Summit junkie!

Weights at the gym for an hour. I worked my upper body and core.

Draper BST with Jun.

Jun and I ran the 10K course for the Half Pregnant Half marathon, which is a free race that Jun is putting on Sat Nov 12th. It was a touch cool, but great running weather. The trail was in near perfect condition and we had a really fun run just chatting the whole way. The views were impressive with the fall leaves covering portions of the trail. At the turnaround we stopped to take in the views and a dog that wasn't on a leash jumped up on me and humped my water bottle for a second. I didn't enjoy it. The run back was nice and easy as well.  It seemed like we were only running for a few minutes, but our total time was 1:02.

Grandeur Peak loop with MattVS and Dragonvulture.

I was up at 4:00 am to meet the guys at the West ridge trailhead. It was cold and slightly breezy, but not too bad. The first half mile the wind was a bother, but after that we didn't notice it until the summit. We definitely didn't push it today. It was a very casual pace and we just chatted the whole way up. We saw a headlamp about .5 behind us and we thought it was Jun.

There were patches of snow and ice on the way up, but nothing serious and then the last 1/4 of a mile was completely snow covered. We hit the summit in 1:13 and decided to wait for Jun. I gagged down a gel and after 10+ minutes we were all getting really cold, so we decided to continue on. Matt went back down because of time commitments and DV and I descended into Church Fork. The trail was icy and it is steep here, so we had to really take care. DV fell once, but nothing serious. I tripped on a jagged stick and almost went down and it gave me a nasty scrape on the back of my leg.

It was slower than normal going down due to the conditions and then we missed the Pipeline turnoff in the dark and ended up going all the way to the Church Fork parking lot. It was only a few minute delay and we got back up on the Pipeline and picked up our pace. We ran the Pipeline to Rattlesnake Gulch and then went down to the canyon road.

On the canyon road we were running a 6:40ish pace down, but DV needed to get home, so he picked it up even more and left me in the dust. I dialed it down to a nice 7:40-8:20 pace back to the cars. I really enjoyed this climb/run even though most of it was in the dark and the cold wasn't too bad as long as we were moving. I had a great time and it was well worth missing a few hours of sleep.

35 minutes at the gym lifting (upper body/core) before I tweaked my back and had to stop. I had major back surgery in 2001 and used to get muscle spasms all the time. I haven't had one in a few years, but it is definitely what I have. I spent the rest of the weekend in pain. Hopefully I won't be out too long.

My back is still very tight, but I hate not working out, so I went to the gym to see what I could do. I walked a few laps around the track and walking doesn't seem to bother it much. Then I hiked the stairs for 30 minutes and did 124 flights of stairs and I was dripping with sweat when I finished. It was a fantastic workout and didn't bother my back at all.

My back is still pretty stiff. I wanted to test it out on a nice easy run, so I did 4 on the TM. The first two were pretty slow. It seemed to loosen up a little, so I picked up the pace, but not very fast.

Mt Wire with Jun. Peak #65 for the year.

Last year I set a goal to climb 52 peaks (a peak a week for the year). I came in at 57. This year I wanted to up the ante a bit so I set the goal for 65. I knew I could reach my goal, but I am a little surprised I finished so soon, especially considering I didn't climb anything in June because of my achilles issues. I have had a lot of great times with incredible friends. I've seen some amazing sunrises and a lot of wildlife along the way. Nothing starts my day better than watching the sun come up on top of a peak. Now I just need to come up with another goal for next year. I have a few ideas.

As for the climb. Well, it was probably the slowest one of the year for me. We took it really easy because my back is still pretty tight. It actually felt ok the last half up to the summit, but it started to get really tight on the way down, so we ran (more like a slow shuffle) very easy all the way down.

We did see a herd of elk just below the summit and it was cool watching them just after the sun came up.  We took the shortcut on the way up and down which I haven't done in a while, so that cut off about a half mile. My back is still stiff and sore, so I won't be doing anything tough for at least a few more days.

