Well that's a good 31 miler!

Well I wanted to get in a good run for a b-day gift for myself. The old saying of running your age in miles may be true but I thought with the elevation in this one it was the same- (31 miles + 8500' of climb = 39-  you see 31 +8 in 39). Nailed it! Here is the GPS of the day- BOOM!
So Jim and I started a the North Ogden Divide Parking lot at 6 am for a day of adventure. We left the lot a few minutes after 6 and began. The switchbacks were pretty un-eventful and we just power hiked and walked most of it. I felt pretty good and less labored than years past. This was the first time to the Peak for 2010 with hopefully more to come. A few miles after the switchbacks we were joined by Bj.....Here:

After Bj showed up, Jim and I knew we had to pick up the pace for the fast guy. We got to the base of the peak and made decent time up. We only saw one mountain goat and that was from a distance. When we hit the top there were a couple of people already there- one being Bj's father in law- Forest. He started a bit earlier to meet Bj up there. We then ran towards Willard Peak and Inspiration Point. As we got closer to Willard Peak we started to see all the mountain goats- BAM!

I am thinking we saw close about 50 but there very easily could have been more. They seemed to be everywhere! It was incredible. They are truly magnificent animals. We all stood awe struck and a bit jealous by their mountain skills. We weren't sure where to go from here so we just followed this guy:

He was right on the trail as if to say- "let's go fellas." We made it around one more turn which ended up being exactly 10 miles from the divide. There we turned around- summited BL Peak again and bombed down the parking lot to reload with water.

From the divide parking lot we took off for Lewis Peak. It was getting hot and the climb from the parking lot was actually pretty brutal. I noticed I was sweating like a hog. I stayed on top of the nutrition for the day and felt pretty good. We hit the peak and stayed for a few before starting our journey back down. It was a bit slower for me in a few parts but I managed to rally a little to join the guys for our last little quad buster.

All in all it was an amazing day on the trail. Lots of vert and some quality miles with some quality people. Trail running has been a great hobby/passion since my days on the soccer field. It's personally challenging but can be oh so rewarding. I will probably never be a fast little goat but I look at it this way- If I pay $150 dollar for a 100 mile race and finish in 30 hours and the winner pays $150 and finishes in 20 hours then I paid less per mile...right??? Well, that's how I will look at it for now.

Logan Peak Trail Race

Well, it took awhile but it's time to write up a quick report.
Let's see- I am trying to remember what happened on that day, it's been 10 days or so and I am getting old. Got up really early and met Jim so we could car pool up to Logan. We checked in and I got a good stretch in thanks to Joel. I have been having issues with my lower back again and with this race starting a climb for the first 4+ miles I wanted to get it worked on. Once the race started I just tucked in with Jim and Joel and knew it would be a 6+ hour day. I ran this race a couple years ago and got a time of 6:30. I wasn't sure how today would work out since I used June as a taper month (more on that later). As we went up the grind, I noticed it was a pretty casual pace. I wasn't overly concerned knowing what was in store later on. Once we left the first aid station it opens up abit through the front side of the mountain. This is were I was feeling good. I took off on a pretty good pace and it felt great so I just decided to keep it until it felt labored. Missing SP50 earlier in the month was still in my mind and I knew my training wasn't were it needed to be but I thought this would prove to be a good training run with good vert and good miles. The way up the peak was slow and go with some uphill running here and there but it was too early to take many chances with my fitness. It was a slog up to the peak but once there it was time to do some glissading with snow running mixed in. This felt great and really got my juices flowing. Over the next few miles I passed about 6 or 7 people until we hit the 2nd to last aid station. From here you take a fire road for a few miles then you hit the jackpot. Going across the fire road I felt like crap. I knew I should be running but the legs didn't respond. Once I hit the turn for the downhill I got a bit excited. Downhill doesn't always feel good on the knees and quads but this was some of the prettiest single track there is to offer. I picked up my pace and started to let gravity and beauty take over. Unfortunately this section in short lived and then you start a few minor hills before you wrap around the front side and join back up to the dry creek trail.
The last 4 miles are relentless. It gets pretty technical and you know that walking really isn't an option. I caught up to Jim during this section and ran down before I was rudely sent to the ground by a cow. Yep and damn cow! Out of the corner of my eye (while navigating the jagged rocks on the downhill) a cow appeared out of the bushes and soon as I looked up my toe caught a rock. I was going too fast to catch myself so I had no choice but to give in to gravity again and I hit a rock HARD then slid on my side and back for a few feet before coming to a stop. I assessed the situation as I lay there and I was bruised and cut but never heard a snap so I figure I was good to go. My vest was ripp3ed up and my quad had a gnarly knot in it but considering what could have happened I was pretty pleased. The knot in the quad slowed me a bit but I coasted to the finish in 6:10- good enough for 34th. I was pretty pleased with the time considering all that has been going on. Beat my old time by 20 minutes.
Logan Peak is a fantastic race and Bruce and company do a great job. Definitely a race I expect to go sub 6 on next year.
The last week or so I have gotten in some good mileage and some vertical and things are starting to calm down. Next up is the NUTS 1/2 marathon which I will be RD'ing. Kinda sucks I cant run it. It's a great course.

