Hit the Dusty Trail

Well, I don’t have the lap splits from my race, but I figure that I should put down my thoughts on the race while they were still fresh and painful.

So, by the numbers my 2007/2008 Across The Years 24 hour race:

Overall place:                                         4^th

# entered in the 24 hour race:                  54

Miles I covered during the race:               106.565

Kilometers covered:                                171.5

# laps ran:                                             343                                                      

Average pace:                                        13 minute 31 seconds per mile

Average pace per lap:                             4 minutes 11.9 seconds per lap

Estimated calories expended:                 12,000

Estimated calories took in during race:    <5000

# of toenails I will lose from this race:       at least 4 and probably 6

Race website:                                                    www.acrosstheyears.com

Approximate race splits for me:               1^st marathon      4:20

                                                            50K (31 miles)   5:05  matched PR

                                                            50 mile              9:02  new PR (was 9:15)

                                                            100K (62 miles) 11:30 new PR (was 11:45)

                                                            100 mile            22:05 new PR (was 22:18)

The Across The Years race is actually three separate races, a 24, a 48, and a 72 hour race.  The race was started in 1982, so this year marked its 25^th year.  The race has been held at several different locations around Phoenix, but is currently held at a private estate about 20 miles west of Phoenix.

The premise is simple, run as much or as little as you want or can during the time allotted.  Some people have specific mileage goals and quit after reaching them, some go for broke and hammer out as much as they can.  Some just take it easy and make the race into a party.  Personally, I want to do as well as possible and with a race this long, there are no guarantees that I will do well, no matter how much I train.

My race started at 9am on New Year’s Eve.  The two previous days had already seen about 34 of the 24-hour runners already complete their time.  Now it was our turn.  When I looked at the current results, I saw that only two people had exceeded 100 miles.  This gave me a little hope that I could break the top 10 again.  Trouble is, the race set it up such that some of the top 24-hour runners would be running on that last day.  I knew I had no hope of keeping up with them.  One of the runners had even declared his intent to try for an American 24-hour record (in excess of 165 miles).  My best plan was to go out and run my own race and stay within myself.  Don’t even try to keep up with anyone.

Format and Timing – this race is chip timed just like almost any marathon.  The course is a USATF certified 500 meter road course.  The surface is compacted gravel and is very nice for running.  Every time a runner crosses the timing mat, their lap time is recorded and their distance updated.  The runners change direction around the course every two hours (so we don’t get dizzy I guess).  The really nice thing about the timing is that there is a large screen and projector that updates your mileage as you cross the mat.  You can see the mileage for the previous 20 people as well as your own.  After a few laps, you can get a good idea of where you stand against the other runners in your race.  This can help with strategy.  You can see when a runner is slowing down, or off the track and adjust your race accordingly.

So, I started at 9am with the other 20 runners for that day.  My initial goal was to run at least 50 Km without stopping or walking other than to fuel and hydrate.  I also wanted to PR every standard ultra distance beyond the marathon.  That I did manage to do.  I also wanted to initially go out at roughly 3-minute laps (sub 10 minute pace) for as long as I could.  I knew that doing this could put a few miles in the bank for times when I felt like crap. 

By 20 miles, my legs were already a little sore, but that’s normal and I just run thru it.  I knew it wouldn’t get a lot worse for quite awhile.  By 20 miles, I could also feel a blister forming on the side of my foot.  This was not good, but after awhile, it seemed to not get worse, so I just ran.

I clocked my first marathon at roughly 4:20, so not too slow, and hit the 50k mark at just over 5 hours.  After the 50k mark, I switched strategies a little and went to a 20 lap set.  I would run until I hit an even 20 lap number, then get something to drink, eat, check my messages, and walk for a couple laps, sometimes three.  Then I would start running again until the next 20 lap increment.  This seemed to work really well, as I could get back into a pretty good running groove.  Once I got into the 20 lap routine, my lap times dropped to around 3:25.  I kept up this 20 lap routine until around 10pm.  I knew that I would have a down period sometime during the night.  I would feel drained, emotionally down, and very tired.  I elected to take a short 15-20 minute break at 10pm and try to take a little nap.  The race venue has a 60 x 100 heated tent that people can set up sleeping bags, their own tents, etc., and at night it’s nice and quiet.  I crawled into my sleeping bag, set my cell phone alarm for 15 minutes, and was out instantly.  15 minutes later, the alarm went off, I got up, put my shoes back on and headed out into the night.  I felt much better and my lap times showed by going down some. 

Sure enough, at around 3am, I started getting down.  It was hard to keep running, easy to walk.  Once again, I elected to take a short 20 minute nap.  This nap didn’t help as much and I still felt sluggish.  I did take a couple of No-doze, drank some coke and ate some food (I had to force myself to eat since nothing sounded good to me) to try and get out of my funk, and by around 5-6am, I felt better.  I could also start to see the sky lighten on the horizon.  Ah, three hours to go.

Once I felt better my lap times dropped again, although they were now down to around 3:45 when I was running.  I had also gone to a 10 lap setup rather than the 20 I had been doing earlier.

All thru the day and night, I kept track of the runners with more mileage and those that were close to me.  The person (Paul Dewitt) trying for the American record eventually dropped out after about 62 miles with a hamstring injury.  The person that had matched him lap for lap for quite awhile slowed down enough so that I caught up and passed him.  The eventual winner (Dan Larson) just ran like the energizer bunny, a steady pace the entire time.  The eventual women’s winner and I traded leads several times, but eventually I put a few laps between us and as a result, this is the first (and probably last) race where I didn’t get chicked (no women finished ahead of me).  I knew that I would get somewhere around 4^th place a few hours before the end of the race.  I knew that 3^rd place was out of reach for me and it was a question of anyone catching up with me and taking 4^th place.  This thought had me running scared and helped to motivate me to keep up the pace.

I started my final lap with less than 5 minutes to go and decided to at least shuffle around the track at more than a fast walk.  I crossed the timing mat for the final time with less than one minute remaining in the race.  We counted down the remaining seconds and all of the sudden, the race was over.

Post race – After the race finished, I was kind of at a loss as to what to do.  I had been running and that had been my life for the last 24 hours.  I hadn’t really thought about what I needed to do next.  Finally, I decided to just go rest in my sleeping bag for a bit.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but at least I was prone and off my feet.  I was tired, sleepy, and very stinky.  After I got up, the thought of food still didn’t sound good, but I did get something to drink.  I gathered up all my junk, as the tent needed to be cleared out for the awards ceremony.  I then just stood around chatting with other runners waiting for the awards to be given out.  I was not looking forward to the 2+ hour drive back down to my brother’s house and did end up taking a nap at a rest area on the way.  As far as my body goes, my legs are no more sore than they would be after a marathon.  My feet are another story.  I have major blisters on virtually every toe, but none on the soles.  The feet will heal and the toenails will grow back.

I think my race went very well.  I’ve run this race before and knew what to expect.  I had trained hard all thru the fall, putting some of the longest stretches of high mileage (60+/week) I have ever done.  I had no expectations of doing well in the standings, but did have a mileage goal of 110 miles.  I didn’t make that goal, but I haven’t figured out where I could have made up an additional 3.5 miles.  Train harder and run faster I guess.

Not too bad for a grandpa.  Who knows, maybe next year I’ll try the 72 hour race.

Well, my race report for Across the Years is posted.  Warning, it's long.  It'll take you as long to read it as it took me to run it.

I probably won't be posting for a couple weeks.  I'm taking a little time off.

Thank you for everyone's comments.  Hopefully a few of you will think about trying an ultra.  they really can be done by the average person.  There is a whole 'nuther world beyond road racing, 5k's, 10k's and marathons.

Well, I'm back to running.  Did a couple miles on the treadmill just to see how things were.  I was going to start back up on Monday but some serious lower GI issues (suspected food poisoning) kept me from that.  Heck of a way to lose weight.  Didn't feel like eating since last Friday, but I feel back to normal (whatever that is) now.  Gotta get that training groove going again, I have lots of plans for the year.  My next race is the Striders Winter Circuit 5K.  I normally don't like to do 5K's, way too hard for me, but I need to start doing some speed work and John and Kristin are friends of mine and big supporters of the Buffalo Run.

I hope it warms up a little bit, I'd like to start running to work again and couple times a week, but I have an aversion to running in temps below 20 degrees.

Going to try one of my favvorite trails on Friday.  Should be fun in the snow.

If anyone is up for a little trail run (up to 22.8 miles) on Feb. 2nd, meet at the main gate to Antelope Island at 8am.  We'll run rain, snow or shine.  If you're not up to 22.8, there are options for much less than that. 

Ran a few miles on one of my favoirte trails, the BST from Kaysville north to Adams creek.  There was about 1 1/2-2 feet of snow on the trail, but hikers and trampled a pretty good path thru it.  Still was a little slow going, but all the snow was beautiful, quiet, relaxing.  Definitely a good time even if the mileage was short.

Had big plans to run into work this morning, but 18 degrees with a 9 degree wind chill made me wimp out.  Instead I ran at lunch.  Not too bad a run, just took it easy.  This is the longest run since my race over New Years and I wanted to get a feel for how things would go.  They went fine and back and hopefully back to some good training.

Ran on the treadmill after work.  Was going to run at lunch, but had a lunch meeting to go to.  I would have rather been outside, oh well.

Speed work.  1 x .3, 3 x .4, 1 x .5 all at 6:40 pace on treadmill.  i was surprised at how well that went.  Maybe there is hope for me getting a little faster.

I had the Feb. edition of the Buffalo Run training series on Antelope Island.  The plan was to run the length of the Mountain View trail to the Fielding Garr ranch and back for a total of 22.8 miles.  With the recent snows, the trails were definitely coverd and by the time 6 miles came around, we had all elected to run down the road rather than on the trail.  Going down teh road cuts some of the mileage off since it's a little straighter than the trail.  This run marked my longest run since taking about 4 weeks off.  I was definitely tired and sore after this run.  Probably not a good idea to go that far after that long of a layoff, but on the other hand, I did make it and it was nice to get back into the groove of a long run. 

Ran at lunch.  For the most part the sidewalks were clear, but there were places that made running challenging.  Ended up with wet feet from all the puddles I had to tromp thru.

Ran on the treadmill.  Was going to go 6  miles, but just wasn't into it tonight.

Ran at lunch again.  Different route.  Teh sidewalks were worse and I ended up in the street.  Noot a good thing.  It would be nice if the snow would melt, but that won't happen for awhile.

Did some interval work tonight on the treadmill.  1 x .40, 3 x .50 all at 6:40 pace. Walked .10 in between each interval.  Easy running for the remainder.  Max HR 156.  Would like to get it a little higher, maybe around 160 or so.

man i was lazy over the weekend.  Didn't do any running at all.  I had big plans but they didn't happen.  Instead I went snowboarding on Friday, shopping with the wife on Saturday and snowboarding again on Sunday.  The boarding did wear me out a little, but it wasn't running.

