Summit junkie!

Lifted (upper body) at the gym for 60 minutes. I was going to try and get in a run, but I was feeling so good and I just lifted until the gym closed. I think I will finally be getting out on a peak on Friday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. I'm expecting a 12 hour day and I can't wait.

I had a very busy day today, and barely had time to fit in 4 on the TM. I need more excitement in my life right now.

Did a 35 minute ab/core workout while watching TV. Climbing Mount Olympus in the morning and I want my legs to be fresh, so I didn't run.

I climbed Mt. Olympus this morning before work. Our Lone peak trip for tomorrow has been cancelled (again) because of weather, so we decided to do Olympus today instead. I think this is the 5th time this year we have had to cancel, so I am not confident that I will be able to get a winter ascent this year.

We made really good time up to about 7500 feet, and from there we were in snow the rest of the way, which did slow us down. There was quite a bit of ice on the trail where it had been packed in by other hikers, and there were several sections that we really had to take care. The final push after the saddle was fun, and there were a few dicey sections with ice covered boulders to climb over. Nothing extremely serious, but I fall wouldn't be good at all.

It felt good watching all of the slugs monotonously commuting to work on 2-15 and I was grateful I wasn't one of them. There is no better way to start a day then on a peak.  

About 5 minutes from the top it started to snow on us, and we arrived on the summit with plenty of snow falling. We didn't stay long on top

The descent was a little eventful, as the trail was very technical with ice in a lot of steep sections. It was very hard to balance and I kept picking up too much speed. I had two falls, and the last one was pretty bad. I scraped up my arm, shoulder, bicep, and my pinky knuckle looks like meatloaf. Maybe I'll post up some pics later of my battle scars.

It was an incredible way to start my day, and we got in over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. It took us about 4 hours to complete the hike.

I woke up this morning to 4+ inches of snow on my driveway, and I was glad we had cancelled the Lone Peak climb. I hit the gym early before work to lift, and I had a very good workout. Did upper body, and my right arm is a bit sore from my fall yesterday. I have a nice bruise on my forearm and a road rash from my shoulder all the way down. I was a little worried about lifting, but didn't have any major pain.

Have a great weekend everyone.

I met Jun at the Capitol building at 6:00 am this morning and after about 5 minutes Twinkies showed up. He was running 33 miles today, while Jun and I were planning on 15. The first mile was up the road to the trailhead up City Creek Canyon. The wind was cold, and my legs were feeling a little sore from the Olympus hike.

The trail was very tough. It was mostly snow with hard slush. It wasn't easy to run at all , but it was fun. It seemed like it was steep forever, and I kept asking Jun when it was going to get flat. Twinkies and Jun were faster than me, and they waited a few times for me to catch up. Both of them looked strong.

We were planning on running all the way to Red Butte and possibly going to the summit, but I ran out of time. At 8:00 I knew I had to turn around because of the time. I was at the base of Mt. Van Cott when I decided to go back. I ran into an older gentleman that I politely asked to tell Jun and Twinkies what I had done, but I guess he forgot or missed them. A little after the Twin Peaks Jun came flying up from behind and we ran together for a few minutes before he turned on the jets.

I had to stop to take a few gels because my energy was gone, and after I was finished Twinkies met up with me. We ran together the rest of the way, and I couldn't believe how fast he was going. He was on mile 22 of his run and I could barely keep up. On the steep sections I almost fell a few times, and I was really trying hard not to because of my sore arm.

Got back to the cars about 9:15 where we had some food and cold drinks, and then said goodbye to Twinkies, who was going to run another 8 miles home. That run was very challenging, and I am really impressed with how he was moving.

It was a perfect day.

After the kids were in bed I hit the gym to lift (upper body/core). I lifted for 45 minutes and then had some time so I ran two on the TM at 8:30 pace. This will be my Monday routine for the rest of the year, although I may add a few more miles if I have time.

I had a very busy night. My wife was doing homework, and my kids were wild and crazy, so I had to settle for the TM after I finally got them to bed. 9:05 pace. Nothing exciting.

Something that is kind of interesting to report. If any of you saw this story on KSL about the cougars, this is very close to where Jun Twinkies and I have been hiking/running the last few weeks and we will probably be there again on Saturday. No worries though, there were plenty of deer for them to munch on.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=9952438

Watch the video

4 on the TM after I got the kids to bed.

