Summit junkie!

Ave Twins with MattVH:

Met MVH at the Capitol building at 5:30 for a run up City Creek Canyon to the Ave Twin Peaks. This is one of my go to training runs during the winter when there is a lot of snow on the higher peaks. The trail is 100% runnable, although Matt and I were pretty slow today. We both weren't feeling great, so there wasn't much speed, but we bad a blast laughing and talking all the way up. When we neared the ridge that leads to the summit we saw a green light ahead on the trail. Davy Crockett? He doesn't run up here. We did push it hard to catch up to them and it was a couple of deer hunters that didn't look very happy to see us.

We hit both peaks and it was windy and cold up there. I took a quick gel and we bailed fast. The run down was slow, but fun. Great views, good laughs and some sweet miles on single track trail.

Weights at the gym for an hour. After I hit the track for 4 miles easy peasy.

Ave Twins with TaraS, MattVH and ZacM:

I met Tara early at the Capitol building for a run up City Creek Canyon to the Avenues Twin Peaks. MattVH and Zac started about 15 minutes behind us and I knew that they would catch up. We had a really fun time chatting away and the miles clicked by as we ascended the trail up to the Twins. It was a lot warmer than the forecast and there was very little wind, but we did have to deal with some snow and ice along the way, but nothing major.

We hit the first Twin and it was fun to see Tara's reaction to the awesome 360 degree view. She loved it. We cruised over to the second peak and I took a gel and we checked out that sweet view for a few more minutes and then went back over to the first Twin. We were surprised that we hadn't seen the other guys and then on our way down the peak we saw Matt coming up without a headlamp and shortly after we ran into Zac. They both wanted to hit the peaks, so we went bak down knowing they would eventually catch up.

The run down was just as much fun as the way up. We took it rather easy and just enjoyed the trail and the chat and then just before the trailhead the guys showed up and we ran the last mile back to the cars at the Cap. We had a blast and I think Tara had a blast hitting her first summit and hopefully she will join the group again for more peaks.

Meridian Peak with ZacM and MattVH:

I met the boys at the Capitol at 5:30 am. It was warmer than I thought it would be, but like a dummy I kept my jacket on and I roasted for the first half of the run. It was even warm up on the ridge. On Wed we went east and hit the Twins, but today we went west up to the towers and then went down into the N. Salt lake side and then picked up a trail to Meridian Peak. I had never been there before and it was a fun little climb with incredible views. We saw a pack of coyotes on our way up and that was pretty cool and then watched a pretty great sunrise on top.

From Meridian we went back over to the main ridge (with the towers) and then took a steep side trail down into City Creek where we picked up the nice single track back to the trailhead. It was a really fun morning.

Ave Twins with MattW:

Today was an absolutely incredible day for a run and I'm glad I got out with Matt for a run up to the Twins. I have hit this one a lot lately, but it is close to work for both of us and it is a great training run, so I am always in for this one. The pace up wasn't fast, but steady. We just had a good chat all the way up and run some of the steeper hills. There was a lot of people and dogs out on the trail today, probably more than I have ever seen. We hit both peaks and enjoyed the view. There is a thick layer of haze covering the valley from this recent high pressure system and it will only get worse until the next storm.

The run down was much faster and a lot if un until I bonked hard with about a mile left. It had been almost 7 hours since my last meal and my body could feel it. It was a tough mile, but I got it done.

PM: I'll be hitting the gym with the meatheads to lift.

Boot camp at the gym. Running and weight circuits. Core.

Ave Twins with MattVH:

Todays run was a lot of fun. We weren't feeling it, so the pace was slow, but we did have a lot of laughs all the way up and back down.

Late night Grandeur Peak (Church Fork) climb with Je10, CraigL, MattW and ZacM:

It started with a text about what everyone had planned for Saturday morning and since the weather looked iffy I suggested a late night run Friday night. Surprisingly we had 5 willing and able, so we hit the trail about 10:00 pm. It was 29 degrees according to my car and it felt chilly, but once we got going I never felt cold again.

