Summit junkie!

View Benchmark solo:

My life has been CRAZY the last few months. I got laid off from my job, started a business and then took a position with another company. My blogging has been sporadic at best. I have barely had time to check my own blog and haven't been updating regularly. The good news is I love my job and I couldn't be happier with how things have worked out, but I have been working my butt off, so time for blogging just isn't as ample as it was before. 

After work I hit Ann's trail up to View Benchmark. Thanks to Jun for letting me into his office to grab some water. It was a hot motha on the trail and I needed every ounce. I cranked up my ipod and got into a pretty good groove. When I started I saw a dude hiking just about the one mile mark. I passed him just before mile two and then I hiked up the steep hill and took a gel. At the top I ran into 3 shirtless rednecks that were drinking what appeared to be homemade brew and clearing brush just off the trail. WTFlip? I didn't stay long to figure out what was going on. Oh and they were all fat and pasty white. Hot.

The run up to the summit was fun. I only stopped once to hike on the steep hill just before the top and I made it to the summit in the exact same time (within 10 seconds) as Sunday. Weird. I checked my phone for messages and then bolted down. I passed the hiker dude about a half mile down and he was moving pretty well and I said hello. I got into a good pace and enjoyed the rest of the run. I did pass the pasty shirtless necks again and they looked at me like they were doing something wrong. It was weird, but I didn't stop to investigate further. I'll check out the area the next time I am up there. Maybe they are runnin' shine.

This morning I met MattVS early before work to run to the Ave Twin Peaks above Salt Lake City. This is one of my favorite runs and this morning did not disappoint. The weather was near perfect and it was a really enjoyable run. Matt and I chatted most of the way up and I just enjoyed the views. Awesome. We kept looking back for Jun and Dorsimus because we knew they would be starting about 15 minutes after we did.

When we hit the steeper hills I started to hike and Matt kicked me in the butt and told me to run so I did. We pushed it pretty good to the top of the first twin and at the top I finally saw Jun and Dors running up the hills below. On the second twin I gave Matt some meds for his aching knee and we took in the views and then went down where we ran into Jun and Dors and chatted with them for a few minutes.

The run down was a nice cruise and we actually ran at a fairly decent pace. I really love this run. It was a perfect morning.

Ave Twin Peaks with Matt:

I love this run! I met Matt at 7:00 at the Capitol building in SLC to run on the BST up to the Ave Twins. We did this on Thurs and it was so good we went back for more. The first mile seemed to take forever. We were running an 8:00 pace, but we had to stop for a break and although it was hilarious it hurt our split. We were kind of slow moving up the first few miles today, but we were talking the whole way up and enjoying everything about the run. When we got on the upper portion I felt really good so I pushed it hard up the hills and ran up some of the steep hills that I have been known to hike at times. We hit the first summit and then cruised over to the second summit where we stopped for a break. 

 The wind really picked up and the summit became really cold, so we went down. It took a few minutes to warm back up, but Matt was pushing a good pace and both of us ran pretty fast the rest of the way back to the car. After the steeper hills we pushed into the 6's and held that for a good distance until we hit some rollers and then we stayed in the 7's most of the way down. It was a blast. Both of us had some good tunes and we just got into a good groove. Back down on the road Matt took off pretty fast and I stayed back a little enjoying the views. we ran past the cars and back up to get an even 10. What a fun morning.

4 mountain runs and 4 peaks for the week.

Weights at the gym for an hour. AF fitness center was closed, so I went to the Lehi Legacy Center. It was crowded and stinky.

I set a new PR today!!! I consumed more calories in a single day than any previous day in my life. I'm in Boise (yeehaw) for work and my company keeps taking me out for these high calorie meals. They have been tasty, but I was feeling like a big bowl of pudding, so after I got back to my hotel I put on my running gear and went out. My hotel is by the airport in an industrial area which wasn't ideal, but I didn't feel like driving around to look for a good place to run so I just started running from the hotel. The sun had just gone down, so I had about 30 minutes of decent light left.

