the short, long run

This week my youngest child, Clarissa, started kindergarten.  That has been wonderful for my running and fitness routine!  I was able to get in three weekday runs, one in the mountains and a full yoga class at the gym!  Needless to say, I haven't woken before sunrise once this week.  When my alarm went off at 5:40am this morning, it took me a moment to figure out why my phone was making noise.  I ran straight from the house this morning, did a few miles, met with Meghan and did a few more miles before heading on my way.  There was a beautiful sunrise this morning and eleven miles flew right by.  I do love an early morning run.  Plus, I was home early enough to get in a yoga video before my kids were out of bed!

11 miles
2:08
11:41 average pace

Daily Mile

Today's run, if you can call it that, consisted of a lot of hiking.  I had a really hard time deciding where to run, so I decided to have a little adventure.  I headed to Hidden Valley park, and out the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the Trail of the Eagle.  I had been on a very brief jaunt up the Trail of the Eagle in July on a hike with my father in law, but hadn't been very far up it.  So I figured today was my day.  I didn't make it more than about three quarters of a mile up the Trail of the Eagle before I had to turn around.  It was too steep to run up and almost too steep to run down.  The downhill would have been much more runnable if there hadn't been so much loose gravel and rocks.  There were also quite a lot of places where the trail was washed out due to all the rain this Spring.  It was fun and beautiful, but slow going.  Good training for those climbs I'll be making on Antelope Island in October!

Antelope Island course and elevation profile.

View of Bear Canyon from Trail of the Eagle.



The smaller mountains in the distance is where Sapper Joe starts off.

You can just see Antelope Island in the distance.

Hello from 6,015'!  I climbed 837' in one mile.  Not shabby.

4.6 miles

1:21

17:36 average pace

Daily Mile

Today was fantastic!  I ran from the girl's school down to Crestwood Park again, did two laps and headed back home for a clean 10K.  I felt really great and it was a beautiful, cool, cloudy morning.  Love days like this!

On another note, I'm thinking more and more about a 50 mile race next year.  I really really want to run the Headlands 50 in California.  It just feels right.  I feel hesitant because it is during the school year, but hopefully we could make it work.  I guess I'll just keep dreaming about it at this point!

6.2
1:06
10:47

Official Sapper Joe Race Results

Official results are in!  I didn't do as poorly as I thought it did!  I finished 3rd (go ahead and laugh, but I had to say it!) out of three in my age division.  I was 10th out of 14 females and 25th out of 31 overall.  I am more than pleased!  My official time was 5:10:30.  Go Me!

Check out the awesome race medal and the killer bandanna I got in my swag bag!

Daily Mile

The start of today's run was really stiff, slow and sluggish for both Katherine and I.  But, by the time we made it to Crestwood Park trail we were feeling loosened up and enjoying ourselves.  My legs were hurting really bad yesterday and they feel really great now!

5.06
1:07
13:16

Training Week 8: Half Way!

Monday-
Tuesday- 6.25
Wednesday- Yoga
Thursday- 2 Yoga + Hike
Friday- Rest
Saturday- Sapper Joe 30K 20.28
Sunday- Pain and Suffering

Weekly Total 28.53
Previous Total 249.88
Training Grand Total 278.41

I'm half way through with my 50k training!  In eight more weeks I'll be testing my endurance once again, and running my second ultramarathon, the Antelope Island 50k.  I'm very excited and feeling really good about my training.  Now for a couple really mellow weeks before the Mid Mountain Marathon on September 7th!

Sapper Joe

Yesterday was Sapper Joe 30k. Originally, Katherine and I had signed up for this race together, but she ended up having to drop to the 15k.  I got up at 3:10am, did my whole pre-long run ritual before heading out to Camp Williams.  I wasn't too nervous, but I was still excited.  The starting area had two huge tanks, which were super cool!  It was a fairly small race, and the 30k and 50k runners all started at 5am.  I chatted with a few other runner, the race director gave us the pre-race briefing, reminding us not to pick up anything shiny, a cannon blasted and we were on our way!

The first four miles were straight uphill.  I was quickly at the back of the pack.  I ran (more like trudged) off and on with two fellows who had done this race before, one doing the 30k and the other the 50k.  After a long, slow climb with plenty rocky loose footing I was happy to see we were at the peak.  Then, I wasn't happy when I saw the decent we had to make!  It was just as steep and I could barely move down it at more than a shuffle.  I passed a gal in a purple Nathan pack, also doing the 30k, and we chatted about how long it was going to take us at this rate!  The last stretch to the first aid station as very runnable, so I took advantage of it and ran!