This was a really fun group and I had a blast all the way up and down. With the recent dusting of snow the canyon looked incredible. We hit the top in an hour-ish and it was a bit windy and colder up there, so those in shorts didn't want to stay up there very long. It was a bit slick on the way back, but somehow I stayed on my feet with a headlamp that was about to die.

Great friends and a really fun night. We need to do that more often.

View Benchmark peak with Je10 and Jacob:

Met the crew at 5:50 this morning for a run up VB via Vintage View Dr. The trail had a fair amount of snow, but was tracked out and in pretty good shape all the way up. The temps were really good and I got a little hot with my two long sleeve shirts on. We had a good chat all the way up and down. Enjoyed a killer sunrise over Timp and had a nice cruise back to the cars. Great way to start the day/week.

View Benchmark Peak via Coyote Hollow with CragL:

I had another run up to VB this morning, but today we went up from Coyote Hollow in Draper, which adds miles and some vert. The trailhead is right next to the Draper LDS Temple. We started abpout 5:50 am and it was warm, but I knew it would be windy and cold once we got up to the VB trail. We had a really good run. We pushed a decent running pace all the way up and I was feeling a bit bonky toward the top, but once we hit the summit and took a quick break I felt much better. It was a lot different up there today. It is cloudy, windy and pretty clear that a storm system is moving into the valley.

We had a really nice run down. Craig lead out and pushed a good pace all the way back to the cars. Another fun morning out on the trails and another summit bagged.

Grandeur Peak (Church Fork) with CragL and MattW:

What an awesome morning to be outside. The rain in the valley was snow up in the mountains and it fell lightly on us the entire climb/run. At the start the fog was really thick and we could barely see 10 feet in front of us, but as we ascended higher it thinned out, but never fully lifted. We didn't push it hard, but hit the summit in about the same time as we did last Friday. It was much warmer up there today.

The run down was awesome. The trail and trees were covered in snow and it was a blast cruising down to Church Fork.

Lake Mountain with Jacob:

This is one of my favorite winter runs. It is usually tracked out most of the winter, so you can get up there without breaking trail and it is always a great workout. It was cold when we started, but when we hit the canyon I was pretty warm the rest of the way up. We were a little slower than normal, but I really enjoyed the morning. 2700 feet of vertical smile and a great way to start the week.

Weights at the gym for 50 minutes working my upper body/core.

Dude Peak with CraigL and MattW:

DUDE!!! That run rocked. Craig and I tried to do this run a year ago, but we ran out of time. We started at the City Creek trailhead and went west (left) up to the towers. From there you run east on the ridge for about 4 miles up to Dude. The weather was unreal. It was sunny and in the fifties and we got above the gunky air. We had an absolute blast. The ridge rolls up and down and it is pretty rocky, but the views in every direction are sweet and I enjoyed it a lot, but it seemed like we were never getting any closer to Dude.

Dude is a pretty remote peak and rarely sees anyone and it was really cool to finally get up there. The views were 360 degrees of awesome! The run back was also fun, but we did take one wrong turn that cost us about a half mile and we had to climb an extra rocky hill because of that, but no worries.

That run was a blast and I'll definitely be putting Dude in my running rotation.

Check out some pics here:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/craig.lloyd.33/posts/10202291068133634?notif_t=tagged_with_story

4 at the gym while the kiddos played soccer and racquetball.

View Benchmark solo:

This run was just what I needed to burn off some turkey goo and get some mental therapy in the process. I ran up VB solo from Ann's on Vintage View. I didn't see another soul on the trail. It was just me and my 80s tunes. Awesome.

Ave Twins with CraigL and MattW:

Met the fellas for an early morning cruise up to the Ave Twins. It was cool at the start, but warmed up and I felt great in shorts and one long sleeve shirt. We were pretty slow going up, but made up for it with some good conversation and a lot of laughs. We tagged the peaks and then had a pretty fast run back down. Matt led the way and really picked up the pace. The last mile we were blasting down the trail. Sweet run and a great way to cap off a fun week with 4 peaks and some sweet vertical smile.

I have been taking it pretty easy the last few months since Wasatch to rest up my legs, but it is time to get back into it. I'll be putting in for Wasatch 100 again and the Buffalo Run 100 in March.