I wish I could have run the HPHM but my back is still tight and it wouldn't have been good. I did take my fam to the bbq though. We had a great time with some really good friends. Thanks to Dorsimus and Jun for putting it on.

I did attempt a TM run, but only went two miles. They were slow.

I stretched my back for about 20 minutes and then walked on the TM for a half mile and it seemed to loosen it up, so I decided to see how far I could run. The first mile was slow, but I just increased the speed every mile. By mile 4 I was feeling really good and had no pain at all in my back. I could have run more, but I didn't want to tweak anything, so I stopped at 4 miles. My back was a little tight after, but seems to be getting better. I should be running without pain again soon.

My back is still tight, but it is definitely improving, so I decided to go to the gym and see what I could do. I lifted for about 40 minutes (arms, chest, shoulders). I was very careful to isolate each muscle and I used a lot less weight than I normally would. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be using my back muscles for anything. It worked. I was able to work pretty much everything I normally do except for my core. Then I ran the stairs for 20 minutes and I was dripping when I finished. That is a really good workout.

My back is still tight, but getting better. I did 4 easy miles on the TM after everyone was in bed.

I had a nice early morning hike/run up Mt. Wire with Jun. It was cold, but once we were moving it felt pretty good. We didn't go fast and just chatted the whole way up. Up in 49:00. It was cold on top so we didn't stay long. We ran at a very casual pace all the way down talking the whole time.

A few pics:

Sunrise from the peak

Jun on the summit with SLC below

45 minutes of weights at the gym (upper body). My back is still tight, but I was able to get in a really good workout. I just used lighter weights and avoided my core.

My back is finally feeling better. It isn't 100%, but feels good. I got some new Altra Lone Peaks, so I wanted to test them out. I did 5 on the TM and I really like them so far. I did the first mile at 8:45 and then pushed it up each mile to 7:00 pace for the last 1.5.  

4.5 on the TM. I wasn't able to get out this weekend, so I settled for a few runs on the TM. Not optimal, but necessary.

PM update** Weights at the gym for 45 min (chest, arms, delts, lats).

I wanted to get out for a trail run and I was near the BST by the zoo (also the Wire trailhead) so I decided to make a run up Wire in my Lone Peaks. The trail was wet, but not that muddy. About a mile up I noticed that my achilles tendons were getting tight and I could feel some tightness in my calf muscles as well, so I decided to turn around and just run on the BST. I ran to Red Butte Canyon where I stopped to take off one of my shirts. There was a misty rain, but it never got bad, but I was hotter than I expected.

On my way to Red Butte I passed a guy dressed in all black, wearing a black hat, sunglasses and a long black coat. He looked out of place and on the way back he was just sitting off the trail on some rocks staring at me. It kind of made the hair on my neck stand up. I looked back a few times, but he was just sitting there. On my way back I took a trail I had never been on before. Instead of turning down on the BST back to the car I stayed on the trail and went up the gully on the south side of Wire. The trail got pretty steep, so I turned around and ran back to the car. A few minutes after I got back it started to hail.

So far I really like the Lone Peaks. They are very comfortable and seem really incredible on the trails. I'll probably ease into them a bit until my tendons get used to the zero drop.

Bosho City Creek to Ave Twin Peaks with Jun and Dorsimus:

The weather could not have been better for a run up City Creek Canyon to the BST and up to the Ave Twin Peaks that overlook Salt Lake City. Jun was a machine today running all of the hills including the steep ones. I tried to keep Dors in my sights and although I was able to keep him close I never could catch up. We couldn't hang with Jun though. 

The views were incredible and we enjoyed being in shorts. When Dors and I were making our way to the first summit we saw Jun hiking for the first time on the very steepest section and then he reached the second peak before we made it to the first one. On peak #2 I downed some Gu chomps and then took off back down, as I had a work commitment I needed to get to. It didn't take Jun long to catch me and then we ran together for a few minutes until he powered up a steep hill leaving me in the dust.