Today I went at lunch and ran around the block.  Tried to push a little bit.  Max HR was 138.  I was thinking as I was running today (hard to do), and realized that my time for this Saturday's Winter Training Series 5K is going to be really slow and not just because it's hilly.  I'm just not in shape to run any sort of fast.  But it'll serve as a little bit of speed work for the week.

Ran into work this morning.  The weather finally cooperated somewhat.  Time was a little slow due to some sidewalk still being covered with sno and ice.  It was nice to finally run into work again.  I actually miss doing that even though it's a 90 minute run in the dark.

Ran home in the evening.  The run home was much slower than usual.  I was tired and hungry.  Hmmm, maybe that had something to do with it.  My flaslight wanted to act up on me as well.  Since not all of the route is covered with streetlights, coupled with the ice and snow, the going was a little slower.  My ankles were kind of sore as well, almost like a sprain, but I didn't do anything to them  Maybe it's just the long miles all of the sudden.  Who knows.

Ran at lunch.  Wind was a little cool but I headed out into it and came back with it.  I wish the snow would melt so the running would be a little less treacherous.

Ran a 5K today.  I hate 5K's and this one really sucked, mainly due to the uphill part for the first 1.5 miles.  Nonetheless, I did manage to run it and post a somewhat decent time for me.  And it did provide some needed speed work as well.  It also provided a benchmark as to where I was in the speed department (still slow) since I want to qualify for Boston this year.  I discovered that I need to do more speed work (big surprise.....not).  John puts on a great race and I had a great time seeing all sorts of running friends, most of whom were faster than I was.  I might add that it was cold too.  In the teens to start, and not much warmer at the finish.  That's another thing, I really dislike running in cold weather.  I actually ran this in shorts and a couple of long sleeve t's.  I actually survived the cold as well.  Who knew?  I did get cold after the race was over though.

Update - forgot to include my splits

1 mile - 8:07

2 mile - 8:30

3 mile - 7:41

.1 mile - 46.02 (7:40 pace)

hey, at least I ran negative splits (downhill helps)

Didn't get a chance to run at lunch and had big plans to hit the treadmill after work.  I did go to the gym and lift weights then went home and got on the treadmill.  my wife let me know that pizza had arrived after 3 miles and all my will power for running 6 miles went out the window.  Pizza and a beer while watching TV, good stuff!

Ran into work thsi morning.  Not too bad.  Probably in the upper teens to low 20's with no breeze.  Sidewalks are a little more clear this week.  My legs are a little sore from lifting yesterday.  I suppose that will go away once I get into more of a routine with lifting and running.

The run home was kind of slow.  Usually I run home faster than to work.  Probably because I want to get home and it's slightly downhill.  It was a faster run, but I really couldn't get into a groove until I was halfway there.  Reasons why?  I gotta million of them (actually only three).  First, I didn't take a hit off of my inhaler.  Most of the time, it really doesn't matter, tonight it did.  My breathing was a little harder.  Second, I went to the gym Monday night and was sore from that.  Third, I only got around 2 hours of sleep Monday night and that was starting totake it's toll by the afternoon.

If they say that 50 is the new 30, then I feel every bit of 50 (or at least 49) tonight.  I can still do the stuff that I did at 30, but it definitely hurts more.  Oh well, quit complaining Jim, you bring it on yourself.

Didn't run today.  Had too much to do at work and at home.  I did go to the gym and pushed hard on the weights.  That felt pretty good.

The dreaded speed work day.  Managed to do 1 x .4 @ 6:47, 3 x .4 @ 6:30, 2 x .3 @ 6:00, 1 x .2 @ 5:30.  Max HR was 162.  That's the highest HR I've seen in awhile.  Not too bad for an old Please follow Fast Running Blog policy regarding vulgar language

Ran into work this morning.  Time was a little faster than Tuesday, 1:31.  Might end up running home in the rain thsi afternoon.  We'll see.

Ran at lunchtime.  did my usual 6 mile route.  Pushed the pace.  I figure I'd better if I want a BQ at Ogden this year.  Good thing is, I can run 5 minutes slower because I change age groups before boston 2009.

Didn't geto to run into work or run at lunch so I had to settle for the treadmill.  Ran an easy 1 mile warmup, bumped the pace to 7:30 for 4.5 more miles, then 6:40 for the last .5 mile. 

Ran into work this morning.  It felt really slow and when I looked at my watch, it was pretty slow.  Don't know why except parts of me hurt.  My hip flexors, and maybe some sciatic issues.  I'll need to look into it and see if I can do anything.  I would imagine that if I stretched on a regular schedule, that would probably help, but I always forget.  We'll see how the run this afternoon goes.

The run home went much better.  I actually broke 1:30 (1:25 actual) for the run and the run was a little longer since the dirt parking lot I usually run across was nothing but mud.  I also was able to wear shorts instead of cold weather gear and I think that definitely makes a difference in how fast I run.  Overall felt pretty good.

Started to do some speed work on the treadmill, but couldn't get into it.  Did manage to do a 1/4 @ 5:40 and a couple of .5 @ 6:40.

Ran to work.  At last a sub 1:30 run in.  Felt pretty good.  Who knows, maybe the speed work is helping.  Actual time was 1:25

Time home was 1:23.  Times are getting lower and that's a good thing.  the run home was in the early afternoon since I only work part days on Friday.  It was nice to run home in shorts. 

Hmmm, for this race my time really sucked.  The slowest 10K race time I have ever run and 6 minutes slower than my PR.  Ugh!  Oh well, time marches on.  Forgot to take a hit off my inhaler and didn't realize it until the race started.  I think that cost me a little time.  I also ran 18 miles the day before, hmmmm, maybe that had something to do with it as well.  I wasn't able to really get into a running groove until around 3-4 miles, then I felt better and a little quicker until the uphill at mile 5.  Mentally I wasn't really into it either.  I figured that I would just turn the race into a good tempo run, and that it was.  8:32 pace?  Not good.  The legs were pretty trashed afterwards.  I was going to run another 7-8 easy in the afternoon, but baled on it.

Mile 1 - 8:25

Mile 2 - 7:36

Mile 3 - 8:24

Mile 4 - 8:30

Mile 5 - 9:22 (tired and uphill)

Mile 6 - 9:14

Mile 6.2 - 1:33 (7:45 pace)

Ran into work this morning.  Got kind of a late start and didn't get to work until after 7am.  I usually like to get ehre by 6:45.  Time in was ok, around 1:32.  Weather was not bad, probably in the upper 20's or low 30's and clear.  Chance of snow this afternoon.  Hopefully that doesn't happen but it's also supposed to be somewhat windy and that means a headwind (and windchill) for me.  Oh joy!  I can't wait for the weather to start warming up.  I'm ready for spring and the heat of summer.

The run home was great.  I pushed ahrd the entire way and broke 1:20 for only the second time.  Although it's only a sub 9 pace, that included stop lights and crossing busy streets.  Felt really good to push that ahrd and see some results.

Just took it easy at lunch today.  Planning on going to the gym after work.

Was going to run at lunch but decided that I needed to do some speed work.  Did 5 x 1/2 on the trreadmill, each one faster than the previous.  Pace - 6:40, 6:36, 6:31, 6:27, 6:23.  Max HR 162.  Roughly .2 walk/run in between each one plus 1/2 warmup and cool down.

Got my latest issue of Ultrarunning magazine.  Had a couple of articles on Ted Corbitt.  He passed away at the age of 88 last November.  He was considered by many to be the father of modern ultrarunning (post WW2) not only in the US but the world.  A phenomenal runner who set quite a few records even into his 80's.  In his prime he would regularly do training weeks of up to 300 miles and regularly trained in excess of 150 miles/week.   The guy walked 303 miles at a 6 day race in NYC at the ripe old age of 83 (2002).  He commented at the time that if he had known that he would do so well, he would have incorporated running into his training for the race.  How many of us could go 303 miles (50 miles/day) in 6 days?  The article also said that he was a very humble man and would talk to and encourage anyone with their running endeavors.  The unltrarunning community will miss him. 

Ran into work this morning.  Was a little colder than I thought, but not too bad.  Didn't note the time, but it was around the usual 1:30.

The run home was nice, a little cooler but still nice to run home in the sunshine.  I usually get off a little early on Friday's and teh roads aren't quite as busy.  Just took it easy and enjoyed the run.

Had the final official training run for the Antelope Island Buffalo Run.  Had the best turnout as well.  Somewhere around 25 people shoed to run anywhere between 13.5 and 17.2 miles.  The weather cooperated quite well.  A little breezy at times but for the most part very pleasant.  Got to run past a herd of about 30 female bison that were only 50 yards away.  How many people get that opportunity?  Saw a couple of male pronghorns going head to head as well.  All in all, a great run with friends.

Went to the gym after work then went home and got on the treadmill.  Did a 1 mile warmup and then 4 more at 8:00 or faster pace.  After all that I browned about 25 lbs. of buffalo stew meat for the Buffalo Run.  I bought 100 lbs. of stew meat for the race and it's quite the job to get it all cooked before the race.  My wife won't let me do it in the house so I end up in the garage cooking.

Ran into work thsi morning.  In the low 30's so not too bad.  I didn't pay attention to my time but the run felt about normal.  One thing I noticed is that my legs didn't ache like they usually do after I run in.  maybe I'm finally getting into some sort of shape.  One can only hope.  Daylight savings time meant that my run in was completely in the dark today.

the run home wasn't too bad.  The first 1/2 mile I wanted to call my wife and have her come get me.  I felt really sluggish and tired, but after about 3 miles, I felt fine and the rest of the run went well.  Don't know what the issue was except amybe a lack of motivation.

Did the dreaded speed work on the treadmill.  6 x .5, 6:31, 6:27, 6:23, 6:19, 6:15, 6:11.  Max HR was the highest I've ever managed to get it, 168.  Usually I can't get my HR above around 156-162.  Resting HR is still 42-44.  Didn't get to run yesterday due to too much work at work and work at home getting ready for the Buffalo Run.  Only a week away ans till way too much to do.  If any of you think it would be fun to direct a race, well, it is, but it's also a lot of work, coordination, etc.  In the end I think it's all worth it to put on a well run race and have people really enjoy it and come back year after year.

This is my race report for the Antelope Island Buffalo Run.  This is a race that I started three eyars ago and it's grown every year.  This year I had about 250 runners split between the three races.  The 50 mile (starts at 6am), the 50K (starts at 8am), and a 25K (starts at 9am).  As usual, a tremendous amount of work is involved in putting on the race, beginning about 6 months before race day and it's still not over even a week after.

Two new course records were set this year.  Erik Storheim defended last year's 50 mile win with a new course record of 7:04, handily beating the 2nd place runner by over 30 minutes.  Brad Mitchell also defended his 50K title by setting a new record of 3:49 for the distance.  His win was only 4 minutes ahead of the previous record holder, Kevin Shilling.

