Summit junkie!

I ran the gully trail today with Jun and Dorsimus from the park just east of Jordan High school, all the way to the Bell Canyon trailhead. The weather was perfect. The trail was a bit muddy and wet in places, and on the way up Jun kept us entertained with his story from the weekend. When we reached the Bell Canyon trail (mile 6) we stopped for a break and I had a gel which seemed to give me a boost.

The run back down was really messy, as the snow was melting and the trail became a lot of slush and mud. The other guys started pulling away after a few miles, although I kept them in my sights all the way to 13th east, but after that I didn't see them again until the finish.

The last few miles my energy was really low and I debated on taking another gel, but I decided to push through, and by the finish I was so hungry. It was a perfect day to be outside, and I got some sun on my face. Maybe too much. Someone at work just asked where I went at lunch to get my tan.

Mt. Wire this morning with MattV. Today wasn't my day. My legs were heavy and my energy was low. Matt was pushing me up the hill all morning. It was cold and windy and I forgot my hat, so that became annoying as well.

On the ridge we watched a herd of elk moving up the mountain, and when we reached the saddle we stopped for a few minutes to watch them cross to the other side. Very cool. The summit ridge was very cold and the wind was biting. When we finally made it to the top (About 1:05) I was too cold to stay up there, so we turned around and headed down. It was tough running down because the snow had a hard crust, but we kept sinking, and it was hard to run fast, and then there was a lot of ice to deal with as well. I slipped twice and luckily caught myself before a bad fall.

Our total time was a lot slower than normal, but I still had a fun time and I'm glad I went.

PM: Played an hour of basketball with my work peeps.

50 minutes of weights at the gym. Arms, shoulders, chest, lats.

I had an incredible run on Grandeur peak this morning with Seth Wold, MattV, Bill Hiatt and Bill's two friends Zak and Trevor. Zak and Trevor had no idea what we were doing, as Bill told them we were going on a trail run and that the first two miles were just a little steep. I was leading the way from the start and when I turned up the West Ridge Zak said "What are we going straight up that mountain?" :) :) :)

The wind was blowing, which made it a little uncomfortable, but it wasn't bad. Bill and Trevor took off in the lead and the put a little distance on us. I was content to push a nice quick pace all the way to the top. The wind picked up near the summit and about 3/4 of the ay up Seth said he was going to try and catch the other guys, and he did beat them to the summit and then ran back to meet us on the summit ridge. The other two guys hit the top after Seth and then I was behind them with Matt and Zack right behind me.

We didn't stay long on top and the run off of the summit straight down the east side was the most fun we had all day. The snow was deep and we all went fast. The run down to Church Fork was a lot of fun and it was a nice snow packed trail the whole way. When we got to the bottom we turned down the Pipeline and ran that all the way to Rattlesnake Gulch in perfect weather. Awesome!

We all met at Rattlesnake and took a break. I took a gel and we waited a few minutes for the other guys to show up. The best comment of the day was hearing Zak say "Those were the hardesrt 6 miles of my life," while he was bent over with his hands on his thighs. That made me smile. He has been running for several years. We all ran fast down Rattlesnake and the conditions were great. Not as icy as the last time. Once at the bottom we ran down the canyon road at a nice 6:45 - 7:00 pace that we held until we got to the guard shack. At that point Matt's knee was bothering him a bit, so Seth and I stayed with him and the other three guys pulled ahead. We made it back to the cars for a total time of around 3 hours (including all breaks.) 3k+ elevation gain.

It was a perfect morning, until I got a speeding ticket on the way home.

Warm up on the elliptical and then did 3.7 on the TM. I just wanted to stretch my legs and work out some slight soreness and it helped.

Monday- Weights. Upper body/core for an hour. I slightly strained an ab muscle doing 'skull-crushers' with a heavy dumbbell. It wasn't serious, but I stopped working my core after that.

7 on the TM after I put the kids in bed. I started out at a nice 9:30 pace for the first mile, then did one at 9:00 and settled into an 8:35 pace the rest of the way. Everything feels good.