SP50- Preview....DNS

Well after a long drawn out process I have opted not to run Squaw Peak. While I was in Pocatello last week my mother fell and she has been in the hospital for a week. 2 surgeries later she is still in pretty bad shape up there. I went on a run last night to clear my head and see if I was going to run but I have made the decision not to. Pretty tough call, one I am sure that I will regret from time to time. I have been dreaming and training for my 4th running of Squaw since last June but the proper training and mind set over the past week has left me little in the tank so to say.
I want to wish everyone good luck at one of my favorite races. I really wish I was toeing the line with you all. Have a great time and I hope to see many of you on the trails!

Pocatello 50

Holy Schleet Batman!
First- hats off to Jared and Ryan and the countless volunteers who make this race possible. What a great course and overall race. The start/finish is perfect!

Okay here we go. I ran the Pokey 50 last year as a member of a 3 person relay. I was lucky enough to draw the 3rd section- which is listed as the toughest leg. This year I ran the 1st section which is considered the “medium toughest” section- the 2nd leg being the easiest. I got in late the night before the race and slept under a pop up canopy with Buffalo Run RD –Jim Skaggs. IT was a sleepless night for me with the wind whipping the canopy walls all night long.

When morning broke I got up and assessed what I was going to wear. The weather was calmer and the clouds were grey but overall the start was pretty nice. I opted for some short shorts, short sleeve race shirt, visor and light windbreaker. From the start we took off down the road and my pace felt relaxed but I couldn’t get a handle on my breathing- it felt forced and labored. I wanted to push myself seeing I was only going 16 miles and knew this would be a great run to prep me for Squaw Peak. I was going to take off my wind shell but soon as I reached for the zipper, I felt a few drops of rain. I thought what the hell and took it off anyway and tied it on my waist. A few more miles into the gradual climb I came around a point and the wind hit me right it the face. WOW! Immediately I reached for my shell and threw it back on. Good thing to because the rain started to pick up. By this time I was running some absolutely stunning single track. I didn’t mind the rain and the mud wasn’t too bad yet. As we started a little decent to the first aid station, the trail got really slick. I got into a line of about 8 or 9 runners and no one could stay up. People were slipping, falling and using the grass and trees close by as emergency turn out lanes. One guy started flailing about and before I could stop he punched my right in the mouth. As uncomfortable as it felt it was kind of funny.

