Hit the Dusty Trail

Well, I posted my race report for the first day of the Across the Years 72 hour race at my blog www.ultrajim.blogspot.com.  WARNING!! - It's kind of long.

OK, day two of my race report is now posted at www.ultrajim.blogspot.com.  Writing this thing is almost as hard as running it.

Ok, I've posted my race report for the Across the Yearas 72 hour, all three days, at my blog www.ultrajim.blogspot.com.  I would post it all here but it would probably not fit.  Anyway, go read it and comment if you feel like it.

Ahhhh, first time I've run since the race last week.  I had some knee tendon issues (maybe a little overuse injury?) from the race and didn't want to push it so I decided to wait a week.  Even though it was on the treadmill, it felt really good.  No knee pain at all.  I'm back and time to ramp it up again.  Yee haw!

Well, this run is hardly worth writing about.  2 miles on the treadmill?  What a waste of time.  I just couldn't get into it.  I need to get back outside.

Ran to work today.  I though it was going to be colder than it was and ended up overdressing.  Ended up a sweaty mess.  Oh well, I'll get over it.  the run was kind of slow but it felt good to get back out.  I don;t think I've ever run to work this early in the year.  Last year I took most of January off, but this year decided to get some running in earlier.

the run home was pretty good.  I felt good and was able to bump the pace up a bit.

Ran during lunch today.  Once again, I felt pretty good so I pushed the pace a little harder.  I really need to start doing speedwork though.  The knee is doing fine.  It bothers me the most when I get up from my desk at work.  when I'm running, the ache seems to go away or become really minimal.  It's certainly not getting worse, so I'll keep running as long as it doesn't affect my stride or the pain gets too bad.

Another lunch time run.  I took it easy today.  Roughly a 9 minute pace.

Ran home from work but my son ended up picking me up.  We had a few errnad to run.

I weenied out of running outside today.  Instead I hit the treadmill for a few miles while watching a Peter Gabriel concert.  Good music to run by.

Did 5 on the treadmill.  I took a look outside at lunch and the air looked thick enough to cut with a knife.  Nothing like a good inversion to keep you inside.  Was going to stop at 4 but decided to tough it out for 5.

Well, I thought I would take up smoking today, so I went out at lunch and ran a few miles.  the air was horrible but it looked worse down towards SLC.  I'll be glad when this inversion breaks.

4 x .50 @ 6:40 pace.  Nothing like a little speed work to wear you out.

Ran on the treadmill. Had a lot of things to do and didn't want to spend time driving to a trail and back. Oh well, I got in a decent faster run.

Ran out on Antelope Island with a couple of fellow crazies.  Not too bad a run.  A little muddy, some snow and ice in spots.  It did rain and snow a little bit on us.  We pretty much had the island to ourselves.  We saw one other person the the trail and he was going out for a run as well.  Not only that, but we knew him.

5 x .50 @ 6:30 pace.  Speed's picking back up a little bit.

Nice easy lunch run.  Legs are a little tired from yesterday's speed work.

Ok, let me preface this race report with the fact that I really dislike running in cold weather and I don’t like running on snow and ice either.  I define cold as anything less than 30 degrees, and even that’s not much to my liking.  So what did I do?  Sign up for a snowshoe race out in Midway.  I have no brains.  I’d like to also mention that I had never been on snowshoes in my life until about 4pm Friday afternoon in my backyard.  A couple of trips across the yard with them on and I was good to go…..so I thought.

John Bozung of Squaw Peak 50 mile fame puts this race on and Kahtoola in the main sponsor.  They make a series of snowshoes that are really nice.  They also had a bunch available to use for those of us without them.

The race took place at Wasatch Mountain State Park on the golf course and up in the surrounding hills.  The 25K race I ran involved a 10K loop on the golf course followed by a 5K loop up the mountainside followed by another 10K loop on the golf course.  We had wear snowshoes for the first 10K and 5K loops and then we could take them off if we wanted.

We started at 8am as the sun was just coming up.  My car told me that the temp. was a very cold 7 degrees.  Did I mention that I dislike running in cold weather?  I knew that once the sun was up the temps  would warm up.  I was also wearing black to help absorb some warmth.

We all took off on the 10K loop in the fog and early morning sun.  The golf course has a series of groomed trails for snowshoers, x-country skiers and anyone else who wants to go out, so we had a really nice trail 10 feet wide and packed to follow.  I managed to go around the 10K loop the first time in about 1:20.  A lot slower than my normal 10K time, but I figured that would be the case.  After I left the start/finish area I headed over for the 5K single track up the mountainside.  The 5K loop has the same vertical as the 10K loop, but in half the distance, so the climbs are much steeper.  Couple that with the fact that it was single track and you have a recipe for faceplants.  I managed two during this loop by stepping on my snowshoes.  It was a tough climb up the hillside followed by a great run back down.  I think I did the 5K loop in about 40 minutes, but I’m not sure, also much slower than my normal 5K time.

After a couple minutes at the start/finish I went back out on the 10K loop.  I did about half of this with my snowshoes still on my feet then decided that was enough and took them off.  I found I could run much easier but not necessarily faster.  I ended up completing that loop in about 1:40.  It was while on this loop that I decided to drop down to the 25K.  My feet were absolutely frozen and I did have some concern about frostbite.  Not only that, but I was rapidly developing a painful blister on my heel from the snowshoe strap.  I should have placed it lower on my shoe.  Oh well.

So after about 3:55, I finished the 25K.  Good enough for 3^rd place (I think, results aren’t up yet) out of six runners.

I did have a pretty good time in spite of the cold and snow.  John puts on a pretty good race.  The course was challenging, the scenery beautiful.  Lots of good homemade chili and soup at the finish.  Would I do it again?  I might, but I won’t sign up for the 50K.  That’s just too much time outside with cold, wet, frozen feet.

Decided to do a 10K run today and push it.  Ended up running a 8:19 pace.  Not great, but not terrible either.  More speedwork is the answer

Finally got a run in.  I've been involved with a conference at work the past two days and haven't had a chance to run. 

3 x 1/4 @ 6:00 pace, 3 x .30 @ 6:00 pace.  Haven't run that fast in years.  Now I need to work my way up to 1/2's at that speed.

So I thought I'd run up Farmington Canyon today.  Weather was decent, I knew the road would be clear and I needed a good long uphill run.  When I got to the parking area in the canyon I noticed the wind was picking up and coming straight down the canyon.  I ended up making it about 1.25 miles up the canyon before the wind literally stopped me.  I was trying to run uphill into a 30mph headwind.  i couldn't do it so I headed back down.  I ended up on the Legacy Parkway on a flat paved trail with no wind at all.  Kind of boring but I got the run done.  Guess I'll have to wait for a better weather day before going up the canyon again.

Hit the treadmill tonight.  Went 4.5 miles at 9:30 and a 6% grade.  Definitely a hill workout.

Did the t'mill thing.  Went 3.5 at 10:00 pace and 7% grade.  Bumped up to 7:30 pace for the last .5 miles.  Managed to get my HR up to 168, highest it's been in awhile.

Finally went running outside today.  Felt good to get away from the t-mill.  Actually ran in shorts even though the temp was about 30.  Didn't freeze either.  such a deal.

Had another training run for the race today.  8 intrepid souls showed up and we ran out on the island down the road to the ranch.  Running on the trail would have been way too much effort given that there was about 8" of untracked snow.  It snowed about 2-3" while we were running.  Good times.

Well, I did the run, train, run thing to work this morning.  My wife told me to suck it up, grow a pair and run to work.  I should make her go out with me.  I should have embraced my inner weenie and done the car, train, bus thing followed by a treadmill after work.  I was soaked by the time I got to work.  It was snowing hard when I left the house, that turned to a light rain as I got to the train station, then as I ran to work from the station, I was pelted by sleet.  All of this with a  south wind, and wouldn't you know, I was running south most of the time.  Yuck. I survived but I get the pleasure of doing it again this afternoon.  The things we do to keep our slim, trim girlish figures.

Ah yes, the run home, the weather was better but the roads weren't.  I think I should be able to carry a large caliber handgun and be able to take potshots at anyone who intentionally aims to splash me with slush.  I couldn't run on the sidewalks because of the snow and running on the shoulder was not an option either.  I ended up running right at the edge of the plowed roads.  Thank goodness most of my run is on backroads and not on major streets.  By the time I got home I couldn't feel my feet because they were wet and cold from stepping into puddles of slushy water.  It was painful warming them up.

What a glorious day to be outside.  Sunny, mid 40's, no breeze.  Very pleasant indeed.  The only downside is the snow still on sidewalks in places.  That'll go away soon enough.  Made a tempo run out of today's jaunt.  Felt pretty good.  I really need to bump the miles up, but it's hard this time of year with the bad weather and me not liking cold weather running.

Easy slow run today.  It took me a couple miles before I could get into a decent stride.  Just didn't quite feel right.  Actually ran on the roads.  Really kinda boring, oh well, sometimes boring is good.

Ran to work this morning.   Noticed that spring is right around the corner.  The air smelled different and I heard a bird that I only hear during the spring and summer.  Not sure what it was.