 It was one of the strangest runs I have ever done. The roads I ran on had multiple large industrial buildings and there weren't a lot of people out, but the ones I did see looked a little sketchy. If someone wanted to kill a person just for the heck of it I was the perfect candidate and after getting sized up by a few shady fellas that passed me a few times I got ready to run fast. I never felt threatened in any way, but it was just weird. After about 3.5 miles I came to the end of the road and I noticed that beyond the barrier blocking the road there was a dirt road, so I figured I would run on it to see what was down there... or maybe I just had to pee and it looked like it could yield a decent spot. After tunring the first corner there was a steep hill that lead to a large pit with a lot of heavy machinery at the bottom AND also a port-o-pottie. Sweet! I ran down the hill and nobody was down there which was a touch eerie, but the POP was open, so I used it and then ran back up the hill back to the road.

By now it was getting dark and the wind was really blowing, so the run back to the hotel wasn't as nice, but I still had a lot of fun peering into all of the businesses and checking things out. I did pass a strange looking dude wearing all black and carrying some rebar, but he didn't look like he was in very good shape, so I knew I could outrun him if he decided to whack me with his stick. Overall it was a fun run. I have been semi-tapering for the Zion traverse on Friday. I'll be running the second half of Jun's double traverse. It should be incredible and I am totally psyched. I'll post a few updates on facebook and Twitter, but I can't update to FRB from my phone. Lame.

Zion traverse- Pacing Jun on his Zion double with Jun, Dorsimus, MattVH and Jsh:

The Zion traverse is a 48 mile run across Zion National Park and it has become a popular destination in the last few years for ultra runners that want to test their skills in some of the most scenic and difficult terrain in Utah. Last year our crew attempted the traverse, but we were forced to bail out after about 20 miles due to heavy rain and snow. This year we got our revenge and there was a twist- Jun would be doing the first ever double traverse. There are several things that make this run challenging. There is significant elevation gain and the climbs are steep and tough. Of the 48 miles I would say at least half of them are on technical trails. Some are rocky and rugged and there is several miles of beach sand that is almost impossible to run in. There are also several rivers and streams to cross as well. 

We spent the night in Cedar City in a quaint little place with character... ok really it was a dive, but we weren't there for 5 star amenities we were there to tackle the traverse and a positive- I got to share a bed with MattVH. I enjoyed it. I actually slept better than I thought I would, but I still only got about 5 hours of sleep and since I had been traveling for work all week I didn't have a lot of sleep in the bank, but that didn't matter, once the alarm went off my adrenaline kicked in and I knew I would be fine.

Jun, Dors and Jsh started at the Kolob (west) entrance at just after 6:00 am on Friday. MattVH and I would drive the car around to the Hop Valley trailhead where we would meet them at mile 13. After getting gas and a bite to eat we were at the trailhead about 25 minutes before Jun showed up. We ran down the trail a few hundred yards to see if we could see them and soon Jun approached looking strong. I took his camera to snap a few pictures and while trying to run, turnaround and get a good picture at the same time I tripped into a pile of soft sand and also a cactus. I got sand in the camera and it was out of commission for the rest of the trip. Jun filled his bottles and ate some food and after about 15 minutes there was no sign of the others, so Jun asked Matt to gear up and run with him and after a few minutes Matt was ready and they took off. I waited and waited and after almost an hour after Jun arrived Dors showed up looking trashed. He has been dealing with the flu all week and he just didn't have any energy. He was shocked that Jsh hadn't arrived and he said that he had been behind both guys, so we started thinking that he probably missed the Hop Valley turn and after talking with a few other groups that had been on the trail we confirmed that.

We talked with a park ranger about an hour later and he gave us the number to call for dispatch in case we needed to call out SAR. We were pretty confident that Jsh would be ok, but we had no idea where he was. About two hours after Jun had left some ladies showed up with a horse trailer and we talked to them and they told us they would look for Jsh and we gave them my cell number. At 11:30 I was all geared up to run in to look for Jsh and Matt was going to leave and go meet the other guys at the Grotto as they would be expecting us there around 1:00 with supplies. Just as I was about to leave one of the horse ladies called me to let us know they had come across Jsh and he should be there soon. I decided to run out and meet him and run him in. He indeed had missed the Hop Valley trail and spent a few hours trying to find the right trail. He ended up with 26 miles and he was pretty sure he was done. We were relieved to have him back.