The aid station folks were very friendly and encouraging.  I grabbed a drink of water and a banana and headed back uphill!  The next four miles were rolling, although still uphill, I was able to mostly run them. I wasn't sure if I was enjoying myself or not, until the gal with the purple pack caught up to me and we talked about how beautiful the course was and I remembered that this was just a training run and I should enjoy the day! Then there was a small climb to aid station two and I was really happy to see these folks.  This was a hard course and I was already starting to feel beat up and I was only at mile 11!  I ate some melon and they filled my pack for me before they sent me straight up!  

Now this next climb was another steep, slow climb.  After about a mile, one of the fellows I had done the first climb with came along.  He had run this race before and was very encouraging telling me how much more climbing we had until the top.  I was thankful for the bit of company, but then he headed on and I was alone again.  I was pretty sure there was only one runner left behind me.  I was starting to become discouraged.  I had thought I'd finish this in about four hours and at my current pace, it was going to be over five hours!  It was also a lot harder than I had anticipated and my legs were getting thrashed!  I decided to try to just be in the moment and enjoy myself, so I started singing along to my mp3 player and looking around at the views.  I was still grumbling and cursing the rocks under foot, but I was trying to enjoy it.  

There were so many rocks on the course, that even the runnable sections were hard to run because of the bloody rocks!  I came along another runner who was shuffling even slower and I and we both said we were ok, but not great and then I moved on.  Finally I came to the last peak and was surprised to see the next aid station.  For some reason, I had it in my head that there were only two aid stations.  I was happy to pull into that aid station!  I had some watermelon and continued on.  This was at about mile 14.  It was all downhill from here.

The last section was really nice.  Had my legs not been totally pounded, I could have flown down the last several miles.  But they were and I didn't.  I was trying to keep my pace steady, but I was hovering between a 10-12 minute pace.  I knew the course was long, but not I didn't know exactly how long.  I put both ear buds in, turned up the jams and sang as I dug deep.  Along came the 50k winner, cruising along like he was taking a nice little stroll in the park.  I kept digging.  This had been hard!  I came across the purple pack gal again.  She was walking and told me her knees were done and she couldn't run any more.  We talked for a minute, wished each other luck and I motored on.  

The last few miles were hard, but I was able to keep running.  Coming back into the camp was great.  I was so happy to be finished!  I finished in just over what it took me to run the Saint George marathon!  This was a tough race!  But, I did it! 

Tanks at the start.

View from the first climb.



Coming out of the first aid station.

There was a lot of fire damage in the middle section of the course.







The climb out of the second aid station.

This is hard, but I'm still smiling!


It was a beautiful day!

Damn rocks!



The final stretch!

Thanks for kicking my butt Sapper Joe!

20.28 miles 

5:10

15:17 pace

Daily Mile

My hip was hurting a lot this morning, so my run was very short and very slow.  After coming home and doing a bit of yoga and going for a hike it's feeling just fine.  No pain. My body was just not cooperating at 6am today.  Maybe I'll get in another short run tomorrow before my race on Saturday.  This week and next week will be like rest/taper weeks, because then I have the  Mid Mountain Marathon the week after that.  One race this month, one next month and then the race in October!  Yipee!

2 miles
28 minutes
14:00 pace

Over-Achiever

Some days are like this.  

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running3

Daily Mile

I enjoyed lovely moonlit run with Katherine this morning.  Surprisingly, I felt fantastic today!  I expected to be at least a bit stiff and slow after my long run Sunday, but I felt super!  We headed to Crestwood park and did a couple miles on the the trail there before heading back.  We had quite a start when a large chocolate lab bounded around a corner toward us.  I about plowed Katherine over as I put it in reverse!  I think I was extra sensitive to this because of my experience on Sunday.  However, it was just the dog of another female runner and I was sure happy when I realized that!  By then end of the run I was feeling particularly fantastic and really put on the heat.  Overall, our pace wasn't amazing, but that last mile sure felt outstanding!  I love days like this!

Moon in the middle, street lamp to the right.

6.25 miles
1:12
11:36 pace

Training Week 7

Monday 5 weight lifting
Tuesday -
Wednesday 5
Thursday 4.28
Friday
Saturday 5
Sunday 22

Week 7 Total 41.28
Previous Total 208.6
Training Grand Total 249.88

The Things You Learn AKA The Scariest Thing

Sunday was one of the best long runs I've ever had.  I also experienced the most terrifying thing ever while trail running.  The thought of running for an hour by myself in the pitch dark on the trails was just too scary, so I started off at 5:30am in the neighborhood surrounding Coyote Hollow trailhead.  I mostly just ran laps around Draper Temple because, despite being a rich swanky neighborhood, they have very little street lighting.  After 5k in the street, I stopped at my car to change my shoes and don my long run trail gear.  I headed out on Ann's just as it became daylight.  I ran out and back, using my car as an aide station at mile 12.  Then I headed back out Ann's to the top of Maple Hollow and back, then a little jaunt on Clark's.  On the way back is where scary came in to play.