The run home was great.  I felt good, it was semi-warm until the sun went down.  Very nice.

Speedwork on the t-mill.  3 x .25 @ 6:00, 5 x .30 @ 6:00, 1 x .50 @ 6:40.  Glad I'm done with that.  max HR was 168.

Went running at lunch.  Just took it easy.

Went running on the island today.  Beautiful sunny day. 

Did the run, train, run thing this morning.  Very pleasant.  Saw something pretty cool as i ran in from the train station in Clearfield.  The weather was overcast and the sun was just starting to come up.  There must have been a hole in the clouds because the only sunshine I could see was shining directly on Frary Peak out on Antelope Island.  Everywhere else was overcast except there.  I took it as a sign from above that the day was going to be a good one.  I wish I had my camera.  Every once in awhile I see something neat like that. 

Cut the run home a little short.  I had to go by the shop and get our truck.  It was on the way home.

What a great day for a run.  In the 60's, little bit of a breeze.  Spring is trying to make an appearance.

Didn't go very far today.  It was kind of slow as well.  Oh well, at least I was out there.  But then some accuse me of really being 'out there'.

Had the last training run for the Buffalo Run on Antelope Island today.  27 people showed up and while most didn't do the full 21.5, everyone did at least 16.  A little cool at the start, breezy, but the rest of the day was very nice.  Brillant clear blue skies.

Did a nice easy trail run from 22nd street south.  There was about 4-6" of snow on most of the trail so it made for some slippery running at times.  Still, a beautiful sunny day, temps in the upper 30's, warm sun.  Very nice indeed.

Did interval work on the t-mill.  5 x 0.5 @ 6:30 or faster.

Did an easy lunch time run.  Nice day, a little cool, but the air was fairly clear and it was nice and sunny.

Perfect day for a run on the island.  Sunny, cool, slight breeze.  Pushed fairly hard for most of the run.  Didn't see a whole lot of wildlife, a few buffalo and antelope is all.

Wow, I've run more miles so far this week than I did last week.  Shows what my training ahs been like lately.  Once the Buffalo Run is over, I hope to be more consistent.  Anyway, did a lunchtime run.  I couldn't believe how sore I was from a little 13 mile run yesterday, but I still felt pretty good today.  Average a 8:22 pace.  One of the faster lunch runs I've done in recent memory.

Did the run, train, run thing to work this morning.  It was nice to be able to run in shorts instead of tights.

Run home was uneventful. Nice day.

Only had time for a couple of hill repeats after work. I'll need to do more on Friday.

At long last, I'm back running.  I've taken the last week or so off so I could get things ready for the Buffalo Run.  I'm happy to say that it went off very well.  I had a great tiem adn so did most everyone else.  While I love to put on the race, I'm always glad when the Sunday after rolls around.

Ahhhh, felt good to get outside and run today.

Just a nice easy run on Antelope Island.  Got done then paid the park for the race.  That was a big check, but we're on for next year.  The assistant park manager told me we need to get a 100 mile race going out there.  Hmmm, food for thought?  Maybe a 100k to start with.

Ran to work this morning.  First time in a couple weeks.  A little bit cool, but I survived. 

The run home was a little slow but not too bad.

Good ol' speed work.  7 x .30 @ 6:00 pace or faster.  Actually went 5:50 for the last two.  Never have had the t'mill up at that speed, or myself for that matter.

Short little run after work.  They were pretty much junk miles.

Did an early morning long run. Started at 5am and was done by 8.  Spent the rest of the weekend crosstraining by building stalls in our barn.  I am sore this morning (Monday).

Ran the BST from kaysville north to about a mile past Fernwood. Perfect day. Nice to be on the trails rather than the roads. Haven't run this trail since last fall.

Did 4 x .60 hill repeats.  For some reason these weren't too bad.  Guess I need to push a little harder and work them.

Just a nice easy run on a chunk of paved trail I've not been on before, followed by some city street running.  Not my favorite way to do a long run, but the day was beautiful and I felt pretty good.  No one tried to take me out with their car either, always a good thing.

Ran in to work this morning.  The train was about 15 minutes late so I ended uptaking a little short cut to save some time.

The run home was uneventful.

Hill repeat day.  Did 5 x .60 repeats.  Nothing like passing numerous mountain bikers as you're going uphill.  Buncha weenies.  OTOH, there were a few that passed me on one of the repeats.

Ah, what a great day for a run.  Sunny, warm, breeze.  Doesn't get much better running wise.

Ran one of my favorite trail routes the fastest I think I've ever done it.  Felt really good.

Had big plans to run 30 miles on the island with Meghan today.  We got out there and it was raining and very windy.  We had shorts on.  Needless to say, we bailed on that run.  Instead I crosstrained by working on building stalls in our barn.

Once again, Meghan and I were going to run the island, but the weather looked iffy again, so we bailed.  Instead I went over to Rainbow Gardens and planned on running some of the BST above Ogden.  Instead, I ran north on the BST towards North Ogden.  Hadn't been on that trail for a couple of years and it has changed.  New trail has been cut above the powerlines and it's very nice.  I left my watch and Garmin in the car and decided to just run for the joy.  About 3 miles in, I came across some fellow trailrunners I know.  Decided to run back to the car with them.  Part way back, we met with some more trailrunners.  We all knew each other (about 7 of us).  Lots of fun just running with like minded friends, enjoying the morning, conversation, cool spring air, etc.  Isn't that what running is all about?

did a tempo run at lunch and really tried to push the pace.  Ended uprunning the entire route at an 8:07 pace overall.  Much of it was sub 7:45.  I think that's the fastest I've run that far in a very long time.  Maybe my hill repeats and speed work are helping a little.

Did some hill repeats on a different trail.  Shorter than my usual hill repeat trail by .2 and more elevation gain, around 300' per.  Needless to say, much tougher.  Had to quit a little early, lightening was hitting the ground a few milesa way and I get a little nervous when I'm out running on a mountainside when that stuff is going on.

Ran to work this morning.  The only excitement was a lady who just about hit me with her car.  I had a headlamp on and shining into her car, in her face even.  I got in her face big time.  The excuse?  "I didn't see you"  Holy crap, what does it take to get people to pay attention.  Do they need to kill someone?  I came close to throwing my water bottle at her window, but held back.  Maybe I shouldn't.  We definitely had an audience as there were a bunch of people behind her waiting to turn into the IRS parking lot.  Maybe the others behind her will pay attention.  Ok, the adreneline level is back down now.

Did a little bit of trail running.  Didn't feel the greatest.  Had a little bit of a hard time breathing.  Should have taken a hit off my inhaler.  did after the run and felt better.

Decided to go up the trail from North Ogden Divide and see how far up I could get.  Went 2 miles up and turned around since I was running out of time.  Had to get home and do chores.  Probably could have gone up another mile.

Ran from Rainbow Garden south to Beus Canyon with a detour up to Malan's Peak.  Rained pretty much the entire time.  Went with about four others and had a great time.

Ran to work this morning.  thought it would be slower since I'm still sore from Saturday's little run.  That little run netted 5000' of gain.  This morning's run netted maybe 250'.

The run home was pretty unexciting but at least I'm getting miles in now.

Just a little trail run after work along the hillside.

Did some hill repeats on a steeper, shorter hill.  Gain of 300+' in .43 miles.  I can't run the entire distance up......yet.  the goal is at least one non stop.  Managed to do 5 repeats.  People hiking up that trail look at you weird when you trot on by, then a few minutes come back down, then a  few minutes later trot on by again.  Maybe I smell funny.  Who knows.

Ran to work this morning.  The legs were kind of dead from yesterday's hill workout, but they got me to work just fine.

Uneventful run home.

Ran at lunch.  Pushed the pace some and felt good.

What a wonderful day to spend on the trail.  Went from the Indian Trail trailhead up Ogden Canyon down to Beus Canyon and back. 6400' of gain in 19 miles.  Not too bad.

Ran easy at lunch.  The legs were still pretty tired from Saturday's run.

Did hill repeats again.  5 x .43.  .5 warmup and about a 1 mile cool down.  Stomach didn't feel quite right, but felt better by the time i was done.

Ran into work this morning.  Holy cow that was a slow run.  I left in plenty of time and only made the train by a couple minutes.  Still, not a bad run, just slow.

Holy cow the run home was slow. Guess waking up at 3:30 and not being able to get back to sleep isn't a good thing. Probably low blood sugar as well. Well, to bed early tonight.

Did my favorite after work trail run.  Had to contend with all sorts of mountain bikers, but the good thing is I can usually pass them going uphill.  Always an ego boost.

Ran into work this morning.  Very nice morning for it. Run home wasn't too bad either.

