is not one of my favorite places in the Wasatch. It is steep and very loose and you have to take it easy with all of the slippery rocks. I hate it, but there aren't many options up there. Again the guys got ahead and waited for me up on a small peak just above Cardiff Pass.

At the pass I emptied several rocks out of my shoes and then we ran all the way back down to the canyon road. Again they got ahead of me, but I wasn't going to run fast with all of the rocks on that trail. The trail ends right at Alta ski resort so I ran the canyon road back to Snowbird. The guys were out of sight by now and just before I reached the parking area they came to pick me up. What an awesome day and experience. The South Ridge is challenging and scary, but it is incredible to work your way up that thing and finish it off. I give it 5 stars. Back down at the LCC park n ride Matt and I both had a dirtbag shower and got ready for work laughing the whole time. It was a perfect morning.

A few pics:

Jun working his way up.

 Jun on one of the knife edges.

 Jun on the crux. You can see him (a tiny red dot near the top in the light).

 Matt just below the crux.

 The boys on the summit of Superior.

Lake Mountain wind-fest solo:

I was exhausted last night, so I decided to sleep in this morning and get out for a run in the afternoon. The wind started picking up about noon and by time I got to lake mountain it was rocking my car. Oh well, I figured I would just go for it anyway. The wind hammered me pretty hard the first mile, but it was tolerable. The usual Saturdee necks were out blasting their guns and I hoped they could see me running by. The second mile pretty much sucked as the wind gusts were atrocious and I got blasted by a few walls of dirt and small rocks. As I made my way deeper into the canyon the canyon walls seemed to block the wind quite a lot, so it wasn't too bad until I reached the saddle.

At the saddle it was considerably colder and the wind was biting. I had a long sleeve shirt tied on my waist, but I didn't want to stop to put it on, so I slogged on up to the summit in 1:04, just a few minutes off of my PR. I didn't stay long at all.

I didn't want to push the pace too much on the way down, so after the steeper section I settled into a nice 8:10 pace and kept it most of the way down. Out of the canyon the wind was nasty again and by now sand had penetrated all of my nooks 'n crannies and I was really ready to be done, although I have to say that even with the wind it was a lot more fun than running on the track at the gym.

5 on the TM. Woop-tee-do.

I woke up early to lift at the gym because I probably won't get home until late tonight. It was crowded in there, but I had a pretty good session.

Check out this cool video that MattVS put together from our Superior climb last week. It is purdy nifty.

Superior South Ridge

Saddleback Mountain in Logan solo:

I'm in Logan for work and I when we rolled into town I started checking the hills for something to climb/run later in the day. I saw a peak that looked a lot like Mt. Wire and it even had the two signature microwave towers on the top, so I checked Google maps and was able to determine that it had a name (Saddleback Mountain) and I got some beta on the trail. Steep!

After work my engineer dropped me off at the trailhead, called me crazy and told me to call if I needed to get picked up. It was pretty hot out and the trail went straight up the ridge. I settled into a nice power hike and it became obvious pretty quick that this was going to suck. Straight up the northwest ridge and no switch backs- Who needs 'em? I kept hoping that at some point there would be a switch back or two, but no they must not believe in them round here. After about 20 minutes my legs were feeling it and I was dripping with sweat.

About a mile up the ridge turns west and there is a really pretty meadow that has recently been burned. There was an eagle flying high and the views were impressive. Gods country. At this point the trail becomes less obvious and you go in and around some cliffy spots. There is a little class 3 scrambling, but it isn't bad, just really steep and loose. I really took my time since I was by myself I didn't want to fall and break something.

I completely lost the trail the last 1/4 of a mile and just bushwhacked up to the towers. What a view! After a minute I cruised up to the high point and then took off back down the mountain, but it was slow because this trail is pretty overgrown with loose rocks everywhere. It really wasn't conducive for fast running. On the way down in the steepest section I was blasting my ipod (Dead Mans Party by Boingo) when I got a glimpse of something moving just in front of me... put on the braaaaaaakes. Rattler! The snake was mad and started to strike, but it was about 4 feet away, so no worries. My adrenaline was pumping pretty good and my first thought was to grab my phone to get a few pics, which I did. It slowly slid off the trail and into some rocks, but it stayed in a striking position and let me know that it wasn't happy.

Ok now the rest of the way down I was jumpy and thinking there was going to be a snake next to every rock. Slow! I got off the trail again and had to bushwack back to where I thought it was and eventually found it and then had a nice run down, although it wasn't the best because it was so steep.

At the trailhead I decided to run down the road toward the hotel and made it 3 more miles before my engineer came to pick me up. It was definitely an adventure.