Snow Love

When I took Clarissa to school this morning it was pretty cold.  I was a little nervous about the run I had scheduled for less than two hours later. 

Luckily it was a sweltering 15º when we headed out and 20º by the end of our run.  Since both Katherine and I had other things going on in the north end of the valley this morning, we decided to hit up the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in a different spot.  We got on at the Emigration Canyon Trailhead and soon discovered that it was going to be a tough run.  The first half mile or so was a pretty tough uphill.  Luckily there were lots of rolling hills after that and the sun was shining.  It was a fun new trail and we had a wonderful adventure.

This section of the trail was up above the University hospital and was not the best scenery.  We skipped running on this section again. 

Ahhh... Now that's more like it!

So when Katherine says she wants to go up this hill to see what's on the other side I totally assume she's joking.  Wrong.

Up the hill we go!

We made it!  Unfortunately there were only more similar hills after this one, so we turned around and headed in a different direction.  Too bad we didn't have a sled!

Can you see me?

We were sure glad we turned around, because we found an awesome stretch of trail that was hidden, winding and beautiful with a spectacular view. 

On top of the world!

Deer tracks!

I also got the chance to try out my new Kahtoola microspikes.  Let me tell you they were worth every cent!  I never once slipped, ran like a beast downhill, crossed frozen puddles without worry and couldn't even tell they were on my feet!  Love at first run!  Even though running in the mountains in the snow is hard, it's so worth it.  I felt like a million bucks afterward and have had a fantastic day!  The cold wasn't even an issue and it turned out I was overdressed.  Fantastic!

7 miles 

1 hr 45 min

15 min pace (not shocking with all those photo op stops and uphills!)