Ok, this was a tough one today.  Went over to the mouth of Millcreek canyon and joined in on the Grandeur Peak fun run.  The first 2 miles are 3300' up.  Not much of a run, and not much fun, but sure gets your HR up.  Did manage to enjoy some of the views as the sun was coming up over the Salt Lake valley.  Once at the top, we started down the other side.  For the next 3 miles 3 of us flew down the trail.  It was one of those intense runs where if you don't pay attention you WILL get hurt and possibly badly.  I don't know our pace but I'm guessing something around 7:00, possibly under.  I know my GPS recorded a best pace of 6:13.  We were going all out on a very rocky twisty trail.  Lots of rock hopping, hitting switchbacks fast, leaping over roots and flying by everyone who was out for a nice quiet hike up the trail.  People were definitely clearing out of our way.  Lots and lots of fun and definitely a run.  Once at the bottom, we cruised along the pipeline trail and eventually made it back to the trailhead.  Erik (the guy who puts on the run) had pancakes cooked up for everyone.  About 70 showed up.

So after that little run, I headed up to the Park City area to meet up with my friend Meghan.  She was taking me for another 10 on some of the trails up there.  These were just easy cruising trails.  Nothing really difficult, but after pounding out a hard 10 earlier, I was pretty tired.  Nonetheless, we had a great run.  Good enough to warrant a couple beers after.  All in all, a great day to put in 20 hard miles.

Ran in to work this morning.  I'm tired.  I think I'm at that point where the training is starting to wear on you and every day seems to be slower than the one before.  Then again, maybe it's the 3 hours of sleep I got last night just wearing on me.

The run home was worse.  I definitely need to take a day off and get to bed early.

Went out for a trail run after work.  This run wasn't much of one.  Very slow, I had a hard time running easy uphill sections and ended up walking them.  Kind of discouraging but then again, I've had three weeks of 50 plus for the first time since last fall.  Plus my first 100 of the year is still two months out.  Definitely taking Wed. off. that won't be too hard since we're traveling back to Illinois to marry off our daughter.  So looking forward to some good times this week with family and friends.  Might even get some running in.

Finally got a run in while back in IL for our daughter's wedding.  Met up with a friend from here and ran around Rock Cut State Park.  Used to run here all the time.  Some pretty nice trails.  Great day for it, low 60's and breezy.

Ran to work this morning.  Nice day for it.

Ran home was uneventful.  Just an average ordinary everyday run.

Slooowwww lunch time run.  Not good at all.

Nothing like 8 solid hours of sleep to rejuvenate.  I felt much better this morning running to work, especially after yesterday's poor excuse for a run.

Had to do my run in two separate places.  Meghan and I went out to Antelope Island thinking we would run the Mountain View trail.  After 11 miles of being constantly harassed by all sorts of biting insects, we called it a run and left.  It was not good.  Since I felt pretty good and wanted to get in 20+ miles, I went over to rainbow Gardens in ogden and ran the BST south to Beus canyon and back for another 12+.  No biting insects there.

Hill repeat day.  6 x .55.  Getting better at these, need to keep it up.

Started at 22nd street trailhead and went upTaylor Canyon to the top of Malan's peak, then part way into Malan's Basin.  2 miles at 1000'+ gain per mile.  53 minutes up, 40 minutes down.

Went for an easy trail run after work.  Nice and slow.  Legs are tired from the hill work this week.  More hills on Saturday as I'm going up to Windy Pass to work that aid station for Squaw Peak.  5 miles all uphill, with a full pack of supplies.  Good times.

Took yesterday off, had too many chores to do after work and no time during lunch.  Ran into work this morning.  Had to push so I didn't miss the train since I left the house a little late.  The day off must have helped, I felt pretty good running in.

The run home was fine, still felt pretty good.

My big chore today is to make about 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies to pack up to Windy Pass for the Squaw Peak 50 mile tomorrow.  I've been working that aid station for the last 4 years and I take cookies up every year.  The hike up is always an adventure and getting the chance to spend the day in some beautiful remote backcountry is always a good thing.  Then there's the bonus of helping friends and other runners as they come thru this station at 40 miles.  About 230 runners will come thru tomorrow.  last year it snowed 4" as we hiked up.  I was soaking wet by the time I got to the pass, but the snow quit, the sun came out and that coupled with a nice fire and everyone dried out just fine.  Even with the snow and cold, the day was spectacular.  Tomorrow will be a great day. 

Did my usual first Saturday in June thing and hiked up to Windy Pass with a full pck of food.  then I got to spend the day helping runners finsh the Squaw Peak 50 mile.  Windy Pass is 40 miles in and the only way to get there is to pack in all of our supplies except for water, there's a spring up there.  the hike can be pretty strenuous, it's all uphill and the pass is at 9000'.  We only encountered about a 1/4 mile of snow on the trail and that was near the top.  The pass did live up to its name as it was pretty breezy and cool.  This is my 5th year going up there and i always have a good time.  I get to see lots of people I know and chat for a couple minutes with them and help them on their way.  I always have a good time and look forward to doing it again next year.

did an easy trail run after work.  I actually saw almost as many runners on the trail as mountain bikers.  Kind of unusual.

Did an easy run at lunch.  Had to make a trip to the store to get a birthday card for my lovely wife.

Hill repeat day.  3 x .55 before the rain started.  Got dumped on.

Didn't feel like running in the rain this afternoon so I hit the t-mill for an easy 6.

More hill repeats.  6 x .55.  Looking forward to a bunch of miles tomorrow.

Ok, here's how much of a weather weenie I am.  I was going to run two loops around Pineview Reservoir for a total of 30 miles.  It was raining and threatening to rain this morning.  I elected to do the miles on the t-mill at home.  That way I could watch tv, talk to my wife and son, listen to music and not have to drive 30 mintues to get to where I was going to run.  Instead I decided to try and better my 50k time.  My PR was 5:05 for a 50K.  Today I my actual running time was 4:48:49.  Couple that with two stops fo about a minute each and you under 5 hours.  Now if I could only do that during a race.  Felt pretty good the entire time and actually ran all of it,no walking.  The firs ten were at about a 9:30 pace, the next ten at about a 9:00 pace and the last 11 were at a 8:34 pace.  Not to bad.  Now I can walk 75' to the shower, and not have to drive home all sweaty and stinky.

Just did an easy trail run after work.  Enjoyed the day.

Well, I had high hopes of doing some hill repeats today.  Instead I tanked the run after 3 miles.  Just didn't have the ambition.  There's always tomorrow.

Just did a short little trail run after work.

Just did an easy run on the streets around the house.  Nice evening for it.

Ran to work this morning.  First time in a couple of weeks that I've been able to.

Meghan and I ran around Pineview reservoir then up Wheeler Canyon to Snowbasin.  We were going to go up Snowbasin and over the top and down Beus Canyon into South Ogden, but the weather prevented that.  Really stormy up on top.  Instead we went back down the Green Pond trail to Art Nord trailhead, then on back down Wheeler Canyon.  Total, 30+ miles, what we wanted to get in today.  Good time slopping thru the mud and rain.  See my blog at www.ultrajim.blogspot.com for a complete write up.

Ran into work this morning.  Felt really good in spite of a lack of sleep last night.

The run home wasn't too bad.  Certainly was a nice day, clear, warm, couldn't ask for metter.  Starting to get psych'd about running the Logan Peak race this Saturday.

Did a short little run at lunch.  Pushed a little, but basically took it easy.

Ran to work this morning.  Had a 7am m eeting so I had to get up at 4:15 to catch an earlier train.  I kinda wish the train ride was longer so I could sleep while I'm on it.  Can't get much sleeping done in 15 minutes.

Ahhh, what a nice warm afternoon for a run home.  85 degrees was perfect for me.  Love the heat, bring it on.

Ran at lunch.  Pushed the pace some.  Think I'll go do some hill repeats after work.

Just a short little trail run.  Looking forward to tomorrow's race.

Ran the Logan Peak Trail Run today.  My time was within one minute of last year's time.  The top five runners blew the course record out of the water by 30 minutes.  Jon repeated his win of last year.  Perfect weather, clear skies, gorgeous views, beautiful flowers, and lots of snow still up on Logan Peak.  I'll update this with a race report later.

Ok, so here's the race report.  I ran this race last year and had a great time.  The course is beautiful, the volunteers are great, plenty of aid.  Overall just a great low key race. 

My race went about as well as I expected.  I didn't do any taper as I'm training for the Tahoe Rim 100 in three weeks and wanted to maintain the weekly mileage, so I didn't expect my time to be really good.  I just wanted to finish, feel good, and enjoy the day.  I managed to do all three.

The race starts in a park right next o Logan Dry Canyon and we got the privilege of running up that in the first 4.6 miles.  Roughly 3000' of gain.  At that point we hit the first aid station.  These people had to pakc everything in, including water.  One of the runners has some pack mules and used them to bring everything up the day before.  Then we turned and headed out on the south syncline trail.  At this point the trail leveld out some and basically was rolling for the next 7 miles.  The trail turned into a jeep road that took us around the back side of Logan Peak.  Here we came on to the second aid station, then headed up the road to the top of Logan Peak.  This isn't a particularly difficult climb other than the elevation.  The aid station is at 8100', and we climb to 9750' in the next 2.5 miles.  There wasn't as much snow this year as there was last, but the last 1/2 mile was snow covered.  I spent a coule minutes at the top just taking in the view.  The air was crystal clear and visibility was probably 100 miles.  Fantastic!  Why run road races when races like this exist.

