Summit junkie!

7 on the TM:

I wanted to get outside and run today, but I hate the wind and it was blowing hard all morning, so I hit the TM for 7 miles while catching up on my DVR.

Weights at the gym for 70 minutes.

I have been going to the AF fitness center for 7 years and last night was the most crowded it has ever been. The New Year resolution folks seem to be hanging on like barnacles this year, bless their hearts. I actually like to see people stick with their fitness goals, so good for them, I think it is awesome. What wasn't awesome though was the hot, stinky, crowded gym. Luckily I bogarted a bench and set up camp there for about 30 minutes. I had an excellent workout.

Arms n back (of course)

lats

delts

chest

core

4 at the gym.

Millcreek Canyon (Big Water/Pipeline) with Jun, Jsh, Je10 and Leslie:

We had a really COLD, but fun run in Millcreek Canyon this morning. I got up at 3:00 am, slammed some calories and hit the road to meet the crew in the canyon at the gate where the plowing stops for winter. It was very cold at the start and almost painful to just stand around, so I was happy when we started running. We ran on some packed snow for the first few miles as we made our way up the canyon, but the higher we went the less tracked out it was and the running was tough. It also got colder as we ascended and there were a few sections that you could feel the temp drop significantly.

I kept my water bottles from freezing for a few miles, but eventually they froze along with everyone else's hydration hoses. When we got up to Upper Big Water it was so cold that my head started pounding and my body started to ache. I haven't felt that cold all winter. It was definitely below zero, but I'm not sure what it was. We have run in below zero temps a lot this winter, but it never felt like that. We got to the top and turned right around and ran back down. On the run down my left hammy started to get tight and it bothered me the rest of the run.

At Elbow Fork we stopped to get some fuel and I nearly puked up the frozen gel I had because I didn't have any water to wash it down and Je10 was nice enough to give me some of her food. I can't even remember what it was, but it was good. Back at the cars I gulped down about 15 ounces of water and took another frozen gel and then we ran down and jumped onto the Pipeline trail. It wasn't in great shape, but we have been on worse this year. My hammy really started to bother me and it slowed me down a lot.

At Rattlesnake Gulch we took a quick peek to find the Millcreek Flasher, but didn't have any luck. We did see some elk though. The run back was hard. My energy was low and I didn't want to try to gag down a gel, so it was a bit of a slog, but fun. It was a really fun morning and I just barely warmed up in my office after blasting my heater for the last 3 hours.

Here is a pic taken at the finish. Notice the ice beard on Jsh:

Ave Twins with MattVH:

Matt and I met at the Capitol at 5:30 am to run the Ave Twins. I was expecting some icy conditions on the trail, so I brought my spikes and wore them the entire run, but it wasn't that bad. It was slick in some spots and muddy in others, but overall the trail was in decent shape. Both of us were a bit sluggish today and it took a while to get into any kind of groove. Actually I never felt all that great this morning and the entire run felt like a slog, but we grinded it out. Matt told me I look better in my other tights, so I made a mental note of that and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it either. Even though it was a slog-fest I'm happy I got out.

Lake Mountain (the scenic tour) with Jun, Je10, JimmySG and Neasts:

What a brilliant morning on Lake mountain with some of the old crew and a couple of new faces, JimmySG and Neasts. We met at the start of the dirt road at 5:30 am and had an excellent run to the summit of Lake mountain, laughing and chatting away. The snowcat tracks were excellent and conditions were near perfect all the way to the top. On the summit we stopped to snap some pics, witness an incredible sunrise, gag down a few gels, except for Je10 who was eating jalapeno pizza. Awesome. 

After hitting the summit we decided to check out some of the other high points on the summit massif and had fun making our way over to the collection of towers and the stellar views that kept coming our way. On the way down Jun and Je10 opened it up and took off down the steep road and the rest of us hung back and had a good chat all the way down. We ran out of the canyon and then decided to pick up a few more miles on the trail heading south along the mountain. It was icy in places, but never too bad and there were more hills to climb.

We ended up with 15 miles, had a ton of laughs and made some new friends that will hopefully join us on more adventures. It was the perfect way to start my Saturday.