It was a great day and I'm glad I was able to get out.

Lake Mountain run with Dragonvulture, Crockett, Seth Wold and MattVS:

We had a really fun morning on Lake Mountain. It was cold at the start (6:00 am) but we warmed up fast. We had a really good time just chatting away for the first mile and then DV and VS pushed the pace a bit and opened up a lead. After a while DV ran back down to us and then stayed with us the rest of the way up.

The road is snow covered for the last two miles, but there was a nice track all the way to the saddle. From there we had to slog up a few inches up to the summit. VS tagged the summit first with the rest of us a few minutes behind.  We got up there just in time to see one of the best sunrises of the year so far. DV and Crockett went down via the ridge trail and Seth and I went to find Matt and we saw him climbing the peak to the west (the high point). VS is a peak bagger at heart. I love it.

The run down was a lot of fun. I didn't want to go too fast because my hammies were a bit tight, so I took it easy until Seth and VS caught up and then we all ran together. We caught Crockett and DV just before the car and we all ran back together. It was the perfect way to start my morning.

Crazy busy day. I didn't get home until late, so I only had time for the TM. I started at an 8:45 pace and finished the last mile in 6:45. Sweat-fest!

Weights at the gym for an hour (Upper body/core). My wife has been coming to the gym to lift with me for the last few months and she has made a lot of progress.

Sweat-fest on the TM. I did speed work and was dripping when I finished. I need to get on some trails.

Draper BST with Jun:

I needed some trails today and the Draper BST was in great shape and the weather was almost perfect. I wore my Altra Lone Peaks and this would be my longest run in them. Jun let me lead and we just ran a nice casual pace and chatted the whole way. We ran to the corner canyon road (3 miles) and then a mile up the road where we stopped and I took a gel. My energy was really low today.

We cruised down the hill (7:39 pace for mile 5) and then had a very comfortable pace all the way back to the car talking most of the way. The Lone Peaks were great. I really loved them on the downhills and they seem pretty solid, although I can tell I am not used to the zero drop yet. I'll continue to ease into them over the next several weeks.

AP 9:33. 1050 ft. of vert.

Ann's trail to View Benchmark peak with Jun:

I think I found my new favorite trail. Jun and I met early before work to run Ann's trail in Draper to the summit of View Benchmark. It is just under 4 miles one way with a gradual climb on a nice single track trail and the whole thing is runnable. It was cold enough at the start to freeze a snot rocket in 1.5 seconds, but the higher we climbed the warmer it was. The trail switches back through a really cool canyon and then heads east switching back the steep hill that puts you on top at Deer Ridge Drive right by the standard trailhead for View Benchmark. There was some ice to deal with near the top and that slowed us down a bit.

We ran most of the way to the peak (I hiked some of the steeper sections) and reached the summit just as the sun was starting to rise behind Timp. What a view! This whole run has really solid views and the trail is in great shape. We lingered on top for at least 10 minutes taking in the views. We could see Ben Lomond Peak to the north of Ogden and Mt. Nebo near Nephi to the south and every peak in between. Awesome!

The run down was really fun except the part where I took a wrong turn and ended up a bit lost and confused. Jun got me back on track and it was a nice cruise back to the cars. This was one of the best runs of the year. I'll definitely be back to do it again.

Mt Wire with MattVH:

Matt and I had an excellent hike/run up Mt. Wire before work this morning. The weather was nice (a little cold but not bad), we had some great conversation, laughs and once again another amazing sunrise. Matt even got busted peeing just off the trail by our good friend Judy. Yeah, I think she saw it all. The frivolity completely crumbled however upon returning to the cars to find that some douchebags had broken into our cars. They stole a bag in my backseat that contained some clothes and left the laptop that was slightly concealed a few feet away. Sometimes people suck.