After a couple of minutes, I headed back down.  The hard part of the race was over.  The rest of the race was downhill, kind of.  After I got back down to the aid station, I headed north along the north syncline trail.  This trail/jeep road did climb back up to about 9100', but I don't remember that climb being as hard his year.  The jeep road meets up with the Dry Canyon trail after about 1-2 miles and this trail took us back to the top of Dry Canyon.  This section of trail overlooks Logan Canyon and I had to stop a couple of times to avoid tripping while looking at the views.  Once back at the aid station at the top of Dry CAnyon, it's a 4.5 mile downhill run to the finish.  It's fun to just go bombing down this trail taking half the time to go down that it took going up.  I wasn't anywhere near doing the 5:30 pace that Jon was, but I did manage a sub 8:00 minute pace for most of it. 

I managed to cros the finish line within one minute of my time last year, 6:13 this year vs. 6:12 last year.  Last year I came in 14th place.  This year the competition was much stiffer and I only managed 39th place.  But you know, races like this are why I do ultras and trail races.  The venue, the volunteers, the low key of the race.  Not to mention that I got to hang out with a bunch of fellow ultrarunners that I know.  I figured that out of the 80 runners, I probably knew over half of them.  How cool is it that you can run a race with a bunch of people you know.

Anyway, a good time was had by all.  I definitely will be doing the race again next year, and if you're looking for a good first ultra or trail race, this one is a good one. 

Ran to work and back after atking a few days off.  I would have been running but work conspired against me.  Maybe just as well as I was sore after the race last Saturday.

Didn't quite get the actual 13 miles.  About 1.5 miles from home I heard a honk and someone yell at me.  It was my wife and son in his truck.  They asked if I wanted a ride home and I told my wife I would always take a ride from a hot babe in a good looking truck. 

Looking forward to the 39 miles I'm planning on running Friday.  Should be a good time.

Did an easy trail run.  Went up Strong's canyon since I've never been up there.  Didn't realize that there's a hidden canyon with no trail that I could see.  Interesting.

Went on a run from Upper Big Water in Millcreek Canyon to the Homestaed resort in Midway.  When we started there was three of us, Meghan, Jeff and myself.  I don't know how many runners we saw that we knew between Upper Big Water and Brighton, but it was a bunch.  You'd have thought there was a race going on.

Saw a bunch of fellow ultrarunners at the Brighton store.  Picked up another person, Kim, at Brighton.  She wanted to go with us to the Homestead.  Also met with Julie, but she was just going to the top of Catherine's Pass and back down.  Met Sarah at the top of Catherine's.  She came up from the Alta side.  From there the five of us headed for the Homestead.  Sarah, Kim, and Jeff were faster than Meghan and I so we decided to take a short cut down Sandy Baker Pass rather than go around Mill Peak and down the Dive and Plunge.  The other three took the long way.  Meghan and I finally made it to the Homestead around 4:30 and had time to go into Heber for burgers before everyone else finished.  All of us had a great time.  The course was in great shape although there was a fair amount of snow on the way up to Point Supreme.  Plenty of nice clear cold stream water.  The scenery was incredible as it usually is.

The weather looked a little threatening on the trek past Brighton, but the clouds eventually went away.  The trail from Catherine's to the Honestead was pretty quiet.  Saw a few dirt bikes, couple of equestrians, but no runners or mountain bikers at all.  Felt great the entire time.  Had no problems with the altitude and running at 10,000'.  For Meghan and I it was a great last long run before we run Tahoe Rim 100 in two weeks.

Did some crosstraining by making homemade peach ice cream, working on the barn and doing some driveway bowling with my son, my wife, and my son's friend.  the people we bought our house from left behind 9 bowling pins, and three bowling balls.  We set them up in the driveway and had a good time knocking them down.  The endurance event ended with fireworks at dark.  Good times.

Did a short run up the trail that goes up North Ogden Canyon.  I hadn't been up this trail before.  Gains about 1200' in 2.5 miles, so not too bad a climb.  Ends up at the North Ogden divide trailhead.

Went for an easy run from Fernwood picnic area south along the BST.  Nice and warm.

Ran to work and back. 

Ran from 22nd street south after work.  Very warm, shoud have brought two bottles along but i survived.

Ran from Rainbow Gardens south on the BST.  Started around 8:15pm and finished just as it was getting dark.  My car was the last one in the lot.  The trail is nice and quiet at that time of day.  No bikes, very few hikers, sunset happening across the lake.

Ran from 22nd street.  Went with a  guy who runs my race every year and happened to be in town on business.  It was kind of nice to share one of my favorite trails with someone else.

I decided that I'm going green for my trip to Tahoe this weekend.  I made reservations on Amtrak to take the train rather than drive my car by myself.  The cost is the same and I have a friend that is running the same race who's picking me up at the train station in Reno and dropping me off for the trip back.  All I ahve to do is drive the 4.5 miles to the Ogden train stations, get on Frontrunner, and switch to Amtrak Thursday night.  I love riding trains and it's time for a new adventure.

Ran a last run before Saturday's race.  so far the taper is going pretty good.  I felt pretty strong today, the run was really easy, even in the noontime heat.  I'm taking the train (Amtrak) to Reno for the race.  the RT price is the same as what i would spend on gas driving there, plus A friend is picking me up there and we're driving to Carson City.  Haven't been on Amtrak in quite a few years, so it should be a good time.  I love riding on trains. 

I've written a race report that can be read once I post it to my blog. www.ultrajim.blogspot.com

Bottom line, not quite the time I was hoping for, but also not a key race this year. The weather was perfect for me (a little warm for everyone else). I felt pretty good the entire race although I did get a few blisters. Great race, fantastic and beautiful course. Well organized, great aid (including beer). Very deceiving course, not as much vertical as other mountain courses but with a 56% finish rate, it's tougher than it looks.

Ahh, good to be back on the trails.  Just a short little run to see how the legs and feet are recovering.  Seem to be recovering just fine.  Legs are still a little sore, but nothing that prevents me from resuming full on training.  My son actually went with me on his bike and trash talked me the entire time.  I just ran up hills and he had to get off his bike and walk.  His Dad is in a little better shape than he is.  It was fun.

Went up the mountainside from Fernwood.  Decided I needed some hill work, so climbed about 2500' in 3.25 miles.  that ws enough given that I'm still a little tired from the race last Saturday.

Ran to the train station this morning and realized that it was a Saturday schedule due to Pioneer day.  would have had to wait for over 30 minutes for the next train.  One of the guys I work with showed up and we ended up driving in to work.  Guess I'll have to look at this afternoon's schedule before I leave.

The run home was ok.  Not too bad as far as heat.  BTW, I've got a Tahoe Rim race report posted at www.ultrajim.blogspot.com

North Ogden Divide to the top of Ben Lomond Peak and a little beyond.  Perfect day for it.  Got sunburned some.  Still snow up there.  Lots of people making the hike up.

Did an easy run at lunch except I tried a new speed workout that I read about in Trail Runner magazine.  20 seconds flat out, 10 seconds rest, repeat 8 times.  Beginners do that once a week, more advanced runners can do it more often.  I figure I'll try it 2-3 times a week and see what happens.  After the first one I thought this isn't so bad.  Right after that thought I had to start running again.  After you get stopped from one interval, you ahve about 5-6 seconds of rest then it's off again.  I was glad when I was done.

In Boston on business so I took the opportunity to run around the back bay area.  This morning I ran past that bastion of Engineering, MIT.  Warm and muggy.

Did another run around the back bay area of Boston.  This time I went by Haavaard.  Lots of people out running the paths or rowing on the St. Charles river.

Just another trail run on my favorite local trail.  Nice hot afternoon.  Probably in the mid 90's.

A little trail run up in the Wasatch.  Started at Upper Big Water trailhead in Millcreek Canyon, went up to Red Lover's Ridge, down to Desolation Lake, down to Blunder Fork and up to Dog lake, then into the Mt. Olympus wilderness.  That part of the trail was way overgrown.  I had to push thru brush that was waist high.  Needless to say, that slowed me down.  Eventually made my way up and over the saddle and down to the Terraces area.  Went on out to Millcreek road and up the road back to UpperBig Water.  Totl time was around 7 hours.

Did a lunchtime run.  Kinda warm, but I survived.  Did my new speedwork thing.  8 x 40 seconds flat out, with 10 seconds rest in between.  It's hard not to cheat on the rest time by the time you get to the third or fourth one.  I think I'm going to bump this up to twice a week and see how it goes.

Went running after work, but the legs were dead.  Ended up only going about 2.5 miles.

Did a trail run after work.  Kinda slow, the legs were still tired for last Sunday's mountain run.  Wasn't quite as warm as yesterday.  Went a little earlier and managed to avoid most of the mountain bikes.

Did a run at lunch.  Pretty windy.  Did an 8 x 20 second speed session again, 10 seconds rest in between.  The legs were kind of dead.  I thought that taking a day off yesterday would help, but I still felt pretty sluggish.