Other race winners include Milada Copeland winning the women's 50 mile, Eve Davies winning the women's 50K, Billy Peterson winning the men's 25K, and Jennifer Koldewyn winning the women's 25K.

The weather cooperated again this year.  It was very windy the night before and during the race start, but as the day progressed, the wind died down.  The runners were treated to low 30's at the start warming to the upper 40's by the afternoon.  One of these years, the weather is going to be really bad on race day.

A few things were done this year to improve the race, we added a portajohn to the 50 mile turnaround point, moved the Lone Tree aid station to a different location another .4 miles down the trail, and had canopies for each aid station for a little bit of shelter.

As usual, I had plenty of wonderful volunteers who gave up their day to help out at the race.  Some of my volunteers have been with me all three years now.  As with most races, this race would certainly not take place without the volunteers giving their time to help out.

The race went off without a hitch, there were the usual minor items, drop bags not getting back fast enough, a few 50K runners who elected to drop after 25K.  We did have plenty of food and drink at all the aid stations.  Running out of food/drink is always a big concern of mine during the race because it's very difficult to just run to the store to pick up stuff.  The nearest store (WalMart) is well over 10 miles away.

As usual, I waas exhausted after the day's events and felt like I had run the race myself, but I also felt really good that another race was in the books and I can start planning for next year's race.

If you've never run a trail race or an ultra, give the Buffalo Run a try.  Registration opens in mid October.  This year's race filled to its limit in three weeks, howver, I'm in talks with the park to possibly expand the number of entries substantially.  Check out the race website at www.buffalorun.org

Nothing to report.  This is a catch up entry.

Another catch up entry.  I've really been slacking off, both on the running and on recording it.  shame on me.

My fellow ultrarunning friend Meghan and I had been planning on running today for the past couple of weeks.  With the snow falling, I was going to tank the run and not go, but she told me to get my butt in gear.  We met at the main gate to Antelope Island, drove out and ran a couple different trails.  The Lakeside trail around the north end of the island is always a good time.  Fairly flat but very technical in areas.  If you don't pay attention to foot placement, you'll end up on your face hurting.  The other trail we ran is out White Rock and then the Split Rock loop.  Snow was sticking to the ground up on the bench, but down lower it wasn't.  Pretty muddy in spots, but all in all a good time.  It felt good to get out and do a nice long run in some icky weather and get muddy.  Conversation was pretty good too.

Ran at lunch. Felt good so I pushed the pace for the entire run.

Didn't get a chance to run at lunch so I hit the treadmill at home.  Felt pretty good, I set the pace quite a bit faster than I usually do when I run on that thing.

Ran into work this morning.  I felt pretty good so I pushed it a little bit.  The time was 1:21, one of the faster times I've run going into work.  With the run in and the run home this afternoon I've probably messed up any chance of running a decent time in tomorrow's Strider's half marathon.  Oh well, I'll have the race experience and the mileage.  To me right now mileage is more important.

The run home was faster.  Ran a 1:17 home.  Felt pretty good.

Not too bad a time.  I ran the overall pace I wanted to which was a sub 8:00 pace.  The 18 the previous day definitely didn't help as you can see that I slowed down considerably after 9 miles.  Something of a headwind as well once we came out of the canyon and started around the northside of Pineview.  Here's the splits

1 - 9:29

2 - ?:??

3 - 7:52

4 - 8:03

5 - 7:41

6 - 7:47

7 - 7:54

8 - 8:07

9 - 8:09

10 - 8:29

11 - 8:23

12 - 8:19

13 - 7:53

13.1 - 0:42.9 (7:08 pace)

Ran on the treadmill this eveing.  Pushed the pace to a 7:30 (fast for me) with the last .5 miles at a sub 7 pace.  Running the Striders half at a sub 8 pace gave me some incentive to push harder in the training.  Who knows, maybe I will run a BQ in May.

Ran in to work this morning.  Just took it easy.  Time was 1:27.

Took it easy on the run home as well.  Time was 1:25.

Did the dreaded interval work on the treadmill.  Ugh!  but it does work.  All of the intervals were at a 6:18 pace.  Did 2 x 0.5, 1 x 0.6, 1 x 0.75, and 1 x 1.0.  I think I need to bump the pace up a bit.  When I was running the 1 mile, I could clearly tell when I went anaerobic.  It was at 0.9 miles.  The rest of the intervals left me out of breath, but recovery was pretty fast.  Max HR was 168 with 162 being the norm.

Ran into work this morning like I usually do on Friday's.  The run was a little slower due to the interval work last night.  The legs were a little dead.  Morning was a little cool, in the 30's.  Looking forward to the afternoon run home.  Should be a lot warmer.  Next week in the 70's, it's about time.

The run home wasn't too bad.  Kind of slow as well.  Time was 1:27

I'm calling this a marathon pace run.  The run was on the White Rock, Split Rock, and Elephant Head trails on Antelope Island.  The day was perfect for a trail run.  A little breeze to keep things cool, nice warm sun, and perfect trail conditions.  Since  I'm on the Trail Patrol there, I was carrying a radio as well as my usual run stuff.  Lots of horseback riders and mountain bike riders.  Ended up adding to my mileage having to chase down people that go off trail.  I felt pretty strong so I pushed the pace the entire way. I ended up taking a little over 3.5 hours, but if you back out the time spent chasing people down, then I could have done the run in less than 3 hours.  Not bad given those trails.

Ran my usual 6 mile loop at lunch.  Very windy but at least it was warm.  Not too much to say about it.

Interval work on the treadmill.  2 x 0.5, 1 x 0.6, and 1 x 0.75 all at 6:18 pace.

Ran around the block at lunch.  Very nice day, a little cool, but warm sun.  Felt pretty good.

Yep, I ran a marathon this Saturday just like everyone who ran Salt Lake.  I just didn't have to pay $75 and run on the roads. 

We started at 7am on one of the trailheads above the avenues, ran a loop thru City Creek and over to the west side of that canyon, back down City Creek, then back to the start.  That got the first 10 miles or so out of the way.  Then we went up the trail past a water tower, and along the BST, down Dry Creek Canyon and over to the aid station behind Huntsman Cancer Center.  then a loop thru the Red Butte area brought us back to the aid station, back up Dry Creek, continuing past where the trail switchbacks and up the actual creek bed, on up Black Mountain ridge, then along the ridgeline back to the start.  We finished in Dan's driveway.  I've been told that there's over 6000' of vertical on this course and I believe it.  We had at least two 1000'+ climbs (very steep as well).

This is the fourth year I've run this race and with the exception of two years ago, I always have a good time.  I felt really good and tried to push the running a little.  I started out a little slow, just chatting with everyone I know (which is most of the 95 runers there), then I picked it up some after about 5 miles.  During the next 20+ miles, I managed to catch around 20-25 people while only a couple people passed me.  Even the climbs weren't too bad and I'm not a climber at all.  I managed to run up most of Dry Creek canyon and that's after 21 miles.  I think the speed work is helping with that.

Weather conditions were ok.  The wind was terrible all day long.  The temperature finally warmed up to the 70's but along some of the upper ridges that wind had to be blowing at over 40 mph.  Some of the smaller women were really getting tossed around.  You know it's bad when it takes effort to run downhill.

Very little snow on the course this year, maybe 200 yards total, and the trails were dry.  Great running conditions.

Anyway, a good time was had by all, expecially after we were done.  I'm surprised at how sore my legs are today. 

Ran into work this morning.  Kind of slow (1:30).  I'm still sore from the BST marathon on Saturday.  This is the sorest I've been from a race in a long time.

The run home in the afternoon went better.  Still a little slow, but at least it was a sub 1:30 (1:25).

Ran around the block at lunch.  Still a little sore, but pushed it some.  Had to yell at one driver who claims he didn't see me.  hopefully he'll look a little more before turning into a crosswalk.

Ran at lunch.  Haven't had much chance to run this week due to moving to a new house.  Hopefully things will settle down a little bit now that we're moved.

Went to a local trail and did some hill work.  Did 6 repeats of a little over 3 minutes each.  I'm figuring a 1/4 mile but it was probably a little longer.  Tried to push hard, especially the last 100 yards or so.  Max HR hit 168.

Ran to work this morning from our new house.  Instead of 8.9 miles, the new distance is about 3.5 miles further.  I figured it would take me 2 hours and it was 2 hours right on the nose.  Seems like the first 8 miles are uphill though.  Traffic gets a liittle hairy along a 2 lane section of highway with no shoulder, but the rest of it was fine.  We'll see how the run home this afternoon goes.

Well, I left for home around 1pm and was starving, so I stopped at Arby's, ate lunch then kept running.  Made one other stop at Radio Shack to pick up a few small items that i could stuff in my pockets.  Other than that, the run was pretty uneventful.

Ran to work this morning.  Distance was a little longer since I didn't cut across the railroad tracks, that just makes mea little nervous.  Felt really tired but my time was about what I would expect, 2:04.  Maybe it was the 4.5 hours of sleep last night. The run home started out really slow.  I was not into it, tired, etc.  After the first couple of miles though, I started to feel much better and ended up feeling pretty good the rest of the way home.  Ran home 10 minutes faster than to work.  Time was 1:55.

Ran at lunch and had to make a concious decision to just take it easy and run slow.  It was kind of nice to just plod along and enjoy the day.

Ran one of my favorite trails after work today.  The BST from 22nd street in Ogden south towards Beus Canyon.  It was too much fun.  I felt great and managed to run every uphill section, even the steep long ones.  Pushed hard on the flat and downhill sections.  Had a great time passing all the flabby mountain bikers going uphill.  Had a grin on my face the entire time.  That's what running is all about, having a good time running in a favorite place.

Ran the White Rock trail on Antelope Island.  The bugs were out in force whenever the breeze was at your back.  I actually met a goal I've had for awhile out there.  I've always had a goal to be able to run up the grade to the White Rock/Split Rock junction.  I've never been able to do that due  to the grade and length.  Well Saturday I finally was able to do it without one step walking.  Felt pretty good.

Well, I think I'm ready for the marathon this Saturday.  I ran 8 miles at the pace I wanted to run Saturday and felt pretty good.  7:50 average even with half of the route being uphill.  Now if I can just keep up that pace for 26.2.

Just took it easy at lunch today.  Ran one of my usual lunchtime routes.

Well, I ran the Ogden marathon for the 2nd time and came within 1 mintue of my time 2 years ago.  I was hoping for a sub 3:30, but I ran what my training allowed me to.  Not enough speedwork to develop the strength.  The first half was ok, I was running a sub 8 pace, but I ended up hanging on for dear life during the second half to run teh time I did.  The weather was a little warm, especially coming down thru the Ogden canyon.  With the breeze at your back, it made things a little stifling at times.  Still, I stayed plenty hydrated and fed.  At the finish I felt about the same as I do after a 50 mile race, tired and quite sore.  Looking back at my training miles, I'm surprised I ran as fast as I did.  Anyway, a good time was had by all.  I saw lots of friends and generally had a good time. 