When we hit the first aid station I decided not even to slow down. Once off the service road it turned into some nicer slippery single track. Good thing I didn’t know what I was about to encounter or I may have stopped at the first aid station and stayed. As I looked u ahead I saw “the climb”. There was no trail only a few markers spread going up the mountain. This climb was a real b$#&%! Not only was it pretty steep and no trail but the wind starting picking up - few times it knocked me sideways a bit. The next 60 minutes may have been the longest of my life. I was in short shorts, visor and windbreaker carrying a water bottle which for me sounds about right but I had no idea there would be 40-50 mph winds coupled with sleet the size of BB’s. I let out some primal screams a few times due to the cold and pain I felt when those damn BB’s hit me. My ears were frozen my fingers looked like sausage links and well my skull was frozen- yes Skull. My hair was frozen and I was cold but I have never felt a frozen skull- it hurt like hell! Once on top I took a deep sigh of relief and followed a few people ahead of me only to find out they were lost in the white out. Not good! There were about 10-12 of us wandering around and I was scoping out who may be the first person we would eat. After about 20-30 minutes we found the trail and it took me a good mile to mile and a half to really start to feel like I was running and by that time it was a muddy slip-n-slide. On the decent I went down pretty hard on my stomach (superman style) and got up covered in mud. A few cuts but I was okay. There was a small creek crossing the trail so I decided to lay in it to clean up. It worked and it wasn’t nearly as cold as the top of the mountain. Once we hit a little firmer trail I took off. I felt pretty strong heading into City Creek and my time was 3:40. I figured the time on the mountain cost me at least 30 minutes so I was pretty pleased with the time.

When I got back to Mink Creek I was pretty bummed to see my canopy had blown over and my stuff was soaked- sleeping bag, clothes, bag- everything! DAMN! Right then I remembered I had an extra bag of clothes in the car. Sweet! Once I got cleaned up (thanks Matt and Brandy) I helped around mink Creek and was told the race was cancelled. The weather was just too bad. They absolutely made the right choice! My 2nd leg runner Greg- crushed it! He topped his time from last year by 2 hours!!!! Incredible! Great job Greg! Next year I get #2- right? Unfortunately Matt (3rd leg) was unable to run and this would have been his first experience into trail running. Keep running Matt! Good friend Scott Jaime was leading the race by 5-10 minutes heading into the last leg- I think there would have been a new CR. Great job Jaime!

To top off an already dismal day, when I called home to check in I found out my mom was about to go in for surgery. While I was gone she fell and broke her hip. I got right home and didn’t get to spend too much time talking to people but hopefully I will see you all around this year. Next up Squaw Peak 50!

Timp Trail Marathon

I’ve heard that you learn something new in every race. Well, this was one of those races.

I had to get up at 3 am and meet Jim at his house about 4 am. We drove down to Provo for the inaugural Timp Trail Marathon. All the way down it was raining pretty hard and the outside temps were around 40 degrees. I think we kept testing each other to see if one of us would back out so the other could follow but no dice. We arrived at the start to check in and grab our bib. It was still coming down and the runners were all gathering under the pavilion. After some pre-race instructions we all head to the start line for the 6 am gun.

We were off, we started up right away but it was runnable. It was on fire road and gravel so it was actually a nice start considering what we were about to encounter. As we came around the mountain to see the light of Provo, we saw a trail sign to turn and go down. Well about ¼ of the way down I looked up to see almost all the front runners coming back up. I immediately put on the brakes and turned around. We had taken a wrong turn. The sign was there for later in the race- about mile 25. As we got back on track, the fire road soon turned into a slog through sticky mud. The rain had taken its toll already and the course was muddy. Going through the first aid station I felt pretty good. I had a good couple weeks of training and never backed off going into this one. My legs were a bit tired but I was hoping this would all pay off later in the year. About 6 miles in I went to take a drink for my hydration vest and only got air- what the hell? I had 2 liters 6 mile ago and sure wasn’t drinking that much. As I stripped the vest off my back I realized how saturated my shorts were- especially in the back. DAMN! My hydration bladder had a seam leak. Well, I decided it was to be a long day!