Was going to do a trail run after work but ith all the smoke, haze, dust and wind, I just did the t-mill for a few miles.

Ran to work for the first time in a couple weeks.  Nice and cool, actually wore a long sleeve shirt.

On the run home I had to detour to go to the bank, but I made up for the extra mileage by taking a small short cut on the run home from the train station.  Kinda like leaving work early because you came in late.

Looking forward to my Sunday run.  Going places I haven't been before.

Did a run I haven't done in a few eyars.  Started at teh bottom of Farmington Canyon and ran up to the radar towers at the top of Francis peak.  Set a PR in the process.  the distance is 11.2 miles to the towers.  My previous best time was 3 hours up and 2 hours down.  Today it was 2:30 up and 1:49 down.  Since I wanted more than 22 miles, I also went beyond the towers to a couple of alpine lakes that I had seen on maps on the east side of the crest.  Decided to have my delicious lunch of cheese and crackers and dark chocolate Ensure at the shore of one of them.

Coming back down Farmington canyon was like being on a freeway there were so many 4 wheelers, motorcycles, cars and trucks.  Note to self, go earlier so you avoid the traffic.

All in all, a good time and some beautiful scenery. 

I went running on my usual local trail but took the run just a little bit further.  The legs were pretty dead from my long run Sunday.  Still, it wasn't too bad.

Did the same run as yesterday, but also did my little speedwork of 8 x 20 seconds with 10 seconds rest.  The legs felt better today.

had big plans to run a bunch of miles tonight.  The mind was willing but the flesh was weak.  My legs told me that 5.5 was enough for the day, so I listened.  didn't get off the trail until dark.  Kind of interesting running the trail when I could barely see it.  Good thing I've run that trail countless times and know where all the rocks are.

Ran from Fernwood picnic area to Kaysville and back on teh BST.   Ran with a person from Florida I met at a conference in Layton.  good conversation made the miles go by quickly.

Did two runs today.  One at lunch that included my 8 x 20 seconds with 10 seconds rest.  The afternoon run was on my local trail.

Went up Farmingtaon Canyon again.  Last Sunday it took my 2:30 to run up to the radar towers.  Today it took me 2:22.  11.2 miles uphill with 4300' of gain (5200' to 9500').

Went past the towers again and just took my time coming down the canyon.

Did a short little run at lunch.  No more running until my race on Saturday.  With the race mileage, I'll have close to 100 for the week anyway.  I intentionally didn't do any taper for this race as I want to keep the mileage up until I start my taper for Wasatch.

Warning, this is a very long race report and can induce insomnia if not careful.

Well, I ran Where's Waldo for the 4th year in a row.  This race is a good excuse to take a few days off from work and go see my sister as she lives near where the race is held.  Oh, the race is held at the Willamette Pass Ski Area in central Oregon and is a fund raiser for the volunteer ski patrol there.

For the past 2 years the race has served as the USATF 100K Trail National Championship and 3 years ago it was the USATF 100K Trail Masters Championship.  They also offer $1000 for first place and $500 for first place masters.  You can double dip.  Needless to say, for ultrarunning, this is significant prize money and draws a fast crowd every year.  This year was no exception.

I like the race because it's well organized, the aid stations are well stocked and have enthusiastic volunteers working them, and the scenery is central Oregon beautiful.  Think fir forests with some huge old growth Douglas Firs, perfect trails for running (soft, shady, pleasant), lots of gorgeous lakes to run past, and views from the top of the peaks that are fantastic.

My goal this year was to break the 14 hour mark.  I ran 14:08 last year and figured I could take 8 minutes off that time.  But I also didn't plan any sort of taper since that week would serve as my last week of long training prior to tapering for Wasatch in three weeks.  So, 70 miles the week before and 100 miles including the race last week.

A couple of the other Wasatch Speegoats were there to run the race with me, but both of them are much faster than I am and much better looking (Monica and Amy).

Weather on race day was perfect, 40's at the start, clear, warming up to the upper 60's to low 70's during the day and colling off nicely towards the evening.

So, here's the report. 

First Section, start to Gold Lake, 7.4 miles - the first mile is a grinding uphill that no ones runs.  Takes you from 5120' to over 6000'.  After that there's a 6.4 mile downhill that's fantastic.  I got stuck in a conga line on that section until I managed to blast past the 6 runners in front of me.  Pulled into the Gold Lake aid at 1:22 into the race, 2 minutes faster than last year.  So far so good.  I felt great.

Second Section, Gold lake to Fuji up, 5.0 miles - this is mostly uphill, some steep.  Time was 1:08, same as last year.

Third Section, Fuji up to Fuji down, 2.5 miles - This section takes you on an out and back up to the top of Fuji Peak.  This is a gain of about 1100' in 1.25 miles.  The views at sunrise from the top of tis peak are worth the effort it takes to get there.  Unbelievable.  Then a bombing run back down to the aid station.  Time 0:36, same as last year.  So far, 2 minutes up on last year, feeling good and ready for more.

Fourth Section, Fuji Down to Mt. Ray, 5.6 miles - This section is primarily downhill, although it is rolling.  A great little section for cruising along and enjoying the race.  Time, 1:03, 1 minute faster than last year.

Fifth Section, Mt. Ray to Twins 1, 6.6 miles - This section is mostly uphill, but the ups are gradual enough that you can run them..  This is where I would see if my hill work would pay off, and it did.  Time 1:28, 7 minutes faster than last year and still feeling good.

Sixth Section, Twins 1 to Lake Charlton, 4.9 miles - Starts out going up but the last couple of miles are downhill.  Charlton lake is also the half way point.  Huge hoopla, beach party atmosphere make this a great place.  Time, 1:00, 1 minute faster than last year.  Now I'm up 11 minutes over last year.  Things are looking good.

Seventh Section, Charlton Lake to Road 4290, 5.2 miles - This section is mostly flat, but can be the hottest part of the course due to the exposure.  This area was logged off several years ago and the trees growing there are fairly small.  Time 1:05, 3 minutes faster than last year and up 14 minutes now.  This section felt slower to me but it actually wasn't.  Still, as I came into Rd 4290, I was hungry, the energy level was down some.  I did have a drop bag and immediately drank the 2 Ensures I had, hmmm, maybe slamming 700 calories down in a couple of minutes isn't a smart thing to do. 

Eighth Section, Rd 4290 to Twins 2, 7.5 miles - This is the longest section of the course and one of the most difficult.  You climb from about 5300' to just over 7000' and it's relentless.  Much of it is runnable if you're fresh, after 40 miles, no one is fresh.   I left Rd 4290 and walked for a bit to let my stomach settle.  Should have just taken the other bottle and drank it later.  This section felt much slower than last year, but my time ended up being just a minute slower.  Time, 2:03.  Lost one of those gained minutes.

Ninth Section, Twins 2 to Maiden Peak, 5.2 miles - this section starts out going down, but in the last mile or so begins the climb up Maiden Peak.  When I left Twins, I was feeling just ok, not great, just ok.  I ended up walking downhill parts that I should have been running, stupid me, but I just didn't feel like running.  I figure I was going thru a little bonk at this point, not enough calories, or maybe it was too much training, I don't know, it was something.  Time 1:24 vs. 1:10 last year.  Oh crap, I just lost all of the time I had gained so far, now I was a minute down from last year.  Can I make it up?

Tenth Section, Maiden Peak to Maiden Lake, 5.1 miles - Easily the most difficult section of the course, you gain roughly 2000' in just over two miles.  The grade starts out actually somewhat runnable but just gets steeper as you get higher.  In some places there aren't even switchbacks, just straight up the mountainside, ugh!  But once again, the view from the top of Maiden Peak (7818') is phenomenal and worth the effort.  Then it's a treacherous steep downhill 2.5 miles into Maiden Lake, not much running here unless you have a death wish or want broken bones.  Time, 1:45, dang, lost another 8 minutes.  Now I really have to fly on the last section.

Last Section, Maiden Lake to the finish, 7.5 miles - this starts out with an uphill, but quickly turns downhill and ends up being a 7.4 mile downhill run.  This is my favorite section of the course because if you can or want to open it up, you can.  The trail is perfect for running, downhill with very short ups, great footing, if you fall you won't get hurt and you know the finish is up ahead.  I tried pushing this some and actually felt pretty good, but the stomach was trying to go south on me and I'd have to back off the pace a little so I wouldn't hurl.  Met up with another runner and we just cruised the last few miles together and crossed the finish at the same time.  Time, 1:39 for this section, lost another 12 minutes.

Aftermath - The beer my wife got me after I finished tasted really good, but then a beer after a race usually does.  The barbequed hamburger was pretty good too.  My time was 25 minutes slower than last year, 14:33 vs 14:08.  Oh well, I wasn't unhappy.  Could I have done better?  Probably, if I had put a little more focus on running where I could rather than walking.  On the other hand, I did no taper, so maybe tired legs from a 28 mile run the previous Sunday had a little to do with a slow finish.  Still, I had a great time and to me that's the name of the game.  I love this sport, where else can you trash yourself and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Note:  The winning time and new course record was 9:11, that's an hour faster than the old course record, an hour!  One minute per mile!  Average pace 8:49 for 62.5 mountainous miles.  5 people went under the old course record.

