Things you forget

I often forget things.  But when it comes to running you'd think I'd remember.  But I forget.  What do I forget?  I forget how difficult the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is above This is the Place to City Creek.  Every. Single. Time.  I forget that there is a lot of climbing and that if my average pace is below a fifteen minute mile you can call me Speedy Gonzales.  The other thing I forgot is that I should never ever ever train legs after Wednesday when I'm running long every weekend.  Especially when planning a run like the Bonneville Shoreline Trail above This is the Place Heritage Park.  Now if you can put two and two together, you are already guessing that I'm going to say yesterday's run was tough.  Yep.  It was.  Luckily I had amazing company and enjoyed the trails despite my weary legs.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day out and the temperature was perfect for running.  

My super talented husband made this box that my friend Laurie bought.  She came to run with Katherine and I and I was able to get it to her.  Isn't it awesome?

The trailhead

Twinners!  Katherine decided it was time to take her new Altras out for a spin!

And lucky me!  I get the pleasure of testing out this new Nathan Vapor Shadow hydration vest for Trail and Ultra Running (Stay tuned to trailandultrarunning.com for the full review, coming at a later date!)  It has all kinds of awesome features like an emergency whistle and trekking pole holders, but the biggest reason I am interested in this vest is it's capacity abilities.  Because I carry all my own food I wanted a pack with more storage capacity and this one delivers!  Plus, check out the colors!  Does that scream my name, or what!?  So far, I'm loving it!

The ladies!

This deer may have been eaten by Zorro.  Later, we saw a man running with his two dogs.  One of the dogs was happily carrying this leg in his mouth.  The dog looked so proud!  

What I look like when I'm not flexing.  HA HA

Salt Lake City

12.65 miles

2:48

13:16 average pace (I do believe that this is a PR for me on this trail!  Take that hamstrings!)

OR with Trail and Ultra Running

About a month ago I received a Facebook message from Mark Kreuzer, publisher of TrailAndUltraRunning.com (or TAUR) asking if I'd be interested in a Facebook moderator position.  I jumped at the chance!  I love the trail and ultra running community and have learned a lot from the folks who post on the Trail and Ultra Running Facebook group.  The gig pays in the opportunity to test gear, attend OR, and the satisfaction that I'm helping out a great community of fellow trail and ultra runners.

Fast forward to this weekend.  I was able to attend the OR show, a display of all the new outdoor gear that will be sold to retailers in the upcoming year/s.  This was the winter show, so much of the focus was winter sports, however there was still many running related things to see.  I had the pleasure of meeting the fine folks from Nathan Sports and try on some new hydration vests including the Vapor Shadow (which I loved and now really want) and the Zeal, which was also excellent.  They gave us some awesome detergent called Sport Wash that is supposed to eliminate that funk you get in your running clothes.  If you're a runner, you know what I'm talking about.  I'm crossing my fingers it works as well as they said it does!

Then, Mark, Missy (another great ultrarunner I know through my experiences at Speedgoat, Pioneer Day Marathon and Antelope Island) and I headed over to the Altra exhibit because I've been very interested in their shoes and wanted to check them out.  I met with Seth Wold, another local ultrarunner and super nice guy, who was thrilled to let me try on some Lone Peak 1.5s.  They were a dream!  And even dreamier, I was given a pair to test for Altra!  

I was also fortunate enough to have been given two pairs of socks from the very nice people of Balega to test drive.  I received a pair of Blister Resist (wouldn't that be nice!?) and the Enduro (doesn't that just scream endurance?)  Plus, I got a few give-aways including an insulated water bottle, some honey stinger gels (that Missy swears by because they are made of honey, not maltodextrin which bothers my guts) and a cool Altra buff.  Over all it was an outstanding day and I'm thrilled to now be part of the TAUR team!  

Showing off my new gear at the Altra exhibit.  

Aren't these beautiful?!  Stay tuned for a full report on these bad boys tomorrow after my trail run!

Products to review and goodies to try out!  Lucky me!