It was about 10 o'clock and I was in the groove.  I was nearing the end of my run and feeling fantastic.  I had in one ear bud and was focused, jamming out to my tunes when I heard the cry of death.  I ripped out my ear bud, slowed to a fast walk, while crouching and trying to look up the hill.  At the time I had no idea what it was, but it wasn't human and it was certainly in mortal peril.  The sound was unbelievable and it was directly above me on the mountain.  It was screaming like nothing I'd ever heard, followed by a loud rusting in the bushes above me that was getting closer and closer.  My immediate thought was that a goat was just eaten my a mountain lion.  I wanted the hell out of there, but I knew I shouldn't run in case the predator who just caught his lunch decided I looked like a better snack.  I never saw anything, and once I got around the bend I hauled ass!  I can't tell you how scary that was.  It was intense.  When I first heard the branches breaking and rustling of the trees above I thought that whatever it was was coming straight at me.  OH. MY. GAWD!

After my National Geographic experience I was still feeling great.  I checked my pace and realized I was going to come in at under a thirteen minute pace, which fueled me even further.  I finished strong and exhilarated (some thanks to the death of a goat/deer/jackrabbit.)  

Things I learned on yesterday's run:

- No matter how swanky the area, I'm a scaredy cat running in the dark in an unknown neighborhood.

- I don't care what you're really doing, but if you're driving slowly around a neighborhood at 5:30am stopping here and there, I assume you're a homicidal rapist/robber.

- Any time a street light goes out as I run under it, I feel like it's some sort of conspiracy against me.

- Even the smallest animals make a hell of a racket in a field of dried leaves and twigs.

- I'm like a newborn baby.  I must eat early and often at the start of a long run.

- When shit hits the fan, I can actually remain calm.

- Eating while hiking uphill is good.  Gives the hamstrings and lungs a break and lets me refuel for the fast downhill.

- The cry of a wild animal being attacked/killed is not a sound I care to ever hear again.

- A white, wet bandanna hung over the back of my visor is heaven in the heat.

- There is a drinking fountain at the top of Maple Hollow and Maple Hollow goes down the backside of the mountain! (I'll have to run that another day.)

At around mile 8.

Nice and cool with my wet bandanna!

Another new trail, also must try on another day!

Maple Hollow has the softest dirt.  This felt like walking on clouds!  Delightful!

From the top of Maple Hollow.  It was about 6100'.

Beauties, aren't they?  I love these ladies!  They never steer me wrong!

Oh Snap!  Look who killed it!

22 miles

4:40

12:43 average pace!  

Daily Mile

Much better!  It never ceases to amaze me how that on two different days the same exact run can feel so differently.  Today felt great.  No thanks to the penny and nickle that I found, and stopped to pick up before realizing they were glued to the sidewalk.  Tricky.  Very tricky!

5 miles
53:18
10:39 pace

P.S.  I signed up for the Mid Mountain Marathon in Park City on September 7th.  My son, Kurtis, told me I'm not allowed to talk to him about marathons that are "only training runs."  Tee hee.  I'm very excited!

Daily MIle

Do your legs ever feel like lead weights when you run?  Mine sure did yesterday.  It was a miracle I made it more than four miles!  On a good note, I took Ozzy again and he is still in great shape!  No limping!

4.28

56:31

13:12

Daily Mile

Today was the first day I've taken Ozzy with me since he had xrays over a month ago.  I only took him two miles, and then dropped him off at my house where Meghan was waiting to join me for three miles.  The good news is that he is not limping after our run today!  I think I'll keep taking him on short jaunts and go from there.  Hopefully I'll have my furry running buddy back soon!

Meghan and I had a lovely run.  Her birthday was the other day, but she was in California, so this was our birthday celebration run.  I should have talked her into 34 miles for her 34th.  Some how I don't think she would have gone for that. I'll have to work on Katherine.  She'll be 30 in November!

5 miles
53:51
10:46 pace

PR's and Shooting Stars

Yesterday was kick ass.  Katherine and I hit up the gym in the morning.  We did our whole body routine, but instead of the last bit of focus on arms, we did legs.  I am thrilled to say that I added more weight to my bench press!  I added five more pounds, making it a 65 pound bar and a PR!  While at the gym we had the brilliant idea to go take a night time trail run and try to go see the meteor showers.  