Next up, Wasatch Front 100 in less than three weeks.  Time to taper.

Just an easy lunch time run to work the kinks and soreness out from Saturday's race. Felt pretty good actually.

Only had time for a short little run in the afternoon.  Still, no soreness from last Saturday's race and the legs feel pretty good.

Went out to the island and did the special use permit for October's half marathon out there, then took a jaunt up the Frary Peak Trail to the top of the mountain.  1:03 up is the best time I've ever done to the peak.  Not a whole lot cooler up there but there was a breeze of sorts.  View wasn't real good either with the haze that was in the area.  Oh well, still got in a nice little run.  The only trouble is I got a nice blister on my achilles.  Same place I got one when I ran Tahoe.  Hope this doesn't mean bad things for Wasatch.  The last thing I need is a blister 30 miles into the race, especially since I usually don't get too many blisters during races.  It's making me a little nervous, especially if it doesn't heal completely in teh next couple of weeks.

Didn't do a whole lot of miles this week.  Wanted to start my taper for Wasatch as well as get a good recovery in from Where's Waldo. 

Had big plans to do around 20 today, but when I put on my shoes, even with a badnaid, the bllister was giving me issues.  Instead I just went over to 22nd street and ran to Beus and back.  Nice easy run and the blister didn't bother me too much, at least not enough to worry about.  Still, it is pretty raw.

Ran an easy 5 at lunch.

Just another easy lunchtime run

Started at 22nd street and went up to Malan's Basin and back.  Haven't been up there in a couple of years.

Did an easy hike from the Brighton lodge up to Catherine Pass and back.

Went on a run on the island.  thought it was going to be around 5 miles, ended up being a little further than that.  Oh well.  Probably my last run before Wasatch.

Well, I finally have time to post a little race report about this year's Wasatch 100.  In a word, hot, very warm.  I heard that the daytime high at one aid station was 98.  Not sure if that's true, but it was a warm day. 

I had big plans to run a sub 30 hour race, but that was not to happen today.  things were going well until about mile 26 when my left knee started acting up.  Sharp pain on the inside next to the knee cap.  I alternated ibuprofen with Tylenol and that would stave off the pain for about 2 1/2 hours at a time, but in between I was reduced to almost a limp.  For awhile I wondered if my knee would force me to drop.  After much convoluted analysis by my addled little brain, I concluded that the only way I would drop would be if my knee prevented me from any sort of forward motion or if I was going so slow that I timed out.

I did manage to hit every aid station thru 35 miles either just behind last year's pace or at last year's pace in spite of the pain, but after that, things went downhill.  I was reduced to hoping to come close to my splits for 2006, substantially slower.

I got to Lamb's Canyon (53 miles) at the same time as I did in 2006 and gave my pacer a call to let her know where I was.  She was to meet me at Upper Big Water (61.7 miles), but decided to meet me at Lamb's instead.  How wonderful was that.  So, 20 minutes after I came into Lamb's Canyon, we left.  She also brought some Aleve and that did the trick as far as knee pain.  Completely went away or was background noise at worst for the rest of the race.  I was able to powerwalk up Lamb's canyon and actually pass a bunch of people on the way up to Bear Bottom Pass, but the run down into Millcreek Canyon was kind of slow due to a developing blister on my heel.

I love the section between Upper Big Water and Brighton whether I'm running it during the day in training or at night during the race.  During the day, the scenery is gorgeous, stunning.  During race night, with no moon out and clear skies, my pacer and I just turned off our headlamps once in awhile, and stopped to enjoy the stars.  Once again, stunning.  Why run city marathons when you can experience things like this.

Made it into Brighton at 5am, same time as 2006, and ate a bunch of scrambled eggs with large amounts of salt, pepper, and ketchup.  Yummy stuff and hit the spot. We left Brighton and headed up to the high point on the course, Point Supreme.  I always dread this climb because of the altitude.  Something happens to my lungs and I end up getting asthma, and even a little pulmonary edema.  These things never happen in training but do on race day.  This year was a little different.  I was able to make the climb in good time without stopping once to catch my breath.  I was thrilled.  We also saw a couple of moose bedded down in a meadow just off the trail, very cool.  The drop into Ant Knolls was a killer, as it usually is.  Very steep, rocky, slippery, dusty, and tough.

Got into Ant Knolls (80 miles), ate some food and noticed a tiny pain in the back of my throat.  Damn, I was coming down with my wife's cold, fantaastic.  Thankfully it held off until Saturday night after I got home, but the rest of the race I had a minor sore throat.

So far I was still on my 2006 pace, but hoping to at least better that time (34:23).  As we went towards Pole Line Pass (84 miles), the sun was coming up and hitting Mineral Basin as well as the mountains surrounding.  This is also a very scenic part of the course.  the course as it goes from Pole Line Pass to Rock Springs gives a full stunning view of Mt. Timp in all its glory.  I wish I'd had a camera to capture it.

No came the hard part of the course, going down the Dive and the Plunge, then thru Irv's torture chamber.  The Dive and the Plunge are a couple of very steep switchbacks that drop about 700' each.  The dirt and rocks have been churned up by countless motorcycles and the footing is extrememly treacherous.  Both my pace and I went down a few times whiel negotiating this section.  Irv's torture chamber is a series of seven ups and downs that are a royal pain to go thru.  But, I knew the race finish was in the bag by this point so I jsut went along with the flow. 

Pot Bottom (93 miles) is the last aid station.  Once you're here, it's a short 700' climb up a dirt road, then about 5 miles of downhill to the finish.  Looking at my watch I noticed that I had a chance to at least break 34 hours, so we picked up the pace a little bit.  Once we hit the water tank and the last section of trail we broke into a full on run rather than just a little trot.  One mile of downhill easy trail, hit the road, and 3/4 mile to the finish. 

33:57:07 was my time, good enough for 115th place ( out of 244 starters and 156 finishers).  Not my best time, but not my worst either.  But it was a good time.

Analysis - What could I have done differently?  I'm not sure.  You really can't plan for an injury during a race.  The knee started acting up for no reason.  I didn't fall or twist it, simply an overuse injury.  I had a goal of staying well hydrated and fueled.  I met that goal and the heat never really bothered me.  Most of my fuel between aid stations was EFS by First Endurance.  I love this stuff.  Far better than other gels and comes in bulk so you don't have to open countless little gel packs then wonder what to do with them.  I took a hit about every 20-30 minutes for most of the race.  My pacer and training partner, Meghan Zarnetske, was wonderful.  Especially since she was sick with a cold all week as well.  She kept me on task, got me in and out of aid stations without letting me linger, and provided hours of interesting conversation.  I don't know of anyone else who had a single pacer for 47 miles.  Most runners will use two or three for that many miles.  I managed to cut down my aid station time substantially.  My time sitting in aid stations last year is what prevented me from going sub 30 hour then.  All in all, I had a great time and for the most part felt pretty good.  I never really had a down time.  Having a sore knee just kind of pissed me off more than anything because I knew that I wouldn't meet my time goal.  Will I run it again next year?  I don't know.  I'm thinking about it, but I've told both my wife and pacer that if I make noises about entering, just slap me.  I still think I'm capable of going under 30 hours (I know, it's a pipe dream).

Well, enough of the slcaking off and time to get back running.  Went out for a few easy miles today just to see how the knee would hold up.  It's still alittle sore from Wasatch, but the swelling is gone.  I should be icing it down after a run but I just forget.

Went 2.5 in the morning with my wife.  Her first run in ages.  Mostly a walk, but some running was involved.  Went out for another run in the evening.  Did my usual 6.8 mile trail run but really pushed just to see how I was recovering.  Must be recovering just fine.  I felt really good and was able to really push hard.  The knee is still a little iffy, but not too bad.  I figure that it'll get better, so the training begins again.  Ogden Valley 50 mile in less than 5 weeks.

Did a 5k just for fun.  All of it was below an 8 min pace.  The first half was slightly downhill and with a tailwind.  Coming back was with a headwind and slightly uphill.  Felt pretty good to push like that.

Ran to work for the first time in awhile.  A little cool, ended up with a long sleeve t and gloves on.  Guess it's that time of year.

The run home was a little slower than the run in.  I just took it easy and enjoyed the run.

Ran to work this morning after 5 days off.  Took a few days off to visit with my daughter and her family and to play with my grandson.  That's a much higher priority than running right at the moment.  I felt kind of sluggish, but that's to be expected after taking some time off.  Back to work though.

Participated in an interesting study on Friday.  The person who heads up the Big Mountain aid station at Wasatch is a Psychologist.  He made a call for ultrarunners to come into his clinic and do a Qualitative EEG.  This is a brain scan using the skull cap with electrodes etc.  Then he compares the results of your scan against what the general population is to see if there's a mental difference between ultrarunners and the rest of society.  Any ultrarunner can tell you that there is a mental difference.  We're all mental.  Anyway, he had already scanned two other runners and noticed a similarity in their scans at certain frequencies.  Two results does not make a trend so when he saw the same thing in my scan, he got excited. 