90 minutes of basketball with guys from my work. It was like playing church-ball without refs, really physical and a lot of fouls. I usually like the physical play, but it was really annoying yesterday and I came away with a sore heel and I tweaked my back as well.

800 mg of IbuprofenX2

Solo climb of Mt. Wire this morning. Those were some tough miles. I started out just before 6:00 am. It was warmer than usual, but there was a pretty good breeze, so I wore my hat and fleece vest. The lower trail was melted out, so I ran all the way to just before the ridge, and from there the snow just got deeper and sloppier the higher I went. When I made it to the first saddle I knew I was in trouble when I sank to my knee. I was following some tracks, and that helped a bit, but it was much slower than normal.

When I reached the second saddle the foot tracks were gone and the only thing left were some snow shoe tracks that were better than nothing, but I was still post-holing the entire way up. It seemed like it took forever to slog up to the summit ridge. I was sinking to my knees with almost every step. It got old fast, but I was so close to the top, so I kept going up. I reached the top in a slow 1:14, which is the slowest climb of the year on Wire.

The descent was just as bad and slow and I was sinking even more as it had warmed up a lot since I started. I couldn't run much until I got past the last saddle. From there I ran the rest of the way in. My total time was 1:55. 2200 ft. vert.

Today I wanted to do a lunchtime run on the Jordan River Parkway in Lehi. I had never been on the trail before and decided to start at the flight park, so I could get in 20+ miles. The weather was nice, but windy.

I felt good the entire time and settled in at a comfortable 8:20-8:40 pace. At times I would drop below 8 and then others creep up toward 9, so I just tried to do what felt good. I didn't want to push too hard because I wanted a lot of miles. I ended up having to cut the run short, but that's ok I still had an unbelievable day and I will probably get back out there tomorrow to do my long mile run.

The trail is absolutely incredible and I will definitely be back when I want to get in some miles on the pavement.

I had a sweet run on the JRP in Lehi this morning, starting from the flight park again. I felt really good and it was so relaxing to crank the ipod and run. Usually I like running with someone, but today I thoroughly enjoyed every mile by myself.  A little after 5 the trail was closed and ripped up, so I stopped had a gel and then turned around and ran back to the car. There were a lot of people out this morning and the weather was perfect.

Back at the car I took a break to drink some Gatorade, take a gel and an S-cap, and then I ran almost back to where I had before, but because of the time I had to turn around and get home. Everything felt really good. I ran an 8:30 pace for about the first 11 miles and after that I just tried to keep it under 9, although the last few miles I lost a bit of steam. So fun. Total time 2:44.

Roid night at the gym. The meatheads were out in full force. The gym was stanky!! 50 minutes of lifting upper body/core.

4 miles on the TM after the kids went to bed. Nothing exciting about this.

I did a solo climb of Mt. Wire this morning. I was really worried about the weather, but after looking at it last night I figured the storm would be moving in a little later in the morning, so the only thing I was worried about when I woke up was the wind. There was a slight breeze at the trailhead when I started at 6:00 am but it wasn't bad. The trail was dry all the way to the second saddle, so I made really good time. I saw a headlamp about a mile ahead of me heading up to the towers, which was weird because I rarely see anyone on the mountain that early.

There was some slushy snow to deal with from the saddle to the towers and that slowed me down a little, so I reached the top in 53:00 and didn't stay long because the wind had picked up a little, but it was still warm. The run down was really fun and I enjoyed it so much more than when there is snow.

Back to the car in 1:29 (including all breaks). 2200 vert.

50 minutes of weights at the gym. I spent a good deal of time on the pull up bar and I was so spent at the end I could barely do one. It was a lot less crowded tonight and smelled a lot better.

I woke up at 4:00 am to go climb/run Grandeur Peak with Matt Van Horn this morning. We definitely had our challenges today. First of all it was wicked cold at the start, and the wind that beat down on us for the first 30 minutes was horrible. That West ridge is sure windy and exposed. At least the lower trail was dry. The last mile to the top took us forever because there was about a half inch of light powder on top of a icy hard crust, and no tracks or trail, so we slipped and slid the rest of the way up. It was tough and slow. We finally hit the summit in 1:40, which is 20 minutes slower than the last two times we did it.