After getting our respective children tucked into bed I picked Katherine up and we headed to Corner Canyon.  It was 10:00 o'clock when we headed out on the trail and the crickets were singing to us.  It was dark, but we saw several other people out trying to catch a glimpse of the stars as well.  The run was really fun.  It's slow going in the dark, but super fun.  We ran up Clark's and down Ghost Falls to Coyote Hollow.  For some reason the darkness of night didn't seem as spooky as the darkness of early morning.  Maybe because our ears weren't as sensitive to every sound?  Maybe because we were on a mission?  Whatever the reason, it was great fun and despite the clouds, we still saw two shooting stars!

My favorite?  As we were on our way down there was a large group of young people hiking around hollering to us and when we came into sight and they saw that we were running, one kid said, "Hey!  Look at you guys!"  sounding quite shocked that we were running.  

Always a classic.

The moon was watching over us.



Katherine and I had seven lights between us, and it was a good thing!

Done!

5 miles

1:17

15:24 pace

Training Weeks 5 & 6

Monday -
Tuesday 8
Wednesday -
Thursday 5
Friday -
Saturday -
Sunday 21.2
Week 5 Total 34.2

Monday -
Tuesday 4.78 Yoga
Wednesday 3 Yoga
Thursday Yoga
Friday Core/upper body & Yoga
Saturday 13.2
Sunday 7.3
Week 6 Total 28.28

Previous Total: 146.12
Training Grand Total: 208.6

Most Important Meal of the Day

Once again, I started off today at the Equestrian Center and headed up with a new (to me) trail in mind. I have seen the Burnham Creek Trail sign any times, but yesterday when I passed it I decided that that is where I would head today. My Garmin kept losing signal right off the bat, which was very odd.

But let me rewind a little bit. They say that the most important meal of the day is breakfast. Who are they? Your mother. Your father. Your doctor. Well, you can add me to that list. Today, somehow, I forgot to eat before I left the house and I wasn't twenty minutes into my run and I was feeling clammy and light headed. After trudging uphill for ten more minutes I decided it was time to eat. So I began with a fruit leather, then a bag of dried pineapple and finished it off with a few ginger chews. That was everything in my pack and I hadn't even been out for forty-five minutes. Ugh! 

 Note to self: Eat breakfast and bring more food than you think you need on every run.

I kept on, taking the new trail, as planned. It was quite beautiful, but short. It lead me to the Gasline trail and ultimately to the Ghost Falls trail. Along the way I saw seven deer, including three fawn, and five rabbits! Plus, a really cool butterfly, which I think was a Red Admiral, bumped right into my chest. I started feeling better and by the time I go to the top I was feeling pretty good. Oh, and remember how yesterday I told you there is no bathroom in Corner Canyon? I lied! I've even noticed the bathroom before, but never thought about what that building really was. Today, at the top of Ghost Falls I ran right up to it and the realization hit me smack in the face! The little bathroom symbol is even on the trail map that I carry around. So much for being observant!

Anyhow, I cruised back down the way I came, knowing I wasn't going to make great time. The downhill felt good and I wasn't the fastest I'd ever been, but I was making up a bit of the slow trudge uphill. And then, I fell. Hard. I saw it coming, I tried so hard to run out of it and it just wasn't in the cards. The ground came fast and furious. I scraped up both my right arm and knee and hit my right hip pretty damn hard. My pants were full of dirt and rocks and my right shin was throbbing. I sat in the dirt for a couple minutes, cussing, before I carefully picked myself up, dusted myself off and called it a day. Of course, I still had to run back to the car, but I had had enough.

Despite the rough day, I still can't say it was a bad run. I enjoyed the wildlife and just being in the mountains that I love. I guess I just should have eaten breakfast. 

And Corner Canyon, you are officially the best!


One of the bunnies I saw.

Mama and baby.

The new (to me) trail. 

Another one of the deer I saw. 

Gasline Trail, which was part of the Corner Canyon 25k I did in June.

Ghost Falls is a watershed (read no dogs or horses allowed, no humans in the water: we drink it.) They've kindly added poison ivy all around the water. At least they give you fair warning about it. Honestly, until today I had no idea what poison looked like, so it's nice to know.



Leaves of three, let it be.  Easy enough to remember.

Right before I kissed the ground.  The irony here?  I was actually running when i took this picture and didn't even stumble.  As soon as I put my phone away and picked up the pace I ate it.

Thumper #5

It's not bad at all, really. Just a bit of road rash. Mostly just my hip hurts. I have a feeling I may have a really nice bruise tomorrow. 

Because my dumb Garmin wasn't working right, I had to figure my mileage by using the time of day and my average pace (which was SLUG:SNAIL.) 

7.3 miles
1:50
15:06 pace