Well, time to get back on the trails.  I ran my favorite trail thsi afternoon.  6 miles of rocks, roots, hills, creek crossings and just plain fun.  Felt really good even after the marathon.  Very little soreness.

Ran into work this morning.  Time was 2:04.  Not too bad until the last 2-3 miles, then I started getting a little tired.  We'll see how tis afternoon goes.  The temp is supposed to get up to 93 today.  There's virtually no shade at all on the way home.  Good thing I don't mind running in heat.

The afternoon warmth wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  But the run was very slow.  The further I went the slower I got.  My wife finally picked me up about a mile from home as we had to go get hay for our horses.  I think I'll take Wed. off and rest.

Ran a few easy miles in Grand Forks, ND.  We're visiting our son who's attending UND adn staying the summer.  Lots of bike paths and trails along the roads there.  Much more so than around here.  They have a wonderful path that goes for several miles along the Red River.  Weather was kind of cool, but not too bad.

At last I got to run this week.  Hard to get some running in when you're on vacation.  Anyway, felt pretty good to get back out on the road at lunch.  Now I have to get my butt in gear and start some consistent training for the rest of the summer.

Decided to do some hill work and ran up Taylor Canyon.  It's a pretty steep trail up to Malan's peak above Ogden.  The legs and lungs definitely got a workout today.

Ran the BST from Kaysville to Fernwood and back.  Haven't run this trail in awhile and it was good to get back on it.  Teh run went well.  My legs were pretty sore from the previous day's run, but after a couple miles, they loosened up and things were better.

Ran the Pipeline trail up Millcreek Canyon with my friend Meghan.  The only times I've run this trail were at night when running the Wasatch 100 or the Millcreek 50K (a night race).  So it was great to see this canyon during the day.  It was a perfect day for a run, sunny, cool, clear air, wonderful scenery and a friend to run with.  Good times.

Ran the BST from 22nd street towards Beus Canyon and back.  Felt pretty good.   Was able to run everything, no walking on the hills, even the steep ones.

Ran into work this morning.  Time was a little slow.  I just bought a UTA Ecopass thru work that allows me to ride anything UTA has, trains, Trax, buses.  So going home I tried running to the train station a couple miles from work, taking the train two stops and 15 minutes, then running the 4.5 home.  Actually wasn't too bad.  Figuring that I spend a gallon of gas a day commuting when I drive, the pass will pay for itself in 8 days.  I'm leaving the car at home as much as possible.  We can also take bikes on the train.  Pretty cool deal, saving money while running to work more often.

Ran into work via the train station this morning.  Left the house at about 6:15, caught the 7:08 train and was at my desk well before 8am.  The roads I would normally drive to the station are extremely busy, but I've found some back roads to the station that are very quiet.  The run itself was slow, my legs are dead.  I think it's from trying to ramp up to some decent mileage, so it will get better.

The run home went better, but the legs are still very tired.  All in all, not a bad commute, combining the train and running.

Hiked up to Windy Pass east of Provo to help out at the Windy Pass Aid station at the Squaw Peak 50 mile.  Rain at the bottom, snow at the top.  4" of the stuff with plenty of old snow left over.  We kept a fire going all day long.  The weather did clear off and it was actually quite pleasant by around 2pm.  This is the 4th year I've worked this aid station and it's always a good time.  We end up packing in all our supplies 5 miles uphill.  thank goodness there's a spring near the top for water.  Finally made it down after dark.  Glad I took a headlamp with me.  I bought a new one, a Petzl MYO plus.  Lots and lots of light.  I love it.  Anyway, a good time was had by all, including Grant Holdaway.  This is a guy who's 77 years old and running a very tough 50 mile race, and he wasn't the last one to finish.  What an inspiration.  Windy Pass is at the 40.5 mile point and he was still looking good, tired but doing fine.

Did the run/train/run thing this morning.  Pushed a little harder to the station.  Found a more quiet route than running along Wall Ave. in Ogden.  Legs felt very heavy this morning, like I'm not in shape at all.  Hope that felling goes away.

My daughter and grandson leave for home today.  They've been out visiting for the last week and the training has suffered some.  I'd rather spend time with them than run.  Can you blame me?  My grandson is 1 1/2 years old and way too much fun.  I'll miss him when he's gone.

the run home was uneventful, just a run home.

Didn't get a chance to run during lunch so I hit the dreadmill in the evening.  Just the 4 miles was a chore.

Ran to the train station, took the train, then ran to work.  A little cool this morning, but perfect for a run.  The day is going to be gorgeous.

The run to the train station this afternoon was at a sub 8 pace.  Felt good to push.  The run from the Ogden station home wasn't as fast, but still sub 9. 

Now that holidays are over and family is gone, I hope to get several uninterrupted weeks of good training before Tahoe Rim.  We'll see how that goes.

Tried out a new section of the BST.  Started at the North Ogden trailhead and went along the powerline at the base of Ben Lomond Peak.  The trail started out as some nice single track, but then joined up with the powerline road.  Not too interesting after that.  Tough run though due to the climbs and descents.  Some nice views to the south towards Ogden.

Ran on Antelope Island.  I was fully expecting to get eaten alive by bugs, but they were non-existent.  the day was nice.  A little warm.  Two bottles was not enough as I ran out about 2 miles from the end of the run.  The park has flagged a section of new trail that they're hoping to cut this summer.  I called in to the Ranger and he told me to check it out.  I did and managed to get thousands of cheatgrass seeds stuck in my shoes.  That new section of trail is going to be sweet.  Gradual climbs and descents, single track, it will wind in and out of all sorts of small ravines, traverse across some fairly steep hillsides.  It'll be too much fun to run when it opens next spring.

Nothing special, did the run to the train station thing this morning. 

Really pushed on the run to the train station after work.  Well under an 8 minute pace.  Nice and warm, just the way I like it. 

Really felt sluggish this morning.  I wasn't too much slower than normal, but sure felt like it.  I did notice some restriction in my breathing, like my trachea was narrower.  i did take a hit off of my inhaler before I left the house but my hay fever has been acting up the past couple of days.  Perhaps a touch of asthma this morning.  We'll see how the afternoon run goes.

Afternoon run went fine.  I felt a little better, not as sluggish.  Nice and warm though. 

Ran an easy 6 at lunch.  My right achilles, where it attaches to the heel, is bothering me.  Hope it doesn't get worse.  Guess a little icing is in store this evening.

Got a late start to the train station this morning.  But made it in time, with only a couple minutes to spare.  Nothing like time to give a little incentive to run a little faster.

Had to run pretty quick to catch the train home.  Left work a little late.  Still made it though. 

No running today.  I was one of the drivers for Team Ammo IYAAYAS, one of the ultra teams for the Wasatch Back Relay.  Lots of fun, wish I could have done some running with them.

Ran to the station again today.  this Saturday is the Logan Peak Trail Run.  28 miles.  I'm not planning on tapering at all, so we'll see how that goes.

Pushed hard on the 2 miles to the train station.  7:30 pace, aproximately.  I love beating cars to the intersection.  They get to wait at the light and in the traffic while I go up the road.  Slowed the pace some on the run from the station to home, but still went faster than I usually do.

Felt really old this morning.  The run yesterday left me a little tired.  I've also been pulling hay bales out of a field for the past several days and last night I managed to kick the trailer while boosting a bale and now my big toe is sore.  The right elbow is hurting as well and the last insult was getting a pretty good dog bite on my finger while playing.  Not the dog's fault.  I'm a mess.

The run home wasn't much better.  Just slow.  Hope I can get some decent sleep tonight.

Felt a little better this morning.  Got more sleep, don't have to worry about getting more hay tonight.  Might even get to bed early.  What a thought!

Took it easy going home.  Legs are still alittle tired, but oh well.  It's part of the gig.

Finally got around 8 hours of sleep.  I felt a whole lot better this morning.  Decided to just run at lunch today rather than run in to work.  A little bit warm, but not too bad.

Talk about a tough course.  Even though it's o nly 28 miles, this race runs like a 50K or longer.  the first 4 miles are all uphill and you gain roughly 3000' going up Dry Canyon.  This is followed by a traverse around a mountain until you get to the second aid station at 11 miles.  then it's another 2000' climb in 3 miles to the top of Logan Peak.  Oh, and long the way we ended up covering around a mile on snow, some of it 4'-5' deep, especially near the top of the peak.  Now we had 2000' of downhill, a run along some jeep roads to connect with the Dry Canyojn trail.  for the next several miles this was some sweet single track, rolling, twisting, and very runnable.  Finally you get back to the aid station at the top of the canyon and now you have 3000' of descent in the 4 remaining miles.

My race went great.  I did no taper at all so I wasn't expecting great things out of this.  I was hoping for a sub 5:30 (ideally) and a sub 6:00 (realistically).  I ran a 6:12 adn was happy with it.  I tried pushing where I could, stayed well fueled and hydrated.  I had no issues with altitude like I have had in the past.  9700' at the top of Logan Peak didn't bother me at all.  When I got to the last aid station, there was another runner only 40-50 yards behind and gaining.  Since I love downhill trail running, I figured I'd pour it on and see if I could stay in front of her.  I have no idea what time I ran for the last 4 miles, but I'm thinking it was around 30 minutes.  I knew my quads would pay for those last 4 miles but I figured I'd tough it out.  I did manage to stay in front and even gain some ground as she finished about 5 minutes behind me.  I was hammered when I crossed the finish line though.

Two thumbs up for this race.  Beautiful scenery, great trails and jeep roads to run on, the aid stations were fantastic, lots of food and drink and wonderful people manning them.  Great food at the end, and a really tough course  Kelly and her crew did a great job.

Did the usual run in to the train station this morning. My quads are absolutely hammered from my race on Saturday. Needless to say, it was a slow run in. I haven't been this sore two days after a race in a long time. I also forgot my water bottle, not critical in the morning, but it's going to be a dry run home this afternoon.

The afternoon run was indeed warm. Since I forgot my bottle, I really tanked up on fluids before I left work. the run to the train station (2 miles) was fine. The run from the train station to home got a little dry, but a good thing happened to me. This hot babe in this huge, lifted F250 stopped and asked if I wanted a ride home. Of course I told my wife yes. ( I just bought her a 2005 pickup last weekend to replace her worn out F150.)

The legs felt a little better, especially as the run home went on. Still, I think I'm not going to run in tomorrow, I'll just go running at lunch.

Hot, hot, hot.  Went running at lunch.  I had to dro by Striders Running store and thought I'd just run up there at lunch.  It was a warm run and not too fast.  Glad I had a water bottle.

Did the run into work thing this morning.  Legs are feeling much better.  Still somewhat sore, but not nearly as much.  I don't know if anyone else experiences this, but on the way in to work from the train station I got really lightheaded.  Not to the p oint of passing out, but a really disjointed feeling.  I feel fine now.  Anyone else had that happen to them?  I have had it happen numerous times over the years.

The run home was p[retty uneventful.  Just an average run.