I got up early this morning and did 3 miles before work. I had a very busy day, and after the kids went to bed I headed over to the gym to lift for an hour (upper body/core). This has not been a good week so far for miles and I need to make up for that in the next few days.

Lunch break with Jun for a fun run. We met at the Little Cottonwood Canyon park-n-ride and after a brief look at the Pipeline trail we decided to run up to the lower Bell Canyon reservoir. We ran down LCC road to the trailhead, and then all the way to the lake without stopping to hike. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect. The trail was a little muddy, but not too bad. We decided to run around the lake, and then we went all the way back down and to the cars. It was a great time.

Jun wanted to do some climbing so I decided to stay and cool off before heading back to work. I climbed a few bouldering problems and then I had to get back to work, while Jun stayed to do more climbing. The weather was perfect and it was a fun break during the middle of the work day.

Total time for the run: 44:17

What a fantastic day! I met Jun and Twinkies at the trailhead for Mt. Wire (Big Beacon) at 6:00 am this morning. It wasn't very cold, but we did have to deal with some wind for the first hour. Twinkies and Jun were total mountain goats today, and I spent the whole time trying to catch them. Mt. Wire is pretty steep, so we ran/hiked our way up, and enjoyed the best sunrise of the year so far about 3/4 of the way up. The sun was coming up over the Wasatch Mountains, and it was very impressive. I stopped for a minute to check out the sun, look at the SL Valley and once again I was reminded why I do this. You just can't beat those views.

We were all talking about cougars, and Jun kept calling "Here kitty kitty". On one of the saddles I noticed a few cougar tracks in the snow, and it kind of made me think for a few minutes about my situation. I was in last place and I seem to recall that cougars will usually go after the lame or slower animals, and since it was breakfast time, I had to keep looking back to make sure I wasn't being followed. I made it to the summit of Wire in about 53 minutes, give or take a minute. We were going pretty fast, especially Jun and Twinkies. After our obligatory summit jumps we headed over to the summit of Red Butte. I was trying to find a good song on the ipod, and I stopped for only a minute and I was waaaay behind.

I had a minor wardrobe malfunction coming down from Red Butte, and the boys were kind enough to wait for me. Once we got down to a saddle, Twinkies lead us down a pretty technical trail and I could not keep up with them. Wow, they were flying.

We headed over to do the Red Butte loop and there were more hills to climb. I was pretty tired by now, and I wasn't enjoying the hills at all. I mean I usually like hills, but these guys like to run fast up them. Feel the BURN! I finally stopped trying to keep up with Jun and Twinkies the last 1.5 miles. My legs were tired and they were still bounding along like they just started.

Finished in about 2:35 (Estimate). It was an amazing morning, and I can't wait to do it again. Thanks for pushing me this morning guys. I loved every minute of it.

Total elevation gain: 3,575. For pictures check out Jun's blog here:

http://jun.fastrunningblog.com/

Another busy day. After the kids were in bed I went to the gym to lift. Did upper body (biceps, triceps, chest, lats, shoulders) for 50 minutes and everything felt really good. Then I did 30 minutes of core while watching TV at home.

Planning on doing a long run with Jun on Thursday, so I don't think I am going to do much running before, although I will do a few miles to stretch my legs.

I had a very busy day today. My wife had a project due for school, so it was pretty hectic getting everything cleaned up and kids to bed. I did manage to fit in some TM miles to stretch my legs. Everything feels really good right now, so hopefully I can get in an ultra distance with Jun on Thursday. I am really excited for our run.

What a day! I went for a long run with Crockett and Jun out in the Cedar Valley this morning. I didn't sleep well at all last night, but when I woke up I was excited about the run and I was wide awake even though it was 2:15 AM.

I met Crockett and Jun at 3:00 and we headed out to the Cedar Valley west of Eagle Mountain. We planned on doing 4 loops with a total of 40 miles. My goal was to at least get a marathon, but I really wanted to get an ultra distance if my legs would allow it.

It was pretty cold out and I bundled up, and we were quickly off and running on the first loop. The time seemed to fly by and before I knew it we were in Eagle Mountain. I was only slightly paying attention to our exact route because I was enjoying the good conversation, and that would come back to haunt me later in the morning. Eventually, we ended up back on the dirt road where the cars were and a few minutes later we were there and Jun and I took a two minute break, while Crockett went ahead.