There have been studies done of ultrarunners during a race, but these were physical studies, blood work, etc.  To his knowleged no one has done any studies comparing brain activity.  He would love to scan more ultrarunners.  If you're an ultrarunner and would like to participate, let me know and I'll forward his info to you.

The run home in the afternoon was pretty uneventful.  Nice afternoon.  Beer at home when I got there.

Ran in to work again this morning.  Woke up at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep.  Since the alarm was set for 4:50, I decided to jsut get up and catch an earlier train in.  Definitely less traffic on the roads at 5am.

Had to push the run home a little bit to get tot he bank before they closed.  Made it! 

So far I have about 45 entries for the Mtn. View Trail half Marathon on Oct. 17th.  If you're interested, the entry form is at www.buffalorun.org

Ran to work today.  Brrrrr, kind of chilly.  Actually got a little bit cold on the way from the train station to work.  Hot shower felt pretty good.

Run home after work pretty uneventful.  Little cool.

4 x .55 hill repeats.  Need to do some work on these. 

Had big plans to do about 30 on the island but 1 hour of sleep the night before prevented that.  Still, felt guilty for not running and decided to go for a short run on the Ogden Valley 50 course since I'll be running it in a couple weeks.  I haven't run that far on roads in a long time.  I was beat when I finished and it wasn't that tough.  Went to bed early.

Ran the trail after work.  Really pushed and it sure felt good to go that hard.  No aches or pains.

5 x .55 hill repeats.

Ran to work this morning.  Another chilly one. 

didn't really want to run home this afternoon.  Almost called my wife to come and get me.  Figured I couldn't weenie out so I kept going.  Got a little chilly as well until I put on  a jacket.  Then I felt better and finished. 

Ran into work again this morning.  Not quite as cold as yesterday, but I was more tired.

run home wasn't too bad.  Felt better than in the morning so pushed a little.  Not a stellar run, but not bad.

did a trail run this morning with about 12 others.  Started at 6am.  Kinda cool but a good time was had by all.  Saw a skunk in the trail as we were trotting along.

Did a nice long run all by my lonesome out on the island.  I was scouting out a potential 100k race route for fall 2010.  If I can talk the park into it, there'll be a 100K sometime late October early November of 2010.  Saw plenty of buffalo blocking my way on the trail, but they moved by the time I got up to them.  Total time was a little over 6 hours, but I wasn't in any hurry.  Took some pictures, walked when i felt like it, enjoyed the views, quiet and solitude.

Ran at lunch today.  Thought it would slow and painful after yesterday's run, but I actually managed to hit it kind of hard for at least a few miles.

So I had big plans to go do hill repeats after work.  Got to the trail and it was super windy and threatening to rain.  My legs were tired and I really didn't want to be out there.  So, I went home and got on the treadmill.  Ran 3 miles while watching TV and realized I didn't want to be on the treadmill either.  So, I called it a day.

did a six mile runa t lunch.  Nice day for it.  105 entries for the Mtn. View Trail Half this Saturday.

Finally got a run in.  The last 4 days have been kind of wild.  Getting things ready for the half last Saturday, cleaning up after.  Good thing I'm kind of tapering for the OV 50 this Saturday.

Just a short little run at lunch to the bank and back.

Was going to hit the trails for a short run after work but forgot to bring socks.  Instead I went home and just did the t-mill thing.  don't know if I'll run Thursday or Friday as I'm running the Ogden Valley 50 on Saturday, so something of a taper is in the works.

Just a short report for now.  I had a great race today.  All of my races this year have been mediocre at best.  Today it came together.  I had this delusional thought that I could pull off  50 mile PR today.  My previous PR was 9:15 in Chicago on a flat, very fast course.  Today's course started in Mountain Green, went up Trapper's Loop, past Snowbasi Ski Area, down Old Snowbasin Road, around Pineview Reservoir, back up Old Snowbasin Road and down Trapper's Loop.  I rocked it today.  I pushed hard the entire way.  My 25 mile split was 4:20 while the second half was 4:39.  Not too bad.  Tried something a little different today.  Water only for drink the entire day.  Used EFS gel from 1st Endurance, it rocks, and ate bananas.  Stayed well fueled and hydrated the entire day.

Anyway, a PR at the ripe old age of 51 on a course that ranges from 4800' to 6600' and has over 6300' of gain ain't a bad thing.  Just goes to show I was a real slacker in my younger days.

Ok, here's a little more to the story.  Just random thoughts on the race in no particular order.  The weather was pretty much ideal.  In the 40's to start, which is unusual for this race.  In years past it's always been in the 20's to start.  The day was mostly cloudy, with teh sun occasionally peaking thru to light up a mountainside.  There were some pretty dark clouds over Mt. Ogden, and on the way back up Old Snowbasin Road, I did get sprinkled on and even sleeted on, but nothing more than a little bit.

Took one water bottle.  With roving aid stations I figured I'd see someone every couple of miles and did.  The roving aid is unique for a race.  Basically there was one fixed aid station at miles 15/35.  The rest of the time there were about 3-4 vehicles that roamed the course and would pull off the side of the road if you needed anything.  I could hand off my water bottle, keep running and they would catch up to me and give it back.  If I needed food, the stop would last at most a minute.  Saved a huge amount of time by doing this.

Traffic on the road around Pineview was dicey at times.  Lots of hunters.  Most were courteous and would go into the opposite lane but there's always a few jerks that think it's fun to see how close and fast they can go by you. 

Hit the marathon point at around 4:30, 50K point at around 5:20, neither a PR.  got back to Old Snowbasin Road aid station (mile 35) in 6:00.  Much to my surprise, I actually ran(as opposed to walking) probably more than half way UP Old Snowbasin Road.  I figured that I would end up walking most of that.  Caught and passed two other runners on the way up.  I actually felt pretty good other than being tired.  When I finally hit the downhill, I was clocking sub 7:30's at times and even managed a sub 7:00 for a mile or so. 

Probably the worst part was the last 2-3 miles to the finish.  I had been pounding down Trapper's Loop pretty much as fast as I could at that point and I could feel the wheels finally starting to come off.  I knew that a sub 9 hour finish was going to be tough but possible, so I just gritted the teeth and went.  That last half mile from the Sinclair station to the finish was the hardest.  A 20 mph headwind and I'm trying to run.  I kept looking at the Garmin and 9 hours was fast approaching.  When I got to the park entrance I looked and the time said 8:59.  I panicked and sprinted to the finish hoping that I would go under 9:00.  When I crossed, I immediately asked what my time was.  John, the RD knew that I wanted a sub 9 hour finish and asked if I could have cut it any closer.  8:59:30, nope not much closer than that.

Even though I run trail races most of the time, it's good to hit the roads once in awhile and realize that ultras aren't just on trails and road races don't always end at 26.2 miles.

So I tried something different tonight.  I ran on the t-mill barefoot.  Barefoot running seems to be all the rage so I thought I'd give it a try indoors.  Especially since my little feet are tender.  Anyway, things went very well.  Definitely felt the run in my shins.  If I had gone any further my feet would would have been hurting.  They were starting to get a little raw on the bottoms.  Had a weird feeling when I got off.  It felt like I had foam cushions on the bottoms of my feet when I was walking on the tile barefoot.  I'll probably keep it up.  Some thing different to do.

Was going to hit the trails after work but forgot socks.  Ended up on the t-mill again while watching the world series.  5 miles takes 6 innings for me.

Another t-mill run, sigh.

Easy run in the mist up above 22nd street. 

Gorgeous fall day.  Ran from the Pineview trailhead to the top of Lewis Peak and back.  I was thinking it was a 16 mile round trip.  Wrong, 18.2 on the Garmin.  Trail was in pretty good shape.  On the north facing areas there was 4-6 inches of snow on the trail, but other than that, the run was pretty nice.  Could see my house from the top but my wife couldn't see me.  Lewis peak is the mountain directly behind our house and about 3 miles away.  Saw a couple other hikers a ways away, but no one else.  Just me and the trail.

So I was a little sore from yesterday's little jaunt up Lewis Peak.  I figured that the run today would be kind of slow.  I hit the trail after work for about 3 miles since I left my headlamp at home.  I felt really good.  I was actually able to put some effort into the run.  Since I didn't get the 6 in I wanted to, I hit the t-mill at home for anothe 3 barefoot at about an 8 minute pace.  That felt pretty good too.  Not a bad day.

Did a t-mill run tonight.  Had big plans to do some hill repeats, but ended up working late, so home I went.  Maybe tomorrow.

Did the run/train/run thing this morning.  Took a little shortcut to save alittle time since i was running a little late.

run home wasn't too bad.  Not a big fan of running down the roads in the dark, but I survived.