Almost tanked the run into the train station this mroning. I was (and still am) very tired. It's so hard to get to bed early during the summer when the sun is shining. Good thing it's Thursday and I can leave work early. I plan on taking a nap this afternoon.

Yea! I actually left work at 1:00.  The run home was fine, kind of warm but not too bad.  Added bonus, I got to take my nap and it was a good thing. 

Ran from Elbow Fork (6500') in Millcreek Canyon up to the Upper Big Water parking lot, then past Dog Lake, on to Desolation Lake and turned around at the radio towers near Scott's Pass above Brighton Ski Area.  Much of the run was well above 9000'.  I was trying to get an idea of my training for altitude and it seemed to go ok.  I found that I could actually run the more gentle uphills even at 9500'.  Downhills were not an issue.  It was also a last long training run before the Tahoe Rim 100 in 2 weeks.  The Tahoe Rim course only goes to 9200' briefly, no sustained mileage above 9000', so that's good.  My time was right at 4 hours to the turn with the run out being mostly uphill.  The time back was 2:50, so not too bad for some very technical trail running up high.  Total time was under 7 hours and I stopped numerous times to take in the scenery, and made one wrong turn that ate up about 10 minutes.  That makes my pace somewhat slower than last week's race, but I was happy with it.  It took me several days to recover from last Saturday's race so doing the run today in the time I did was good.

Going up to Dog Lake there were way too many dogs, literally hundreds, and all off leash.  Although I have 4 dogs of my own, dogs off leash bug me because I've been bitten while running.  Only one showed anything beyond a passing interest and I told the owner to get her dog as I had been bitten before.

Lots of mountain bikers once I got past Desolation.  All in all, a very busy trail day. 

Did the run into work thing this morning.  This might be the last time for a couple of weeks.  Between a business trip and tapering for a race on the 19th, the long runs are done for awhile.

The run to the train station went ok, I pushed some since I felt good.  the run home from the train station started out not ok.  I felt somewhat lightheaded and walked for a bit.  I called my house and left amessage telling my wife to come pick me up, but she didn't get home until just before I got home.  Meanwhile, I started to feel much better and actually felt pretty good the last couple of miles.  Maybe low blood sugar?  I ate a granola bar on the train and maybe it just took a bit to kick in.  I think I need to eat more, especially in the afternoon.

Did an easy run at lunch.  I've missed the past couple of days due to being out of town on business.  It's hard to go running when you go on an overnight trip, get in late, and leave righta fter your meeting.  Oh well, I'm on a taper anyway.

Well, I don't know how easy these miles were.  I fulfilled my 8 hour trail work requirement as part of the price of admission to the Wasatch 100 on Saturday.  We met at the Orson Smith trailhead in Draper, then went 5 miles uphill, gaining 4000', gathered up some tools, built about .15 miles of trail thru the forest, ate lunch, then ran the 5 miles back down to the trailhead.  Actually it was a lot of fun.  There were about 10 of us and all were fulfilling the trail work requirement.  For a lot of trails in the Wasatch National Forest, this is the only maintenance or work that gets done on them.  I highly recommend doing some sort of volunteer trail work, especially if you use them a lot.

Just a few easy miles.  My trail work run on Saturday left my legs just a little sore, so I'm not doing anything too difficult this week.

Probably my last run before Saturday.  Felt really slow.  Makes me wonder if I'm undertrained for my race.  I guess I'll find out then how well trained I am.

Well, I failed to complete the Tahoe Rim 100 mile race today (http://www.tahoemtnmilers.org/trt50). This race took place on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe in the mountains above the lake. The race starts and ends at Spooner Lake State Park, makes its way north for roughly 26 miles, turns around and comes back to the start. If you're running the 100 mile race, you get to do two laps. With the start at 5am, we all took off in the dark, some had lights, but most of us didn't. The sky started to get light after about 15 minutes and by 5:45, it was plenty light. The first several miles are a gradual uphill to the first aid station. Spooner Lake is at 7000' and the first aid station (Hobart, 6 miles) is at roughly 7900'. On the way to Hobart, we passed Marlette Lake. This is a small lake that overlooks Tahoe. Once we left Hobart, we had 5 miles to go until the Tunnel Creek aid station. This section was uphill for the first part and downhill into the aid station. During thsi section we were treated to views of Marlette Lake and Lake Tahoe some 2000' below. Tunnel Creek aid station was the main aid station of the race as the 100 mile runners would go thru here 6 times. After going thru the Tunnel Creek aid station we had to do a loop called the Red House loop. This was a 6.3 mile loop that descended to 6800’ (the lowest point on the course) then came back up to the Tunnel Creek aid (7900’). This section was the one most people complained about due to the steep uphill/downhill portion just outside the Tunnel Creek aid station. I didn’t think it was too bad given some of the trail climbs here along the Wasatch. After leaving Tunnel Creek again, we headed north along the ridges above Lake Tahoe and behind one of the ski areas that line the lake. This section was the longest between aid stations at 9 miles. It was also one of the highest with over 8 miles above 8500’. I talked to several people who had come from sea level and they were having a difficult time with the elevation. The trail from Tunnel Creek to Mt. Rose was absolutely stunning. Most of it was along the ridges above Lake Tahoe and since the day was sunny and clear, the views were spectacular. Several times I had to stop for a moment just to take in the views. I would have fallen on my face if I had tried to do that while running. This section of trail also made for great running, nothing really difficult technically, mostly fairly smooth trail. Lots of fun. Over the final couple of miles into Mt. Rose, there were lots of hikers. Naturally we did get some strange looks, but everyone tried to encourage us as we went along. By the time I got to Mt. Rose, my pace was slowing down a little bit. To this point I had managed to maintain a sub 23 hour pace. This was encouraging since my goal was around 26 hours. I figured that I would put a little time in the bank since night time running tends to be a lot slower. However, my legs were starting to get a little tired. I spent about 10 minutes at the Mt. Rose aid station trying to recover a little bit and eventually left heading south for the start/finish 24 miles away. After a couple more hours of running, I came back into the Tunnel Creek aid station. I spent about 10 minutes there before heading out for the high point on the course, the aid station at Snow Valley Peak (9000’). The climb up to there was fairly gradual with lots of switchbacks. I was still feeling fairly good, but still slowing down. I was glad to get to Snow Valley because that meant there was a sustained 7 miles of downhill to get back to the start/finish. This is the section that started my undoing. I love running downhill, but by the time I got back to the start/finish, I was entertaining the thought of dropping out. Knowing the condition of my legs, I figured that I probably wouldn’t be able to complete another 50 mile lap. I sat at the start/finish for about 20 minutes, washed the dirt off my feet, changed socks, ate food and figure I’d go out for at least one more section and see how I felt. I made it out of the start/finish to Hobart before dark and really started to think about dropping, but I thought. I’ll give it one more section and headed out for Tunnel Creek. I had to turn on my headlamp about 1 mile out of Tunnel Creek. I ended up walking almost the entire way from Hobart to Tunnel Creek. I knew then that my race was probably over. I knew that I couldn’t walk the remaining 39 miles and make the time cutoffs and I knew that my legs weren’t in any shape to finish. I sat at Tunnel Creek for about an hour before making the decision to drop. So, what did I do wrong? Clearly not enough long runs. My longest two runs were 24 and 28 miles. These two runs should have been in the 35-40 mile range. You can’t fake a lack of training in a race like this. Overall I had the training mileage. What did I do right? I tried something a little different here. I went with an almost entirely liquid diet. Usually I will eat some solid food during the race, but this never really sounded good. Every aid station had Ensure and at 250 calories each plus liquid, these were great. They went down easy and really boosted my energy level. The other food I really like at a 100 mile race is Starbuck Frappacino’s. Talk about some rocket fuel with all that sugar and caffeine. If nothing else, this race served as a great long training run for Wasatch in Sept. On a side note, I did get to meet a couple other members of the Wasatch Speedgoat Mountain Racing Team (www.wasatchspeedgoat.com). The winning time was about 18:51 and the top two winners actually agreed to cross the line together, thus splitting the $1000 first prize. The overall finish rate for the 100 mile race was 57%, somewhat on the low side. I’ll be back next year to redeem myself, collect the beer glass and beer, and the nifty belt buckle.

My first run since Saturday's race.  The legs felt kind of heavy, but I wanted to push the pace some anyway.  Felt pretty good for the first couple of miles, then I started to slow down a little.  Still, it was a good run.  I did feel like going further, but figured I'd better not today.

Ran up the trail from Fernwood trying to get a little hill work in. Although it's primarily a hike, I tried to push it fairly hard to give the legs and lungs a good workout. Didn't see any rattlesnakes, but I was looking. Always a good time when you see one of those. Saw a fellow ultrarunner going up as I was coming down. We stopped to chat for a few minutes. He was running from the Wasatch start in Kaysville all the way to the maintenance shed up Farmington canyon, 18+ miles of tough running. I figure he'd finish after dark. Once I got home I decided to get another mile in on the treadmill with the slope set to 12% (max). I set the pace to 5 mph just to see if I could run it (slowly). I did manage. I'd like to build that up to an hour at that slope and pace.

Ran at lunchtime. Nice and warm.

Ran to the train station today.  I was planning on doing a little speedwork on the way, but i was so tired that just trotting along took effort.  Not really looking forward to the afternoon commute back home.

Well, I didn't go running today, but I did run an aid station for the Speedgoat "Get High" 50K at Snowbird ski area.  Karl Meltzer and Scott Mason put this on and it is one tough 50K trail race.  11,000' of gain in 31 miles and none of it is below 8000'.  the aid station i was at was on the Mineral Basin side of the Peruvian Tunnel (20.3 miles).  We could see the runners coming down the ridge from Hidden Peak (11,000') on their way to the top of Mt. Baldy (11.068').  We were at about 10,500' and the runners were just coming up after a hard 2500' climb.  The winning time was 5:50 by Ryan McDowell (his wife won overall last year).  To give you an idea of how tough this course is, on a flat course and 50k winning time can be in the nieghborhood of 3:30.  Ryan is no slouch when it comes to mountain running.  Anyway, I had a great time volunteering, got to enjoy some beautiful scenery and see plenty of my fellow trail running friends.  If none of you has ever volunteered at a race, I highly recommend it.  You end up having way too much fun.

Ran from North Ogden divide up the trail to the top of Ben Lomond peak (9712').  Roughly 3000' of gain.  My goal was under 2 hours.  My  previous fastest time was 2:10.  This is 8.2 miles of uphill trail.  I did manage is run it in 2:05, so a new best time.  I did run large protions of it, so I wasn't unhappy with the run.  My running at higher elevations is getting better I think, although it amazing what a difference only a few hundred feet make in the abiliity to breathe.  Based on my effort, I'm calling the uphill part a marathon pace even though the pace was closer to a 15 minute pace.  The downhill part was lots of fun and I managed to do that in 1:24 for a roughly 10 minute pace.  Not too bad given that some places are so rocky that you have to walk unless you want to risk a sprained or broken ankle.