The next loop was pretty long, almost 10 miles. We ran out to Camp Floyd south of Cedar Fort. It was a lot of fun talking and the time really seemed to go quickly. I was feeling really good the whole way, but I did notice that my legs were getting a little tired. Cardio wise I felt really strong.

When we reached camp Floyd we took a quick break and used the bathroom that had to be the warmest public bathroom I have ever been in. It felt good to warm up for a minute.

On the way back to the cars my legs got progressively more tired and I slowly dropped behind Crockett, although I could see his light almost all the way back. Eventually, I came to where the road forks and I turned left and I could no longer see Crockett's light. After I passed the road that we took on the first loop I started to second guess myself because I couldn't see any headlamps. I traveled the right way for a few minutes, but still couldn't see the other guys lights, and then I started to wonder if I really was close to the cars or if I still had a mile or more to go. I went back and forth on whether I should stay on the road (going the right way) or go back to the road. I realized that I hadn't wasn't sure and now I was wishing that I had the map Jun had made for me, but I had neglected to get from him. I was confused and it was dark, and I couldn't see anything except for the lights of Eagle Mountain, and Cedar Fort. I just didn't know which way was right and I was confused, so I second guessed myself and went back to the road I had passed. I started to go down that road for a while and then I thought maybe I just wasn't as close to the cars as I had thought.

When the road started heading south again I knew exactly where I was, but this is where I made the worst decision of the day. I decided to just do the first loop over again instead of going back. I thought to myself that I could remember where we had gone, but when I made it into Eagle mountain I just couldn't remember exactly which road we had taken. I second guessed myself several times, and spent the next hour going up and down multiple roads searching in vain for anything that looked familiar.

This was the worst part of the day for me. It was VERY cold and my water hose was completely frozen. I was really needing some energy and the cold just sapped any reserves that I had. It got light and after searching and moving where I thought the road was, I finally ran into a guy that was outside and asked if he knew where the Pony Express road was. I explained where we had come in, and he knew exactly where I needed to go. I was less than a quarter of a mile from the road, and I was heading in the right direction. It was a great feeling and really lifted my spirits.

When I got back to the car I was sooooo COLD and shivering. I got in my car and turned the heater on high. After a few minutes Crockett showed up and said he had been looking all over for me for the last 40 minutes and I felt really bad that I had caused him to take more time out of his day. Thanks Crockett! It took me at least 30 minutes to warm up and that is when Jun showed up. We ate some snacks and laughed about me getting lost. I can't believe I did that.

I told Jun that my right ITB was a little sore and sitting there in the car for 50 minutes really made my joints and knees stiff. We decided to do the long loop out to Cedar Fort, and the first half mile was very painful for me because I was so stiff. Once I warmed up I got into a little groove, although it was slow and I tried my best to stay with Jun who was about a quarter of a mile ahead.

After about 2.5 miles I could see Jun stop to stretch his ITB and after a few minutes he started coming back to me, so I thought maybe it was really bothering him. I was right. We both decided that it would be best to turn around and not make things worse. Both of us were experiencing some pretty good ITB pain. We ran for a while, but eventually walked a good portion of the way back to the car. It was fun even though we were both sore. We decided that the Redneck beer of choice is Bud Light, with Natural light a close second followed by Busch. There were so many cans out there. What kind of slob just throws their trash on the ground? I don't understand.

We figured that I was at 24 miles and Jun was at 31, I really wanted to get a marathon distance in, so I told Jun I was heading straight for the treadmill, and I did. I did 3 of the most painful treadmill miles of my life. I went slow, but I felt good afterward for at least reaching that goal. I think I probably went at least another mile roaming around Eagle Mountain, but I am not sure exactly how far I went.

It was a really fun day, and I learned some good lessons and actually had a great time despite getting lost. Thanks again Jun and Crockett.

I went to the gym to lift this morning, and things were crazy over there because of the TRI going on. It was really fun to watch all of the racers (didn't see you Missy). I watched for a few minutes before and after my workout and it really made me want to do one someday. I guess I better learn how to swim more than a 50 yards without dying first.

I lifted for 45 minutes (upper body) and everything feels really good. My legs actually feel great and I only have mild soreness in them, although my right ITB is sore when I go down stairs, so I know I better not push anything for a few more days. I really want to get outside and do something, but I will hold off.