We went to the Grotto to meet the guys and I kept my running clothes on and prepared to go in case something happened to MattVH. When Jun arrived he looked terrible. He was dehydrated and it was about as bad as I have seen him look. He laid down and we went to work getting him food, water and taking care of a small blister on his foot. After a long rest he limped into the bathroom with his head down and looking pretty bad. About 5 minutes later he appeared with a smile and a new bounce in his step. He was back. Matt VH arrived about 10 minutes after Jun and he was feeling good, so I wouldn't have to start running until the east entrance at mile 48.

After the guys left we made our way over to the east entrance where the trail was closed and there was a sign that said: Trail closed for prescribed burn. WTH? We were trying to figure out what to do and a ranger showed up to remove the sign and told us that they were postponing it indefinitely because of dry conditions- Whew! We then waited for well over an hour for the guys to show up. They both looked pretty good. Matt was done and Jun took a few minutes to eat, drink and rest and then we started together on his second traverse.

The East Rim trail in Zion is probably the most scenic trail I have ever run on and once again it didn't disappoint. Jun and I chatted away the whole time. We got into a really good groove, running all of the flats and downhills and power hiking the hills, although we did run up several of the rollers and Jun looked strong. We stopped to fill up some water at the spring around mile 5 and saw a large wild turkey run across the trail. Awesome. The run down to the Weepig Rock trail was incredible and just as cool as I remember it from the year before. I tried to take a lot of pictures and Jun was looking good running all of the downhills strong.

Down in the canyon we got into a good running pace and took it into the Grotto where we were surprised to see that the guys were not there yet, so we sat down for a rest and after about 15 minutes we started to get worried. We could not go any further because the guys had our warm gear for the night and I needed more food and gels. After 17 minutes they finally showed up on the bus and had some much needed supplies. We were surprised to learn that MattVH had decided to climb Angel's Landing and he was probably on his way back down. After downing a sandwich, chips, cookies and some Powerade I was ready to go. I also put on my tights and long sleeve shirts because I had become chilled waiting for the guys to show up. After about 5 minutes of hiking I realized I was too hot and probably shouldn't have put on the tights.

Just after starting up the Angels Landing trail we ran into MattVH who had just gone up to the summit and was now on his way down. He's an animal! Most people would be crashed out in the back of the van after running 35 miles, but not Matt. He can't pass up the chance to tag a cool summit. I love it. Jun pushed a hard fast pace all the way up and he looked really strong. It seemed like we were moving up as fast as we did last year and Jun had an additional 48 miles on his legs. Awesome. The next several miles of the trail are mostly uphill and the climbs are relentless. We pushed a really good pace for several miles, but eventually Jun started having some tummy issues and that was the only thing that could slow him down. At one point he laid down on the trail and I told him to take a couple of minutes to rest. I knew he was feeling like shite because I have never seen him lay down during a run. I knew he needed it. After a few minutes he got up and both of us agreed that he would just take it easy, but as long as he was moving forward it would be better than laying down. After about 10 minutes he was able to shake it off and he was back. About that same time I started to feel quite sick. I could easily have puked, but I tried really hard to keep it in because I new I would need the calories later in the night. At mile 17 for me and 65 for Jun we stopped at a spring to fill up our water and I put in 60 ounces. I thought for sure that would be enough because it was now pretty cool and we wouldn't see the sun for several hours.

Just after the spring stop I told Jun I needed to stop, so I sat down on a log and tried not to puke. I was sitting there shivering and feeling like total crap and I was thinking this is hell. Finally I decided that I just needed to get up and get moving, so we walked for a few minutes and then I started to run. I figured I would be feeling crappy whether I was running or walking, so I might as well be running. Luckily after about 5-10 minutes my stomach came around and I felt great the rest of the night. We think that eating the big dinner and then pushing all of the hills just didn't sit well with either of our stomachs.

The next 10 miles on the West Rim trail seemed to go on forever. We would run all of the flats and downhills and then hike up the steep stuff. We were both moving well and we chatted away most of the time. It was a real grind though and the miles weren't easy. At one point we came around and we could see the lights from St. George way in the distance. It was cool and reminded me of our remote condition. Speaking of remote other than seeing a few people at the Grotto and two groups on the Angel's Landing trail we hadn't seen another soul on the trail. How incredible is that?

Eventually we came to the end of the West Rim trail and we stopped to take a break. I had two gels left and about 20 ounces of water and I knew I would run out of both going the next 9 miles to the crew car at the Hop Valley trailhead. I had a gel and we took a few minutes to rest and then we were back at it moving toward the connector trail. This was one of my favorite sections because it was slightly downhill for a few miles and we got into a really good groove, but eventually the trail became really rocky and annoying and it slowed us down a lot. We had to walk in several places where there were just too many rocks and we were tripping and stumbling every few steps.