I took 70 oz. of water and it was just about the right amount as I ran out about half a mile from the parking lot.  It was quite warm  when I came down, but there was a nice breeze to help keep me cool.  On top, the temp was probably in the high 70's with a nice breeze up there as well.  I did see some mountain goats when I was on top, so that was pretty cool as I've never seen them in the wild before.  Some other people on the top said that they saw over 20 just hanging out on the cliffs.

Ran in to work this morning.  I thought I'd be a little tired from yesterday's effort, but I actually felt pretty good, so that's a good thing.

The run home was even easier.  As I left work and started to run, my daughter called.  I ended up walking the 2 miles to the train station as I talked with her, missed my usual train and had to take a later one.

Pushed the pace a little this morning.  I need to do that more often.

Nothing special about the run home other than the train had some issues with its computer.  We were stopped on the tracks for about 10 minutes while it was reset.

Did some interval work today at lunch. About 1.3 warmup, 4 x .6, 1.3 cooldown. Not much of a cooldown given the heat.

Spent the entire day running from the Lamb's Canyon exit on I-80 to the Homestead resort in Midway. This is the last 47 miles of the Wasatch 100 course. We took one short cut when we realized that we wouldn't finish before dark. None of us had lights. Went with a couple of fellow Wasatch runners. Most runners will see this part of the course at night, so it was nice to see it during the day as I think it's the most scenic part. I had no issues with the altitude at all. I actually felt really good all day long. The only part that was a little difficult was the climb from Brighton ski area up to Sunset Pass (10,450'), the highest point reached during the race. The last 5 miles were the best part, all downhill and my legs felt great, I pushed really hard on this part. We all had big sloppy hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes when we finished, good stuff. What a gorgeous day in the mountains.

Took a friend of mine from Illinois out to Antelope Island for a short run.  Bugs weren't bad at all.  I think most of them have died off now.  That or the heat gets to them.  Anyway, had a nice run.

Went an easy 5 at lunch.  Legs were a little tired, but that got better as the run went on. 

Did the run to work and use the train thing this morning.  About half way to the station I realized that I had forgotten my water bottle, so this afternoon I'll have to call my wife and have her meet me at the station in Ogden.  6.5  miles in the afternoon heat is a little much without any water.

The run this morning wasn't too bad.  The legs felt a little heavy, but at the same time I felt light on my feet, go figure.  I should be tapering since i have a 100k race a week from Saturday, but I'm not going to taper much this week.  The Wasatch 100 is still my major race for the summer and this 100k coming up is just another long training run for me.  I'd still like to do well especially since last year my race there really sucked.  I'm actually looking forward to Wasatch.  I think my training to date should help me do fairly well there.

Only ran to the train station in teh afternoon.  I forgot a water bottle and 6.5 miles without any water didn't appeal to me.  I made the 2 miles to the station a tempo run instead.  Around a 7:00-7:30 pace.

The dreaded interval day.  Did 2 x .4, 2 x .5, and 2 x .6 on the roads around work.  Didn't time anything, just ran as hard as I could.  I know speed work works, but I really dislike doing it.

Had a noon meeting at work so I didn't get to run at lunch.  Instead I ran after work, but wasn't into it at all.  Quit after about 3.5 and went to see Striders new store in Layton.  Pretty nice and a whole lot more room.

did the run to work/train thing this morning.  Just an average run, nothing special.

Did an easy run thsi morning on one of my favorite trails.  Went from 22nd street south and back.  No mountain bikers out, hooray!  Must ahve been too early.

Did a few miles while in Las Vegas for a conference.  Very warm at 6am, already in the 80's.

Well, I ran Where's Waldo 100k (http://www.wpsp.org/ww100k/) for the 3rd time.  The first year I ran it I had a great time, ran a good race and came in 17th overall.  Last year my race really sucked, 57th place and it was not a good day, too cold for me.  This year was different.  I had a goal of beating my previous best time of 14:29.  I felt pretty good and the weather was to my liking, nice and warm.   As the day got warmer, I seemed to feel better.  I was actually having a great time out there.  I spent as little time in each aid station as possible while looking at all the poor souls sitting because of the heat.  Glad I run daily in the Utah heat.

The competition has been much stiffer in the last couple of years since the race serves as the USATF 100K Trail National Championship.  There’s some pretty good prize money on the line ($1000 overall, $500 masters) so some very good ultrarunners show up.

I compared my splits this year with last and found it really interesting that my splits thru the half way point were within 1-2 minutes of last year.  I certainly didn't plan that.   Here’s a short description of each section:

Start to Gold Lake – A one mile climb (1000’) up a haul road at the Willamette Pass ski area followed by a long primarily downhill run on some really nice single track trail to the Gold Lake campground.

Gold Lake to Fuji Mtn.  Uphill the entire way, some pretty steep sections.

Fuji Mtn to Fuji Mtn – a 1.25 mile climb to the summit of Fuji Mtn (7100'), enjoy the view for a minute and a blazing fast downhill back to the aid station.  Lots of fun and stunning views of the central Oregon forests.

Fuji Mtn. to Mt. Ray – Meandering trail, primarily downhill thru fairly open forest.

Mt. Ray to Twins – Mostly uphill, but very runnable as the grade is not as steep as other sections of the course.

Twins to Charlton Lake – Lots of fun, one of my favorite sections.  Mostly downhill and an aid station right next to a very pretty lake.

Charlton Lake to Road 4290 – Very open as the trees are much smaller thru here.  Can be tough since the day is now getting pretty warm.

Road 4290 to Twins – Not my favorite section.  This is where the wheels came off last year.  You end up crossing over a 7000’ pass before dropping back into the Twins aid station for the second time.  There were actually snowbanks still on the ground along here.

Twins to Maiden Peak – Starts out going down but ends up going uphill as you begin the grinding climb up Maiden Peak.

Maiden Peak to Maiden Lake – 3.2 miles uphill (2000’) climb to the summit of Maiden Peak (7816’).  Once again, gorgeous views.  This is probably the toughest section for most everyone.  I did really well on this section this year.  The last mile or so is very steep as is the first mile coming down the other side.  Lots of loose volcanic rock.

Maiden Lake to the finish – 7.5 miles of gradual downhill very nice trail.  Some of it on the Pacific Crest trail.  You go past three very pretty lakes.  I pushed really hard thru this section trying to go under 14 hours.  I actually had to back off the pace just a bit when my stomach started to protest.  That last ¼ mile to the finish was sweet.  They announce your name and the RD is there to greet you, everyone cheering.

Here are my splits for each section.  2006 had a slightly different course and a couple of sections can’t really be compared.

After the half way point this year, my pace really picked up from last year.  Better training I think.  Anyway, the second half was almost as fast as the first half (6:48 and 7:20).  I had too much fun catching a bunch of people on the big climb up Maiden Peak (3.2 miles, 2000').  My second half split probably would have been as fast as the first half if that climb up Maiden Peak wasn't there.

Anyway, my time ended up being 14:08, over 1.5 hours faster than last year and over 20 minutes faster than the year before that.  Good enough for 39th place and 4th in my age group.  Best of all, I had a great time the entire race.

Ran one of my favorite trails this afternoon.  Went from 22nd street south and back.  Took it easy to see how the legs were after last week's race.  No soreness at all, just a little tired is all.

Did the run-into-work thing this morning.  Kind of slow, but that's ok.  Based on how I feel, I'm rethinking a 20 miler this weekend, moybe only going 15 or so.  We'll see how I do after tomorrow's run.  Don't want to wear myself out before Wasatch.

The run home was fine.  Slow, but good.  I think I'm going to skip the run tomorrow morning and rest.

I decided not to run into work this morning, but did run at lunch.  My pace certainly wasn't marathon pace but the percieved effort was.  And as we all know, perception is reality!  It was a good run though.  Felt good after, tired as well.

Went from Fernwood picnic area to the top of chinscraper summit, then back down a trail I've not been on before.  Saw several other Wasatch 100 runners out plus a mountain biker up on top.  I've never seen a bike up that high on that trail before.  I was impressed.  The run went well.  I can remember the first time I went up that route and how hard it was due to the steepness and the elevation.  It was still a hard climb, but not nearly as bad as it used to be.  Maybe I'm finally getting into some decent shape.

Went for an easy 5 at lunch.  got a little warm when I was running with the breeze.  Felt kind of good to get out in the warmth.

Did the run home/train thing today.  My wife dropped me off at work in the morning and I was left to my own devices about how to get home.

Went for an easy run from 22nd street south.

Went on a hike up the trail from Brighton to point supreme with a friend.  Kind of windy and cool on top, but overall not bad.  Had planned on doing alittle running, but decided not to.  I did want to get some last minute time at altitude before this Saturday's Wasatch 100.  BTW, if anyone wants to follow it, go to www.wasatch100.com.  They do have updates as the race progresses.  I'm not sure what my race number is though.

Ran at lunch today.  Felt really good.  Heart rate never went above about 125.  Ran about an 8:30 pace.

Just an easy run at lunch.

Wow, I’m glad that’s over.  I ran the Wasatch Front 100 Mile endurance Run over the weekend and it was an endurance run/walk/death march.  I did manage to finish and even finished a couple of hours ahead of my previous best time for this course.

Here it is by the numbers:

Start – Saturday 5:00 am

My Finish – Sunday 1:22 pm

Winning Time - 20:01

Highest elevation reached – 10,540’

Calories expended – approximately 15,000

Calories taken in – about 5000

What I ate – 12 Ensures @ 250 calories each, about 12-15 Gu’s at 100 calories each, numerous cups of Ramen noodles, some watermelon and cantelope.

Number of blisters – 6

Number of toenails I’ll loose – 1, I think

The race went really well up thru the 75 mile point at Brighton Ski Area.  I actually made it to Elbow Fork in Millcreek Canyon before the sunset and I’ve never been able to do that, so I was thrilled.  I got to the 75 mile point at Brighton Ski area feeling good, but once I left there at started up the mountainside, the same thing happened as happened two years ago.  I couldn’t breathe.  Let me clarify, I got a case of exercised induced asthma, plus a little pulmonary edema.  When I would take deep breaths, I could hear the wheezing.  Anyway, I managed to go the final 25 miles in about 11 hours.  In contrast, I did the first 25 in just under 6 hours.

What did I like about the race?  The aid stations and volunteers were wonderful as usual.  I was thrilled to be running as well as I was up to the 75 mile point.  The weather was perfect, warm sun with a cool breeze up in the mountains,  the night didn’t get too cold, around 38-39 degrees.  The beautiful scenery that most people never get to see because it’s too difficult to get to.  Watching the sun rise on the mountains Sunday morning.  What didn’t I like?  Getting chafed and blistered, but I’ll get over that.  Wishing I could have done the last 25 miles faster, I really kind of wanted to go under 30 hours.  The lack of sleep.  I took about a half hour nap and one of the aidstations.  It was enough to revive me and get me going again.  Will I do this race again?  I’m thinking not.  I’ve done it three times now and finished twice.  If I could figure out how to get rid of the breathing problems, I would try it again.  Besides, I told my wife I wouldn't do it again.  I’m sure I will be involved with the race, either pacing friends, volunteering, or what ever.  It seems as though once you get some of that Wasatch Mountain dirt in your blood, it doesn’t go away.

