January 9-15th/ Training

Another pretty decent week of training.


Monday 9th – Strength training- core and legs. Miles 0

Tuesday 10th- Got in the usual 8 mile run on the BST north of Rainbow. Solid run, no tight back, no shin issues. Ran hard and felt strong. Miles- 8

Wednesday 11th- Kettle Bell and abs work. Miles 0

Thursday 12th- Met at Rainbow Gardens with the plan to go north. This was my best run on the section that I can remember. Felt strong throughout and tried to push the pace most of the time. Shins and back felt great. Miles 8

Friday 13th- Rest day. Actually went to a Murder Mystery.

Saturday 14th- Met 12 others at 22nd St TH and planned on doing 20 miles. Headed south over towards Bues then came back to 22nd to refuel. Picked up 3 more people and headed North as the sun came out. Today I incorporated my hydration and nutrition I will use for racing to make sure I am getting it dialed in. It worked well for Wasatch so for long runs I will do it to be ready for races. Once we arrived back to the parking lot after the 20 miles we had a little party. Great run felt pretty solid. Glad I get the opportunity to run with such amazing people! Miles 20.

Sunday 14th- A little recovery run today. Got in 6 and felt okay. Legs were a little tired from yesterdays 20 but for mid January I felt great. Miles 6.

Weekly Miles- 42

Pretty good week overall. Tried to push the pace a bit and hammer the hills when I could. For mid-January I feel a lot further along than any other year. The goal now is to keep it up. I will probably keep my mileage around the 40-45 mile mark for a few more weeks and then get in a bigger week or 2 before Moab. I have the Kahtoola Snowshoe 25k on January 28th but haven’t been on snow shoes yet.

Saturday I also registered for the San Juan Solstice 50 in June. I will get the pleasure of toeing the line with some friends from Colorado and my training pals- Breein, Shawn, Bj and Jon.

Be A Hill Seeker

Most of us try to avoid hills but what's so good about flat?
Think about it: flat tires, flat hair and flat lining.
Life happens on the hills.
They're opportunities to prove to yourself that
you're stronger than you ever imagined. If you never
attempt the ascent, you'll never know the thrill of flying
down the other side......

1st Week of January- 1st through the 8th

Start of the January 1st run- Aric and Jon lovin Forrest!

Sunday January 1st-  Had a great run- "12 for 12". Had 12 great people meet to run 12 miles to welcome in the New Year. Started at 22nd St TH and ran south to Bues and back. Miles- 12
Monday January 2nd- Met at Rainbow Gardens and we headed North along the BST- shin splints were acting pretty upset but ran hard. Miles- 8
Tuesday January 3rd- Took day off to rest shins.  Miles 0
Wednesday January 4th- Shins still pretty beat, went in to Sean Wayne for some A.R.T. and ASTYM treatment. Miles- 0
Thursday January 5th- Met at Rainbow Gardens and headed North. Great turn out. Back was stiff for the first 3 miles. Rolled my ankle REALLY good on the way back back to car. Hobbled in from there. Miles- 8
Friday January 6th- Day off to care for ankle and shins...not fun. Miles - 0
Saturday January 7th- SNOW! Met at 22nd St TH with a plan to do 18 miles. Started South then came back and headed North. At the turnaround- Breein, Shawn. and myself saw a black bear perched up high on the mountain. Probably the same one that has been spotted for the last year. Pretty cool. Miles -19
Sunday January 8th- Legs were a little tired so I stayed in and did ab and leg workout.
Weekly Miles- 47
Overall it was a decent week. Struggling a bit with sore shins and tight back. Not how I wanted to start the year. Trying to be smart so the shin issue will go away but I really need to keep the mileage up. Big races on tap. Great runs on Sundays to book end the week. Low mileage during the week.

Snow Patrol- Jon, Shawn, Breein and Forrest (photo by ME)

Here comes 2012

Finally a post.


2011 is over and 2012 has begun. 2011 started out pretty disappointing, got better, then more disappointment, then BAM- Wasatch 100 then shut it down for family time.

From January to late March I struggled with a hip and abdominal injury that wouldn’t go away. In early April we got that fixed before I went down the Grand Canyon for a R2R2R crossing. It ate me for lunch but I did it (I will be heading back this year to try and find some of the dignity I left near the bottom).

After my GC adventure the year went stale. No real racing other than the Pocatello 50 (I did the 20 miler) in May and the RD duties the remainder of the summer. For my 40th b-day I was nursing a separated shoulder I suffered while glissading down from Ben Lomond Peak. I sat out July and hit the trails HARD in August to get ready for the Wasatch 100. That race made the entire year worth it! I hit my goal of a sub 30 hour finish in a painful fashion. Little did I know that race would be what set me up for 2012.

After Wasatch I paced 40 miles at the Bear and then hit California for 2 weeks with the family. Not only did I spend some quality time with my family but it helped me step back from reality (life, work, running, etc) and re- charge and re-focus. That trip was a game changer- except for the 10+ pounds I put back on with all the eating and no exercise.

When I got back in November I started my own resolutions a few months early. I put together more of a structured running plan (a first) and really worked on consistency. Through the holidays I stayed to task and was discipline enough to keep putting in the work. As the New Year approached I got excited of what could be in 2012.

As I began throwing my race schedule together I put some things first- family and my own trail series I direct here in Northern Utah. After the dust settled and I lost out on the Hardrock and Western States draw my schedule started coming together (to the right you will see my current schedule for 2012). I really have my fingers crossed for Wasatch and I am still trying to figure out June (Big Horn 100, Black Hills 100 or San Juan Solstice 50) and August (Waldo 100k?).

 This year there will be weekly posts of training and since I am not a huge mileage runner I hope to do no less than 40 per week and vary between 40-70. The miles will be quality miles and I will focus on the things I hate- hills, climbing and speed. With all this comes the need to drop that damn weight but if I do it right I will hopefully be where I want to be come late April. Being a middle of the pack runner, there are times I wonder what I could do if I really pushed the training. Juggling it with family and work are tough for everyone so the need to improve comes with consistency and focus. I don't want to lose the reason I do this so I am going to keep it all in perspective. I run for fun, for friendships, for health and for me. I have started a running club for 2012 and with the help of all these great people I know 2012 will be special in so many ways. I hope to use this blog not only for my friends to make fun of me but a way to hold myself to task and add some accountability so I can't hide or make excuses (yuck!).

So here is to 2012! I hope to see many new faces on the trails and be more committed than ever to those things are most important to me