Hill repeats after work on the trail.  Glad I took my headlamp.  It definitely was interesting running that trail at night.  I was surprised at how many people were out in the dark.  Several hikers, a couple fo mountain bikers, and I happened to see fellow ultrarunner Brian Beckstead as well.  I think the temperature actually got warmer as the night went on.  Started out in the upper 50's but by the time i was done at around 7:30, it was in the upper 60's.  Pretty good breeze as well but a very warm one from the south.

Just a nifty little trail run after work.  Good stuff.

Went on an early run with Aric and Joel checking out a half marathon trail course they're looking at.  Look for the Northern Utah Trail Series (NUTS) next year.

Ran at lunch.  Did some tempo work.  About 2-3 miles at well under 8 min. pace.  Close to 7 at points.

Ok, it was a weird running day.  Had big plans to run/train/run.  I was late to leave the house, had my wife take me to the train station.  Ran the 2 miles to my office.  That was the morning.  On my way home, the southbound train was sitting at the station busted.  they got it going and it left.  I thought the next train in would go north so I got on it.  Ended up heading south towards SLC.  Had to get off at the next station then wait for the next northbound train.  Finally got to Ogden about 45 mintues later than I had hoped and ran home.  At least the run home was uneventful.

Did "hill" repeats on the t-mill.  5 x .6 @ 10:00 pace and 8% grade.  Wore me out.

Did a little night trail run above 22nd street.  Definitely different.  ran the first half with no headlamp, but had to turn it on coming back.  The mist made drops on some of the yellow leaves on the trail.  When my headlamp would shine, theylooked like gold flakes.  Very cool.  Scared up a skunk while I was out there.  It just took off scampering down the trail.  No spray.

Had big plans to go out and do around 7 on the trails.  Got on the trails and my legs had other plans.  Just didn't feel like it, so I did a few miles pretty leisurely, checked out some new trails and got off before dark.

Had the first training run on Antelope Island for next year's race.  About a dozen showed.  Ran the Mountain View trail from the trailhead about half way then turned around.  Weather was fine until the last couple of miles, then snow and wind.  Had big plans to do 30 out there today but the weather kind of stopped that.

Short little trail run north from Rainbow Garden with Joel.  Snow on the trail and 15 degrees.  Saw the Remkes brothers while we out.  They are responsible for constructing much of the new trail north of Rainbow, and a fantastic job they've done.

Ran on the t-mill tonight.  Boring, sigh!

Hill repeats on the t-mill.  2 @ .6 x 10 min pace @9%.  1 @ .6 x 10 min pace @10%.  2 @ .45 x 10 min pace @12%.

Maxed out the incline on the mill.  Maxed me out as well.  The really sad thing is, I now have over 600 miles on the mill in the past three years.  I'm such a weenie about getting outside when it's cold or bad weather,.

Went on the trails after work trying to get a few in before dark.  Ended up on the road because I ran out of light and didn't have my headlamp.   Ran on a new trail (for me) that was pretty cool.  Nice cruising, twisty turny, uppy downy.  Don't know my actual mileage, but based on my time and effort I figure around 6.5.  Felt good.

Ran into work this morning.  Uneventful, cold, dark.

Same thing this afternoon except it was still light when I started running.

Nice trail run after work before the sun went down.  Good times.  Managed to get back to the car before it was completely dark.

Just an easy trail run up on the hillside.

Kind of a weird running day.  Had big plans to go out to the island and run 30 miles.  Part of my running on the island involves doing my trail patrol thing and keeping an eye on and making contact with the publis.  So I made contact with a group of about 20 hikers.  Whenever there's a group of hikers, dogs are involved and usually off leash.  If you're on the island with your dog, it must be on a leash, not only for the dog's safety, but the safety of other people out hiking or biking (just in the past week while running I've been charged by two dogs that were off leash and not friendly at all), the safety of the animals on the island and the safety of the environment as well.  So naturally there were dogs off leash.  I made sure the people knew what the rules were, they put the dogs on leash and i went on my way, but not before calling on the radio a couple of other trail patrol and the park ranger on duty.  As usually happens, once we're out of sight, the dogs come off leash again, so we kept track of them just in case.  The front gate had informed us that the group had been reminded to keep their dogs on leash and this group was somewhat rude to the person at the gate.  So I go out on one out-and-back trail.  As I'm coming back I look down the mountainside and see not only two dogs off leash, but two people well off the designated trail.  Once again, the park rule is to stay on the designated trails not only for the person's safety, but the protection of the environment out there.  If people were allowed to go off trail anywhere on the island at any time, we would have no idea if someone got hurt on the far west side of the island, for example.  So I call the ranger on duty and let her know I'm headed down the mountainside to intercept these people.  Eventually the ranger and I both catch up and they are informed again of the rules and the reasons for them.  By now I'm sweaty and chilled and the momentum for running an additional 23 miles is gone.  I figure I'll just jump on the t-mill once I get home and do a few more miles.  So that's what I did, 7 on the trails, 7 on the mill. 

So those of you who run with your dogs, wonder.  Remember that your dog may be friendly to you and would never bite anyone, the person you encounter doesn't know your dog and your dog doesn't know them and are very capable of biting that person.  If they're a friendly dog and come bounding up to a stranger that's running, that person could end up tripping over your dog and hurting themselves and/or the dog.  If you're running you're prey and the dog is a predator.  So keep them on a leash.  BTW, I have 4 dogs and a host of other animals as well, so I don't hate dogs.  When they're off leash, you do not have control of them.  Ok, off my soapbox now.

Hit the trail after dark.  Always kind of creeps me out to run by myself on the trail at night.  In a trail race it doesn't bother me since there are others running the same trail even though they may not be close, but by myself is a different thing.  Makes me run faster I think.  Better training.  With only a headlamp to see by I have to really pay attention to foot placement as well.

Felt a cold coming on this morning so I immediately started taking those zinc lozenges, faithfully every two hours.  So far nothing worse than a mild cough and some achiness.  If this is a cold, it would really suck.  Two colds in three months is very unusual for me.  Still I felt a little lazy and just did some "hill" repeats on the mill.  6 x .3@12% and 10 min. pace.  Just short little stretchs in between, .5 warmup and .2 cool down.

Did some miles on the BST north of Rainbow Garden.  I've been trying to catch a cold but faithfully taking the zinc lozenges and throat spray.  I really think it has lessened the severity of the cold by quite a bit.  Having said that, I got achy during the last few miles of the run then got really chilled on the way home.  The same basic feeling I get after running 30-40 miles, only this was after about 6 miles.  Maybe I did too much.  Oh well, it was a good time and a great day except for the haze.

Ran the White Rock loop on Antelope Island.  Busy out there today.  Probably 2 dozen horse trailers in the lot and a bunch of mountain bikes.  Nice day for it.  Cool, not cold, no breeze.

Short little trail run with Aric and Joel from Rainbow garden.  6am start is a little rough though.  But. being done adn home by 9:30 is a good thing.

Did my run on the t-mill this morning.  Usually 20 on the 'mill isn't a big deal, but it was tough today.  I must still be feeling the after effects of my cold.  Everything aches after the run and I didn't go that fast.  Ugh!

I was dreading having to use the 'mill tonight and was saved.  Halleluah!  One of our Engineers from Mississippi was wanting to do a little trail run after work in the full moonlight.  I called a friend and the three of us did 6 miles on the BST above Ogden with the last two mile headlamps off and just going by moonlight.  It was awesome and beat the crap out of doing the 'mill.

Had big plans to do the 'mill thing tonight.  Got on and figured out that i just wasn't into it.  So I quit after 2.5 miles.  No guilt either.

Did the t-mill thing again. Decided to do a barefoot run. The original plan was to do 6 miles, but after 5 I felt blisters starting, including one on the bottom of my big toe. Ouch! Anyway, I kept bumping the pace up as teh miles went by until I was at a sub 8 pace. Felt pretty good, very easy.

Second training run on the island.  Had about 10-12 people show up.  Snowy and windy was the order of the day.  Still, wasn't too bad.  Did have some temporarily lost runners, but we found them none the worse for the wear and tear.

Just a few easy miles on the 'mill tonight.

I'll post a better report in a day or two but suffice to say that this was one of the most epic and interesting races I have ever run.  I dnf'd but so did everyone else.  I was 27 miles into the race when it was called on account of the weather.  There, that should get some people interested. Ok, my race report is posted at www.ultrajim.blogspot.com

Did my first run since the race.  5 miles on the 'mill barefoot.  Shouldn't have done that.  Ran most of it under 8 min. and ended up with a blister on each toe.  Owww!

Finally posted a race report about the Chimera 100k washout at my blog www.ultrajim.blogspot.com

6 x .5 intervals on the 'mill.  Looking forward to 15 on the island Saturday.

Ran the White Rock trail on Antelope Island.  Lots of crusty snow made the going tough.  I figure it was marathon effort for a 100 mile pace.  Still not a bad run at all.

8 miles of lovely trails in Lake Havasu.  Not to mention it was 60 degrees.

11 more miles of lovely trails in lake Havasu.  Did I mention that it was 60 degrees?

6 miles thru 6"-12" of snow while it was snowing.  Quite the change from Lake Havasu.