I really wanted to test my knee because I wasn't feeling any pain, so I did 30 minutes on the elliptical. My knee felt great the whole time, so I pushed it to the max setting to finish the last 10 minutes. Everything feels really good, so I will hopefully get out and do something fun this week.

I went to the gym after the kids were in bed and lifted for 40 minutes (upper body). I was feeling really good tonight and benched 10 pounds more than my previous high. It was a lot of fun. Then I did some easy miles on the TM and everything is feeling good.

Busy day and busy evening. I got out on the TM for 3.5 (9 min pace) mostly to stretch my legs.

I climbed South Mountain (Herriman) this morning with Jun. We started hiking just after 6:00 AM and it took us 46 minutes to the top. When we started we could see some eyes staring back at us on the slope, and with all of the cougar talk around here lately we had to wonder, but they ended up just being deer.  It was pretty steep and kind of bushwhacky, but not too bad. The summit was cold, and we could see the sun rising in the east while we enjoyed some incredible views from the Apex.

After a couple of silly summit jumps we headed back down a different route. The descent was much easier, as we followed a game trail most of the way, although I did get tagged through the shoe by a cactus. Who knew there were so many (yes there were) cactuses (or would you say cacti?? hmmm) in Herriman?

It was the perfect way to start my day. I'm a little behind on my peak a week challenge for the year, so I need to work on it in the next month. Anyone want to get out on some peaks?

For pics check out Jun's blog.

Met Jun on my lunch break at the Little Cottonwood park-n-ride. We did the same route that we did last time, down to the Bell Canyon trail and up and around the reservoir, and then back to the park-n-ride. Temps were very comfortable, but we did have a lot of wind. It was a  lot of fun though and a great break during the middle of the day.

Our time was around 45 minutes. This run has some great elevation gain and a few good hills running up to the reservoir. I did feel my ITB getting tight at the end, so I need to get off of the hills for a few days.

I woke up early this morning to lift at the gym. I was really tired and it took a while for me to wake myself up, but the last 20 minutes were really good, and a bonus I didn't see any naked old guys in the locker room.

I had a very busy day today. I got up early and headed to REI for their annual garage sale. I found some great deals on gear, and picked up some trekking poles, a new shirt and some Montrail trail runners. The trail runners aren't my favorite color (several shades of orange) but I couldn't pass up the deal.

I watched my kids all day while my wife did homework, and then after we put them to bed I did core exercises with my ball for 40 minutes. No miles today.

I woke up early this morning to climb West Mountain, which is the prominent peak south of Utah Lake, West of Payson. I took my one year old dog and this would be her first summit.

We started just after 6:00 and we went straight up the Southeast Ridge on a ATV trail. There was only one switchback up to the ridge and it was very steep! There is just about 2,000 feet of elevation gain on this hike, and most of it is trying to gain the ridge. We took a break to watch the sunrise and snap a few pictures.

Once on the ridge we ran into a herd of sheep and my dog was very interested, so I had to keep a tight leash on her. The final push was steep again, and we finally reached the top in 1:15. We had a quick snack, and then I spent the next 5 minutes trying to time a peak jump. I got a few good pictures and we headed down.

The descent was much quicker, we ran the whole ridge and it was a lot of fun, and we made it back to the car for a total time of two hours. This was a really fun hike and I made it home in time to have breakfast with the family. A great way to start my day.

I went to the gym and lifted (upper body/core) for an hour tonight. I mixed things up because I feel like I have goten into the same routine for the last few months, and I have noticed I haven't been as sore after my workouts. I added weight to all of my exercises and also changed about half of them up. Where I had been using machines I switched to free weights to do the exercises. It really helped and I was totally worked after an hour. I could definitely feel the difference.

My mom had an Easter egg hunt/BBQ tonight and it threw us off, so the kids were late getting into bed, and I only had time for 4 miles on the TM. I didn't feel like working out at all, but I am glad I did because I felt really good after I was done. 

This has been a rather boring week, so I thought I would add a link to spice things up. Last week Jun and I put together a photo album of some of our peak jumping pictures from the last few years. Some of them are cool, others are funny, and a few of them look crazy. Check it out if you have a few minutes:

Peak Jumping