When we started our first real climbing around mile 11, I noticed myself sweating much more and using a lot more energy. This wasn’t good. It turned slow and go for awhile and when the trail became runnable again it was the kind of mud that takes your shoes off. I ran with Jim Skaggs a majority of the day and lucky for me he let me takes little nips off his water. It wasn’t enough but it was something. As we headed up the most beautiful section I have seen in a long time I could feel a bonk coming on. No water which meant no way to wash down some gel. I was literally running on empty. I took a few drinks from the creeks (keeping my fingers crossed still) but I really had no choice. Every add station I hit I threw down potato chips and water praying it would get me to the next aid station.

We got to run through some amazing country and when we started our first decent, I was flying- way too fast for me but I was in a groove. I slipped and fell a few times but no damage, I was essentially mud glissading. After the last aide station we still had one or two short but decent climbs and then it was a bomb downhill. By the time I hit the downhill my calves were really ceasing up. They were screaming! The last 5 miles I just took off. I looked down and saw I was clocking about an 8 and sub 8 mile but had no desire to slow. As I neared the finish, I saw my niece and wife who had hiked up the trail to see when I would be heading down. They gave me that last little surge and I finished under 6:20- well 6:19 was my time.

Looking back at all the rain, mud, snow, nutrition and hydration issues- I feel pretty good about the day. I kept reminding myself I am getting ready for Squaw and this race was incredible! I enjoyed everything about the race itself- trails, scenery, start/finish, volunteers, RD and all. I definitely recommend this race to anyone. Don’t let the marathon distance fool you. This is one tough mutha!

So what I learned to day was- check your gear! If I would have noticed the leak the morning of or night before, I like my chances of a top 20 spot. As I sit, 33rd. Great day on the trails and a good one for my confidence heading into the last 2 weeks.

A few days of running

Playing a little catch up here. After the hill repeats on Monday I needed a day off. Tuesday was nice to just relax and do some things around the house and hit my girls soccer game.
Wednesday I met Joel at Rainbow and could tell my legs were still a bit heavy. We made a easy pace up out of Rainbow and took Indian Trail just to the Hidden Valley turn out. Once there, we went back down and took the BST to "look out rock". The pace as a little off the normal due to both of us not having much in the legs. We turned back to Rainbow and I tried to push myself just a little bit. My legs were not responding well and I kept trying to tell myself I would loosen up. No dice!
Before we headed down to Rainbow, a couple young guys came flyin down the trail- BJ and John. First I had met either one of them but they had a real nice pace going. We invited them to join us in the future but not sure if this old man could keep up.
Lots of solid runners here in the Ogden area.
Thursday- I took off work to re-landscape the frontyard. After 8 hours of hauling river rock and mulch, planting trees, bushes and plants and the clean up I was gassed! Decided I wouldn't run since the body was sore and tired. I took a shower about 6:20 and sent Jim a text to see if he was running- Yep, he was. DAMN! I told my wife I was going and she gave me "the look"(she thought I was nuts).
Met Jim at Rainbow and we had a nice run on the north side. Solid pace but not rushed. Legs felt a bit better.
Wednesday= 6-7 miles
Thursday= 6-7 miles
I want to wish my wife GOOD LUCK tomorrow in her first ever race! She will be running the Run with Flock 5k. Have fun Melony! I am very proud of you.

Hill repeats

First off- I never run on Mondays and I hate running up hills.
So today is Monday and I did hill repeats (for the first time).
After good Sat and Sun runs, I always take Monday off. most the time to recover and also it is always a long day at work and I need to spend some family time. Well today was a tough day at work so I thought I would join Joel and Jim for some hill repeats to burn off some stream.
When I showed up at 5:30- Joel was there with Phil Lowry. After some pleasantries, we were off.
We started at 27th St trail head and the route is .54 miles up then back down again. The grade is runnable but for me- not easy. I figured I would do one or 2 then head home. When we got back down to do another, Joel had to leave and Jim showed to join us. Phil also decided to go explore the trails. So Jim and I went out again.
Long story short I did 4 sets. My legs were still cooked from the weekend and I actually felt pretty good about the running. I am going to try and do this at least once a week and add a trip or 2 each time.
Solid workout.