We got on the connector trail and Jun did an excellent job of keeping us on it. He was still moving very well and I was amazed at how good he looked with so many miles on his legs. We didn't talk much on this section. I think we were both so ready for a break and it was a total grind the last two miles. This section is tough. We had to go 23 miles between crew stops and I was now out of water and gels and feeling like I needed both. After what seemed like an eternity we came onto the road and it was a short run to the trailhead where the guys (minus MattVH) were waitng for us to take care of us. We both sat down and Dors and Jsh took care of everything for us. They got our packs ready and got us food and drinks and took care of everything. They were great. MattVH had left several hours earlier with his remaining 13 miles for the traverse. He thought we would catch up to him and he thought we would make it in a lot sooner.

After a pretty long stop we put on our warmest clothes and took off on the final 13 miles to complete our traverse. The first few miles of the Hop Valley trail are tough. It is basically like trying to run in soft beach sand. It fills your shoes and makes it almost impossible to run. I had to stop and dump sand out of my shoes countless times during the traverse, but it is particularly bad on this section. Eventually we came out into one of the prettiest meadows I have ever seen. We had to cross the creek several times and there was no way to keep from getting your feet wet. After a few crossings we noticed someone a few hundred yards ahead in the meadow wandering around. I thought it was another runner coming from the west entrance because I could see the hydration vest. As we got closer I noticed that it was MattVH. WT?? He had become lost in the middle of the night, got confused and thought he was on the wrong trail. He had been wandering around for hours and was very happy to see us. He looked really tired. I was starting to wonder what else could go wrong before we completed this thing. Matt was happy to join us and we continued on making a few more creek crossings and eventually making our way to the trail junction.

We had to cross the stream here and then we were on the final stretch of trail that would take us up to Lee's Pass and the finish. We stayed together for a few miles, but as soon as the trail turned north Jun put it into a gear that we couldn't match and I watched as he moved ahead and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I tried to stay with him, but I just didn't have the legs. Wow. I also dropped Matt about the same time. The next three miles were just hell. HELL! I wanted to be done and it seemed like they went on forever. The last one was particularly bad, probably the longest most cruel mile of my life. I was starving and kept thinking about burgers, fries, pizza and donuts. Oh man! I wanted so much to be DONE. I finally heard the boys yelling at me and it gave me a bit of a boost and I kicked it into the finish. What an amazing run. The views along the entire trail are some of the best I have ever seen. The pictures just don't do it justice. Congrats to Jun for finishing a double, he is in amazing shape right now and he should have an excellent Wasatch 100.

Weights at the gym for 40 minutes. I was hoping for an hour, but a friend of mine was asking me questions about running trails in Draper, so we ended up chatting for a while.

I ran on the TM after my kids went to bed and everything feels good.

I had a long and stressful day, so it was nice to get to the gym to unwind. I ran 6 miles on the track fast and then did a boot camp class for an hour after my wife and a few gym ladies talked me into it. I actually enjoyed it.

5 on the TM late at night. It was the only chance I had to run today. I caught up on Modern Family on the DVR. 

I ran View Benchmark this morning with my friend Bill Hiatt and a couple of his friends. I can't remember their names, but the girl ran track for UVU a few years back. It was cold at the start, but I never felt chilled. We pushed a fairly good pace all the way up. I led the pack, but on the first really big hill Bill passed me and pushed it really hard to the top. When we reached the top of the hill the UVU girl bent over with her hands on her thighs panting- Awesome. I kept moving up the switchbacks and then at the top Bill and I had to wait for the other two. 

We pushed it all the way up to the top. Bill was really strong on all of the hills and I didn't even try to stay with him. On the last push I did get right on his heels and hit the summit in 42:37 just behind Bill and the other two showed up about a minute later. The views were incredible up there. It was a really awesome morning. 

On the run down Bill and the other dude took off really fast and the girl hung back with me and we ran all the way down together while Bill took a wrong turn and they ended up going an extra .3 miles. Haha. We all finished about the same time, so those guys were really flying down. Our total time was 1:15.