Well, my week off after my race has ended.  It was kind of nice to just take a week off, not worry about training etc.  My runing buddy Meghan and I went out to Antelope Island and just went for a nice run out the Split Rock trail.  We went on a faint animal trail that I know of since it was an open access day and found a nice place to to just sit and listen to the silence.  Very relaxing to just go for a run, not worry about time, training, intensity, distance.  Just go for fun.  But back to training Monday.

Ran at lunch.  Tried something a little different.  I've been reading a little about Dr. Phil Maffetone's training method.  He says train at a constant heart rate rather than mix your training up, expecially when building an aerobic base.  His recommended heart rate is 180-your age, plus or minus 5 given your current state of fitness.  So, 180-50 (age) + 5 (good aerobic base already) = 135.  So every so often I checked my heart rate during my run and ran based on percieved effort based on my breathing.  Turns out, the effort required to maintain that 135 bpm is what Ic onsider a marathon pace, just below a tempo run, but above an easy pace.  My breathing was still easy, but the legs were telling me it was a harder run.  I'm going to keep this up for 2-3 weeks just to see if there's any improvement in speed.

Ran to the train station this morning. Got a little bit of a late start and barely made the train. Nothing like a little incentive to make you run faster.

The run home was nothing special.  Kind of tired.

Ran out of time to run to the train station so I had my wife take me.  I ran from the Clearfield station to work, but at 2 miles, it hardly seemed worth it.  I did do the run ride run thing going home though.  I was better able to keep my pace up today on the way home.  got a major cramp in my calf as I turned the corner on to my street.  Brought me to a screeching halt for a minute while I worked it out.  The leg was still sore when i went to bed.  Guess I need to eat more bananas.

Did the run/ride/run thing this morning.  The transit police were actually checking for tickets this morning.  Something they rarely do, but I've heard they're going to step up.  Better make sure I have my pass with me, I heard it's a $320 fine if you don't have a ticket.

The run home took some effort.  I think I'm coming down with a cold.  It hit me all of the sudden around noon.  We'll see how I feel tomorrow about going for a run.

Suffered a minor setback late last week. I got sick. First cold I've had in awhile but it was enough to stop me for the past three days, but I felt pretty good this morning, so back on track, I hope.

Tried doing a littel interval work on the way home.  ran to the train station at a tempo pace, then 4 x 3 minutes threshold going home.  The rest going home was easy or a tempo pace for the last mile.

Ran pretty easy today.  Hip was bothering me for the first mile or so.

Did the run to the train station thing this morning.  We had a little frost on the ground.  Fall is in the air.

Had my wife drop me off at the train station this morning.  I ran from the station into work.  Then I ran all the way home.  I think every car was out to get me.  Due to people's inattention, talking on their cell phone, etc. I ended up slapping two cars and yelling at tow others just to get them to pay attention to pedestrian's.  I don't think I'll be running home anytime soon.  That 13 miles just wore me out, with all the noise, traffic, having to watch out for idiot drivers, etc.  Definitely not a good time.

Did some trail work with about 50 college students out on Antelope Island.  They were part of an intercollegiate service project.  We worked on a new trail that was cut a coupel weeks ago.  The trail is still very rough and needs to have water breaks cut, berms taken down, low spots filled, etc.  We managed to get about a mile done, and still have about 1 1/2 to go.  After the work, I ran the new trail and it's going to be so nice when it's done.

Ran in to work this morning.  Not too bad a run.  A little cool, but as I run along I encounter pockets of warm air.  Kind of interesting.  i also encounter the wind coming out of the Ogden Canyon every morning as I run down 17th street.  Now that it's dark the entire way in, I end up wearing my headlight.  As a shameless plug for one of our team sponsors (Wasatch Speedgoat Mountain Racing Team), it's a Petzl MYO belt light.  Nice and bright, people see you and it lights up the path you're running.  The battery pack fits nice in my Camelback pocket and the light itself fits very nice on the hat I wear.  No slipping or constant adjusting. 

The train wasn't at the station this morning when I got there.  Usually there are 2 or 3 waiting, but this morning it was running late and the other I think was on it's way to Pleasant View since UTA started service to that station this morning.  Anyway, we were running about 5-10 minutes late.

The run home was just another run.  Managed to keep my pace up some, but didn't push too hard.

Kind of sluggish this morning.  Not enough sleep last night.  My time was about the same, maybe a minute or two slower, but just kind of tired.  We'll see how this afternoon goes.

The afternoon went much slower.  I had every intention of pushing a little, but my son called from  college and we talked and I walked for a half hour, that meant that I walked the last couple of miles home. 

I almost turned around about a hundred yards into my run to the train station.  But I decided to just push on and make the run.  It wasn't as bad as I thought.  I strained some muscles in my back last weekend and it takes about half a mile for the pain to go away so i can run decently.  It does seem to be getting better though.

Run home wasn't too bad.  About average for the time.

Got some nifty new trail shoes, La Sportiva Crosslites.  Big ol' knobbies on the soles, light weight, flexible, snug in the heel and plenty of toe room up front.  And talk about a fashion statement, very cool looking.  Naturally I had to go try them out on my favorite trail, 22nd street trailhead.  I did some hill repeats.  3 x .5 or .6 with about 400 feet of gain.  Used to be I couldn't run that entire grade without walking at least once.  I managed to run three repeats without stopping at all.  Felt pretty good.  The shoes were great.  Plenty of traction in both loose dirt/rocks and on bare rock.  The rubber on the soles seems to be fairly sticky.  We'll see how they stand up to the abuse I give them.

Ran in to work this morning.  Nothing like a little run to put you in a good mood for work.

Did a tempo run at lunch, felt really good, warm sun, cool air, very nice.

Ran home.  Took it easy to the train station, then felt so good I ran at the upper end of easy, not quite tempo.  Actually busted 40 minutes for the first time.  Roughly an 8:30 pace.

Had my wife take me to the train station this morning, so ended up running just 2 this morning.  Ran another 5 at lunch.  Had big plans to do the run home thing and did run to the train stations, but my wife called as I was running home and offered to pick me up.  I never pass up the chance to get picked up by a hot chick in a big truck.

Ran in to work this morning.  A little bit cooler, but not bad.  Average pace.  Ran another 5 at lunch.  Thought I was running pretty good until I looked at my watch, then I got depressed with how slow I was.  Oh well.

Ran home after work.

Had tot ake the car into the shop and didn't get a chance to run in to work.  Ran home instead.  The cold front must have gone thru while I was on the train.  It was warm with no breeze in Clearfield, then cold and blustery from Ogden.  I really dislike running in cold weather.  Oh well, guess I'll have to get used to it again.  Ugh!

Speaking of cold and blustery, anyone wanting a fun little 5.8 mile run Saturday, come out to Antelope Island and run my Frary Peak Hill Climb.  It's a FREE RACE with a bar-b-que after.  Race start is at noon, with a time trial type start, runners will start on one minute intervals, run up the Frary Peak trail 2.9 miles and 1700', then come back down.  No prizes, awards, etc.  Just a little fun run to end the season.  Go to www.buffalorun.org for more details, or e-mail me.  I'll have a few cheap t-shirts for sale as well.  Just a low key good time.

I got a cool runner geek toy from my wife for my birthday this weekend.  A Garmin 305.  I've never used one of these and it was fun.  I now know that my run today was 5.25 miles, my average pace was 8:45, my average hr was 133, my fastest was 7:11, etc.  No I'll have to download the info to my computer at home and see what else the thing comes up with.

Did a treadmill run.  3 miles at 6% and 10:00 pace, 4 x 0.5 @ 6:25 pace, the rest easy.

Ran at lunch up to Hill Field Road and back.  Nice little uphill run for the first half.  Perfect day, sunny, low 60's.  Got a tan as an added bonus.

Well, I'm finally back at work.  I did a couple of hill repeats today.......in the Grand Canyon.  The first one came at 9.6 miles and was 5800' of uphill.  The second little hill came at 37 miles and was alittle shorter, only 4500'.  Nothing like an uphill death march for the last 3 miles to cap off a great day.  Beautiful weather, scenery, wonderful company.  Olga, Larry and I started around 5am at the Bright Angel Trailhead.  The temps were cool, but pleasant.  We reached the Phantom Ranch at around 7:30.  We probably could have gotten there sooner, but we were way too busy taking pictures (I ended up taking over 100).  Olga and Larry were going back up the south Kaibab trail and I met up with Tina and Mike, friends of Olga's.  The three of us continued up North Kaibab trail to the north rim.  At times, it seemed like a freeway, there were so many people, not just hikers, but runners as well.  We never saw any of those runners on the way back so we assumed that they were just doing single crossings.  Once we got past Ribbon Falls, the traffic lessened considerably.  About 2-3 miles from the top of the north rim, we encounterd a hiker moving really slow.  We found out that he and his friends were attempting a double, but were never going to make it.  We topped him off with water and some Gu and kept going.  We later saw him near the top doing much better.  For me, the best part of the day was the trip back down to the ranch from the north rim.  Once you get down the steeper parts of the trail and into the canyon bottom, the slight downhill trail along the creek makes for a good time running.  Since I like running in warm weather, the run was even better since it was pleasantly warm in the canyon.  When we got back to the ranch, I got to see my wife and her family.  They had taken the mule ride down to the ranch and were spending the night.  I wanted to hang around since they were having a steak dinner, but we got going again.  The climb back up the South Kaibab trail was long and grinding.  All three of us were feeling the effects of the day.  It got dark on us about half way back up and every time we would shine our lights up the trail, it looked like a stairway into nothing.  Kind of strange.  Looking up at the stars was beautiful.  No moon out yet and no lights around.  I haven't seen that many stars in years.  We finally reached the top at around 8:30 that evening.  All of the hiker shuttles were done for the day, so we started walking back to the village and managed to flag down a passing car.  It was an off duty Ranger.  He kindly gave us a ride back to the village.  A nice hot shower, a beer and some food and I felt much better.  I was going to go for a little run on Sunday, but when I realized how sore I was the next day, I opted for sitting around and watching the tourists until my wife got back from her tirp.
Cost of a trip to the Grand Canyon including paying for a mule ride?  A fair amount.
Watching the expression on someone's face when you tell them that you're doing a double crossing......in one day........and not a 24 hour day, but 12-14 hours?   Priceless.
I'll post some pictures on my facebook this evening for everyone to see.  It was a great time.

Did the run to work thing this morning.  I thought I would be slower than I was since I'm still feeling the effects of my little trip to the Grand Canyon.  I actually felt really good, and even fast.  We'll see how this afternoon goes.

the run home went fine, about normal pace.  A little cool, guess that's what happens this time of year.