It was still dark when we reached the summit and I took a gel and checked out the incredible view of the valley lights below. Heading down the back side was also quite challenging because the snow had a hard crust that you would punch through to deep powder. It was slow going down to the saddle where we finally hit a packed snow trail. I guess we were the only ones dumb enough to go to the top.

We ran down to Church Fork, and then on the Pipeline to Rattlesnake Gulch. From there we ran down to the canyon road and then back to the car. It took us almost an hour longer than the last time we did this route two weeks ago. It was a lot of fun anyway. We saw some deer, elk and had some impressive views along the way. This route is definitely one of my favorites.

My legs were sore today from Grandeur Peak, so I did 4 easy on the TM and they felt a lot better afterward. My pull up fest on Thurs must have been really good because my upper body is still quite sore.

3 miles on the TM. This will be an easy week in preparation for the Buffalo run this Sat.

50 minutes of weights at the gym. It was so crowded again tonight.

4.5 easy miles on the TM.

3 easy on the TM. Time to take it easy for the rest of the week until the race on Sat. I can't wait.

The two easiest miles of the year on the TM while watching the NCAA b-ball games. To all of my friends running the Buffalo run, I hope to see you out there and good luck!

Full race report:  

I had heard a lot of good things from friends about the Buffalo run, so I wanted to do it this year. I was trying to decide between the 50k and the 50m, and I knew that I could grind out the 50m, but I hadn't run anything long since October and I wanted to gradually build up my miles for later in the year, so I decided on the 50k. I had several friends doing the race, but I was late getting to the start and by time I got to the line we were within a minute of starting. Seth Wold saw me and said hi and we chatted for a bit and I told him to go get it and Jim started the countdown. I started out in the front of the pack and within a minute I found Dorsimus, so the two of us talked during the first mile while we went up the long hill. Eventually he dropped me, but I wasn't far behind. So far I was feeling good, but didn't want to push too hard because I knew it would be a long course.

After we crested the first big hill I could still see Dorsimus, and I wanted to catch up to him so we could chat, but he was moving pretty fast, so I picked up my pace to a 7:00 and finally caught him around mile 4. We chatted some, but he dropped me again before the Lone Tree hill, where I decided to power hike. At the first aid station I just stopped long enough to fill my bottle and then I took off. The run down into the valley was fun and I resisted the temptation to push it hard, although I did pick up my pace and it felt good. There was a group of about 15 of us that headed up the switchbacks together. Everyone was pushing pretty good and it seemed to help me push not wanting to get passed. I ran most of the time, but on the steepest section I power hiked while taking a gel and an S-cap.

The run back to Elephant Head aid station was a bit muddy, so it was a little tricky staying out of it, but overall the course was in excellent shape. I was still feeling really strong, so I didn't even stop at the aid station. Just before the drop to Lone Tree I passed my friend Dustin Erickson, who placed 6th in the 25K. We missed our high five attempt and then I saw Oreo at the bottom of the hill and I made sure I didn't miss this time and gave him a good smack on the shoulder. I wish I could have stopped to say hi, but I didn't want to stop my momentum. Just before climbing the hill back up to the flats I saw my longtime friend Allison from high school and we exchanged "Hi's". On the hill I took another gel and an S-cap and once on top I tried to get into a nice steady pace without pushing too hard. I wanted to save my energy for the second lap.

Once I came around the bend I could see the aid station and the wind picked up quite a bit. I tried to pick up my pace on the downhill and I was still feeling really good. I passed Dorsimus just before the aid station and he was looking good. At the aid station I looked for my drop bag where I had some Cytomax and I had a good drink of that and downed a gel. I was thinking about dropping my long sleeve shirt, but it was so windy that I thought I might need it again. I said hi to Lily and she helped me with a few things and I was off. That was my longest stop of the race.