4 easy on the TM after the kids went to bed. No big woop.

Weights at the gym for an hour working my upper body. This was one of the best workouts I have had in a while.

I had no desire to run in the wind, so I went over to the track at the gym and ran 8 miles at a pretty decent pace. I tried to keep it under 8:00 the whole run.

View Benchmark with Jun:

After I put my kids to bed I met Jun at Ann's trail to run VB. On the way to the trailhead I noticed that the weather was a little unsettled across the valley and a storm was moving east and I could see pockets of rain. VB looked clear, but there was a chance it would hit us, but it didn't look too bad. The temps were almost perfect and we settled into a nice run talking the whole way. The miles flew by and we had a fun time.

On the upper trail the wind picked up and it was definitely colder, but still not too bad. We hit the top around 46 minutes, which is respectable, but we weren't pushing it. After a quick break we went down. I was usung a small handheld flashlight that I received from a vendor at the SLC Business Expo last week and it pretty much sucked. We held a solid pace back down to the lower trail and then it was an easy run the last few miles as we talked the whole time. Fun run. I'll give it 4 stars.

I got out early before work so I could miss the wind/rain that was supposed to move in. I only had about 40 minutes, so I just ran from my house down the Alpine Hwy for 20 minutes and then turned around. No big woop.

View Benchmark and sub peak solo:

It was a perfect morning for a nice cruise to the summit of VB. I wanted to beat the storm so I started early and the temps were so good with no wind. I put on my ipod, selected my "Ritz Classics" playlist (New Wave classics from the 80's) and got into a good gear and just had a nice run all the way up. I only passed one runner and two guys on bikes on the lower trail, but above Ann's I didn't see another person the whole time. I loved it. When I hit the VB trail I was in a casual running apathy when "Murderous" by Nitzer Ebb came on and immediately my pace picked up. No way you can run soft with Nitzer Ebb cranking in the ipod. While I was on the summit of VB the sub-peak to the west caught my eye and I decided I wanted to run over there and tag it, so I took the most direct route, which required some mild bushwhacking, but eventually I made it to a 4X4 road that goes up to the top. 

At the summit of the sub-peak I was greeted by a big hawk that took off only about 10 feet from me and I watched it float away. The wind picked up and the temps dropped a little up there and I took a few minutes to take in the views and then I ran back down the road which eventually runs into the VB trail. The sub-peak added a little over a mile and I will probably add it into my VB runs when I have time.

I was having a sweet run down, enjoying my music and when I was on the connector trail my toe caught a root and I took a hard digger in almost the same place that Jun did a few weeks ago. Luckily my handheld bottle took a lot of the impact, but I did bang my shoulder and my hip. Nothing serious, but it was a hard fall. The rest of the run was just a nice easy cruise back to the car. As always this trail didn't disappoint.

5 on the TM. No big woop.

Weights at the gym for an hour. I worked my upper body/core. I have been sick for the last few days and it is only getting worse. I'm running a fever and have a terrible cough. My boss is in town and I have spent the last two days entertaining and I am wrecked. I doubt I'll run today (Wed).

This week has been crazy and I have been about as busy as I have ever been. I have also been really sick since Tuesday, so that made it tough. My VP was in town and I was working 12-14 hour days. Wednesday was horrible! I was running a fever, had a sore throat and felt like shite and I had to go out until 9 pm with him. I came home and crashed with my clothes on and ended up waking up at 2 am to brush my teeth. On a positive note I LOVE my new job and I really love the company. 

Thursday I got home at 8:30 pm, threw my running gear on and made it to the gym to get in a run. I was still feeling like dung, but I needed to run, so I decided to hit the track at the gym because I didn't want to run on the roads in the dark. 

I put on my ipod and got into a good solid groove at an 8:20ish pace. I didn't want to push any harder and I kept it up the whole run. It was pretty funny because I had a younger girl and a guy about my age both trying to pass or run with me. I could tell they didn't want to get passed by me. The dude ran for about 15 minutes and he was out of gas. He did pass me once, but I ended up passing and then lapping him a few times. Just before he quit he had to run really fast to pass me and then right after he did he quit. haha. The girl however stayed with me for about 20 minutes until she quit, but I could tell she didn't want me to pass. I didn't push my pace at all, I just kind of laughed. It was fun. I was pretty wrecked when I finished, so I went home and crashed.