Ran at lunch.  Thought I would be a little chilly, but it wasn't too bad.  Still, a hot shower afterwards is always good.

Did a tempo run on the treadmill after work.  1.75 @7:30 pace.  Should have done more, but didn't feel like it.

Ran to work.  Got a late start and pushed to make the train.  Nothing like being late to spur you on to run faster.  The train left about 30 seconds after I boarded, close.

Ran another 5+ at lunch.  Made it a tempo run with the pace below 8:00.

Did hill repeats.  4 x .5 with 200'+ of gain.  1 mile warmup and 1 mile cool down.

Ran easy at lunch.  Ran my favorite trail from 22nd street south.  I used to think it was a 6 mile round trip.  found out it's actually closer to 7 miles.  Pushed hard, especially on the uphill sections.  1:09 total time for the 6.9 (10:05 pace, 9:30 pace if you throw out the 5 minute x .25 mile walk to warmup).  I know the return trip was at a much faster pace since it's downhill.  Probably around 8:00-8:30.

Easy run into work.  Very sluggish, the legs were tired.  Almost missed the train I was so slow.

Did another easy run at lunch.  Thought it was super slow, but actually was a 9:00 pace, so slow, but not super slow.

Added a run back home.  the run from the train station to home I pushed, sub 8 pace.

Ran at lunch.  8:20 average pace.  Only had to slap one car and yell at two drivers.

Did some intervals on the treadmill at home.  4 x .5 @ 6:40 or faster and 1 x .7 @ 6:40

Did the run, train, run thing this morning.  pretty sluggish the first 4.5 miles.  Not too bad the last 2.

Run home was ok, nothing special.  Legs are tired from all the running this week, but I'll get over it.

Slacked off today.  Had big plans to do hill repeats, did two and said that's enough.  Just kind of messed around on the trails, went on some I hadn't been on, watched some rock climbers, wanted to clothesline a couple mountain bikers, etc., the usual stuff.

Had the first training run for the AntelopeIsland Buffalo Run.  I was expecting around 5-6 people to show, no there were at least a dozen.  We ran the Mountain View trail from the trailhead to the Lower Frary parking lot and back, about 11.5 miles.  I felt great ande really pushed, but it didn't seem like I was.  I've run that stretch of trail many times and have never been able to go below a 10 minute pace for the entire run.  Today I averaged 9:20.  Maybe this hill repat and speed work thing is starting to pay off, as well as the miles I'm putting in.  After that run, my friend Meghan and I went to run the new trail that was recently cut on the White Rock trail.  I wanted to GPS it since it will be part of the race next year.  We just took it easy and covered another 8.5 miles.  Weather was perfect, near 70, mostly cloudy, very nice.  I took my wife out as well and she went for a horsey ride whiel all of us ran.  All in all, a good day.  BTW, registration for the AntelopeIsland Buffalo Run is now open.  25K, 50K, 50 mile trail run next March 28th.  Go to www.buffalorun.org

Ran into work this morning.  I was expecting to get on a warm train, but had to spend 20 minutes on the platform waiting with everyone else.  Seems it was late for some reason.  Hope it isn't this afternoon.

Well, it's that time of year, run to work in the dark, run home in the dark.  I need to work in the dark and have the days open, but then I would jsut sleep it away.  Can I hibernate until next April?  Even with my headlamp and a red bliniking vest, people still don't see me.  Go figure.

I leave for Tucson tomorrow on business, just in time to miss the snow.

Went for an early morning run in Tucson.  Didn't go far.  It's hard to get a run in when you're on business travel, but somehow I managed.

Another early morning easy run in Tucson.  The weather was great, sunny, warm sun, cool air.  alas, back to nice cold Utah today.

Ran the BST from 22nd street further south than I usually do to get some additional miles in and some hill work. 

Tried running from the Antelope Island causeway out to Fremont Island.  the lake level has been low enough to do this during the late summer and early fall.  Alas, i was stymied about 1.5 miles away from the island by water.  The lake level has come up a few inches and it would have been a very wet run for the last 1.5 miles to the island.  The lake bed was a little muddy in spots, but mostly firm and good running.

Since I really dislike running in the rain, I opted for the treadmill.  Did an easy 7 while watching a show on the brain.  Very interesting, took my mind off watching the treadmill readout.

Easy run into work this morning.  It felt like I was running really slow, no turnover to speak of.  When I checked my time to the train station, it was only about a minute slower than usual, so maybe it was a perception rather than reality.

Ran the 2 miles to the train station adn the weather was fine.  got off in Ogden and it was raining.  Since I'm a weenie when it comes to running in the rain, I called my lovely wife and had her come get me. 

Ran in to work.  A little faster, but not by much.  Some days I feel really sluggish and others I feel great.  who knows, this afternoon I could feel really good and blast home.  Hope so.

I actually did feel pretty good on the way home.  Ran the 6.5 in about 56 minutes.  I think that's the fastest I've done it.

Ran to work this morning.  Nice and warm for this time of year.  I had way too many clothes on for the temp.  Oh well.

the run home wasn't bad, still somewhat warm (relatively) but the wind was picking up.  58 minutes total time vs. 1:03 in the morning.

5 x .6 hill repeats.  That wore me out.  Roughly 250'.  I actually beat some mountain bikers going uphill.  How cool is that?

Ran with a friend out on Antelope Island.  Perfect day, 50's sunny.  A little smoggy towards SLC, but nice on the island.  Ran the full length of the Mountain View trail and threw in a trip up to Sentry Peak.  Took us a little less than 7 hours total, but then we weren't in a hurry.  Saw plenty of bison and antelope, and a small gopher snake.  A good time was had by all.

Ran a slow 6 at lunch.  I'm a little stiff from yesterday's run, but not sore.  Once I get my fat butt up from my desk and walk around, I loosen up just fine.

Ran into work this morning.  Just the usual early morning run, slow, quiet.

Did another short little run at lunch.  What a great day for it, sunny, 50's.  Very nice.

The run home was nice.  I actually felt pretty good, light on my feet.  I like it when I feel like that.  I don't feel like I'm plodding down the road.

Too busy to run at lunch, ended up on the treadmill at home.  Would have rather been on the trails.  Oh well.

Did the usual run to the train station thing.  I think as the week goes on, I'm getting slower and slower, kind of like a clock winding down.  I was really slow this morning.  It was supposed to be in the low 30's but there was a nice warm breeze and it certainly didn't feel that cold.

Ran another 5.2 at lunch.  Nice day for it except it was breezy coming back.

The run home was nice.  I had a tailwind and didn't have to worry about getting chilled.

Ran to the train station this mroning.  It felt a little warmer than it has for tha past few days.  I was almost too warm with what I was wearing.

The run home was soooo slow.  I'm tired.  I did have hill repeats scheduled for tomorrow.  We'll see how my legs feel.  Ugh!

Did 7 x .6 hill repeats.  Only had 6 on the schedule but felt good so I did one extra.  Probably would have done more except I ran out of time.  As early as a year ago, I couldn't run up this hill all the way oncee without walking a portion of it so I feel pretty good about doing it 7 times.  1 mile warmup and 1 mile cooldown.  Good time!

Had to run a tempo pace out of necessity this morning.  I got out of the house late and almost didn't make the train. 

Ran a few at lunch.  Started out kind of slow.  Felt a little lightheaded and ended up walking for around 1/4 mile.  After that I felt fine and was able to pick up my speed.

Cold run home.  Just kind of plodded along until I got there.  Didn't time it or push it. 

I was going to run in to work this morning but wimped out.  Then I felt guilty so I did an 8 mile run at lunch.  Kind of slow, I had dead legs.  On the plus side, I got some late fall sun on my legs.  Nothing like a tan in November.

Took the day off from work and went over to my favorite trail.  Ran from 22nd street south to the Beus Canyon trail and back.  Great day for it. 

Ran the Ultrajim Half Mrathon this morning.  After getting up at 4am to go to Walmart and shop at 5am (someone kick me in the head) I decided that going out on a wet damp trail in the cold wasn't thing to do today, so I jumped on the treadmill, turned up the stereo to a good alternative channel on Dish and rocked out and ran.  I have to admit, it wasn't half bad, especially with the music going.

Had big plans to run around 10 miles or so.  I tried a new trail and it ended way before I thought it would.  I was bummed, so I found another one, but after that I wasn't really into a run.  So, I went home.  Guess I won't be on that trail again.

Did hill repeats again this Sunday.  Bumped the number up to 8 this time.  All under 5:40 for the .6 miles.  Not too bad if you figure that I suck at running uphill.  Trail wasn't quite as busy this week as it was last week.  Probably because I went earlier than last time.

Ran easy into work this morning.  Nothing unusual as usual.

Ran again at lunch.  What a great day for the run.

The run home wasn't too bad.  Not too cool until I crossed 12th street, then I hit a pocket of cold air.  Got a little chilled, but nothing a hot shower won't take care of.

My legs are shot.  It was a very slow run in this morning.  Just really dead legs.  I hope this afternoon goes better.  I can't wait for the taper to start.

I went out at lunch to runa  planned 5 miles.  After one mile I turned around.  I was just not into it and way too tired.  I didn't even do my run home.  I caught a ride to the train station and had my wife pick me up.  Hopefully Wed. will go better.  Sometimes you just need a little time off.

Felt much better today.  My legs were still tired but the mental attitude was good.  I actually felt strong enough to push into a tempo pace and wanted to do more when I finished.  I think I'll jump on the treadmill for a few more when I get home.

Wimped out on running into work this morning. Instead I ran at lunch. Just took it easy. Maybe I'll do a few on the treadmill when I get home this evening.

Trails at last.  Ran from Fernwood picnic area to Kaysville and back.  A little cool, but not bad.  Just took it easy and enjoyed the run.

Did our second training run for the Buffalo Run.  About 20 people showed up, much bigger crowd than I expected.

Perfect weather, sunny, cool.  Lots of fun.

Ran on my favorite local trail.  Really pushed hard.  I wanted to go under an hour, but alas, I didn't make it. 

Ran 36:41 for the first half.  10:48/mile but that includes about 1/4 mile walking to warm up a little.  Also gained around 800'.  The run back was in 28:21 or 8:18/mile.  Total time was 1:05:02.  A PR for that run.

Ran easy at lunch.  The legs are a little tired from yesterday's hard push.  I'm rethinking the idea of not tapering at all and putting in around 35 this week before my race on Saturday.  I don't want to end up taking 15 hours to do 50 miles.  So maybe I'll back off on the miles a little bit.  My taper for Across the Years starts next week anyway.

Ran on the dreadmill tonight.  I weenied out of running in the cold.

Actually didn't weenie out today and ran at lunch.......outside.  got some sun on my legs too!  Such a deal.

Ok, this is the second time I've run this race.  The first time the weather was perfect, cool at the start and warming up to around 80.....in February.  The race date got moved this year due the fires from fall 2007.  The nice thing about this race is that I can bum off my sister-in-law and her family for the weekend since the race is near to their house.