The first hill on the second loop was an absolute killer. I thought I was feeling pretty good until I started the climb and all of the sudden my energy was gone. I felt wasted. I was thinking I must not be very tough if I am feeling like this at this point. I just tried to power hike and hoped my energy would come back. What made it worse was the strong headwind pounding us relentlessly. I was kind of in a funk from about mile 17-20 and it was very tough to climb back out. The hill took a lot out of me and once I reached the top it was hard to get going again. I was running a 9:30 pace and tried to speed up, but my legs just wouldn't go. Finally when I reached the Lone Tree hill was started power hiking again, I took another gel and an S-cap and hoped I would be feeling good at the top. I filled my water at the aid station and then thankfully on the descent back into the valley I found my groove again. My legs started to feel better and I picked up the pace a lot. I passed 4-5 people that had passed me while I was in my funk and by time I reached the switchbacks to climb back up I was feeling strong and energized.

The climb up the switchbacks was so fun. I felt just as good as I had on lap number one and I passed a few more people on my way to the top. Just before the top I had another gel and S-cap on the steepest section as I hiked and when I reached the top I had two runners in my sights. I was feeling good and eventually passed a guy that was trying to hold me off and then I tried to catch a girl that was moving great. I followed her all the way to the aid station where I finally passed her because my stop was less than 20 seconds to get water. On the downhill I pushed the pace and felt great, but noticed that my second toe on my right foot was hurting a lot. I had put some mole-skin on the toe to prevent a blister and I remember there was a crease at the bottom and I knew that was causing it. It really started to hurt, so at the bottom on the hill I stopped and took off my shoe, gaiter and sock and removed it. I hated stopping, especially since I was feeling so good, but it helped a lot and I felt better. The girl I had passed at the aid station passed me again and I would follow her into the finish.

The last 4 miles were fun. I was feeling as good as I had felt all day and nothing hurt, except my toe a little where I had the mole-skin. I actually ran a lot of the last 4 in the 8's and felt so good and strong. Except for the girl nobody had passed me in at least 12 miles and I reeled in 4-5 runners that last 4 miles. I wanted to pass the girl, but she as strong and kept pushing hard. Once we came around the bend and could see the finish we both picked it up and there was another runner in our sights. She passed him with about a quarter of a mile left, but he picked up his pace a lot at the end and I couldn't make up the distance. I was still feeling really strong at the end and felt like I had a lot left in the tank, which makes me feel really good about my training so far this year. It was good to see Dorsimus at the finish. I was really happy for him. He ran a great race and had made incredible strides this year. It was also fun to see Jun and Kelli come in on the 50 mile race. They were awesome. I also got to say hi to Crockett, Bryce and hang out with Seth and the guys for a while and eat some buffalo stew. This was a really fun event and was very well organized and I had a great time. Congrats to everyone that ran and to those that reached their goals. Also, props to Bryce for going 30+ miles while fighting a nasty cold. It is very inspiring to watch everyone out there and makes me want to get better.

I did an hour of weights at the gym tonight. It was crowded and stinky again, which is making me think I might want to lift on a different night. I thought it was supposed to be family night in Utah county on Monday.

My legs are only slightly sore after the race on Saturday, so I am happy about that.

50 minutes on the elliptical and two easy miles on the TM. Everything feels really good.

After the kids went to bed Kristina and I went downstairs and I hit the TM while she did the elliptical. I have no soreness in my legs at all, but I could tell they were a bit heavy and it took me a good mile before I felt ok. I stopped at 3 miles because I am doing Wire in the morning with Jun and I want my legs to be fresh.

What a fun morning climbing/running Mt. Wire with Jun. The weather was great, the snow is melting off of the mountain, so we had a very enjoyable hike/run. We decided not to push too much because our legs are recovering from the race last Sat, so we just had a nice quick hiking pace all the way up.

Near the top there was some wind and it was cold, so when he reached the summit (53:00) we didn't stay long. The run down was really fun and we just talked the whole way. We ran into my friend Judy just below the first saddle while Jun was checking out some cougar tracks. We stopped and talked to her for a few minutes and then had a nice run back to the cars. It was a lot of fun and my legs feel really good.