Giddyup

Good, hard run after work.  Managed 6:50 average for the whole run.  Only had one mile not in the 6's which was 7 flat and considering I stopped at 2 drinking fountains that did not work and once in the name of self preservation, I think it would have been a 6 also.  Would have like to have been a little quicker but considering the time of day, hilly course, no nutrition and a relentless headwind in every direction, I am pleased.

 Note - HR: 165 avg, 173 max

Morning run/hike up on shoreline trail up the trail of the Eagle.  I really always love getting up there so early in the morning and being so high above the valley.  Plus it is a good run in.  Me, D, T & J.

Trail run on the shoreline - super windy but still nice to get out.

Tried to get in a decent run up on the shoreline/Corner Canyon...ended up running around like we were lost.  The snow from the last 2 storms really sticks around up in there much more than we thought.  There are so many great trails in there - it is really hard to beat.  Very beautiful running with excellent views of the valley and endless trails.  Just me & D.

After the run, got in an hour downstairs with LaRane on the trainer.  Kind of fun to be able to workout inside with someone.

Just a cold shoreline run with T&J down to the aqueduct road. 

Great run up on the shoreline this morning.  Got in the longer bridge loop despite the road construction in Corner Canyon - there seems to always be another trail you can take.  Not too cold...me, D, J & T.  Actually managed a 5:49 mile coming down the road back to Highland.

Me & T down to the aqueduct road - sure wish it would hurry & warm up

Took Cache out in the baby jogger tonight.  He really loved it and I got in about 5.4 miles.  Went out again after that for the FR loop.  Felt ok, but not as good as I'd hoped.  Still managed all miles under 7.

Went out again tonight with Cache in the jogger - he was loving it tonight.  Didn't hear him say 2 words the whole time.  Just watched the scenery and pointed at all the dogs.

Got in a great bridge loop early this morning and then ran back from dropping the car off @ Hillside.  Blitzed Corner Canyon road with Ian coming back in, did a 5:28 mile.

Semi-modified bridge loop this morning...took the bluff trail from the start then turned off before the last bridge instead of after it - really like that section.  Did the last mile in 5:44 - not as fast as yesterday but I didn't have Ian to push it with me.

Beautiful morning run out the shoreline to the usual bridge, up ghost falls and on up to Clark's trail.  Clark's trail has got to be my favorite of them all.  I motored down with a 6:15, such a beautiful view overlooking the entire valley & now with the temple so close too.  

 Clocked a 5:42 last mile.

FR loop after work - surprisingly quick given conditions...although I did have to stop twice for traffic.  Was windy & snowy but temperature was much warmer than it appeared.  Wore tights & jacket and was sweating like crazy.

 M1: 6:35

M2:  6:39

M3:  6:27 (a little suspiciously quick - usually in 6:40's)

M4:  5:54 (fastest ever - sprinted across 13th east to beat traffic)

M5:  6:28

Morning run on the shoreline down to the aqueduct road.  Other than not

getting in the long distance training runs I was hoping for, I am

really feeling very good about Saturday.  I think the weather will be

quite favorable and I hope to have a great day.

I've never been good at long exhaustive race reports and again, I'll probably just stick to the highlights as far as my race went.

 Race started @ 6am.  I wanted to travel as light as possible since there were going to be 9 aid stations throughout the race with an average distance between of about 5 miles & none further that about 7 miles.  The race was quite spectacular.  I started out in the front with the lead pack.  I kind of wanted just to see what it would be like & how long I could hang.  I did ok, I was in 5th or 6th place through about 18 or 19 miles then 3 runners passed me while the race passed the parking lot again and I ducked over to my car to make a few critical gear changes.  Rewind just a little...the race started out on the west side of the island where basically all of the elevation gain/loss terrain was.  I really was feeling good and didn't feel like I was pushing too hard.  It is really quite amazing to see some of the views from that POV - how often do you see beaches in Utah?  Then a couple miles later, I saw the first Buffaloes of the day.  3 enormous Bufffaloes crossed the trail just behind me, maybe 20 feet or so.  They are HUGE animals.

 So the real work for me begins around the halfway point.  Going into the race, I had visions of an 8 hour flat time - translation, 25 miles in 4 hours followed by 25 miles in 4 hours.  I got to the halfway in about 3:41 and had a marathon time of 3:52 approx.  Felt good about still hitting 8 hours but my pace dropped immediately to 10 - 11 min/mile and stayed there for the next 20 miles or so.  I was doing ok though, just couldn't really push it.  Weather was ideal, a little sunny with some cloud cover and an occaisional breeze to keep you cool.  Miles 21 - 43 are all on the eastern shoreline of the island and it is desolate!  It was kind of nice that this was really a long out and back so you saw plenty of runners to help keep your mind off the task at hand.  Saw another coule Buffaloes - one was just sitting out on the shoreline and it was so big, it could have been a marooned cement truck rusting away from the briny Salt Lake. 

 After the aid station at mile 43.5, I struggled a little trying to figure out how to get through these last 6.5 miles.  My left knee was quite tender and I was really favoring it.  So I took 4 ibuprophen and thankfully there was another aid station only 2 miles away.  I had to cups of Mountain Dew there and one of those small Hostess Crumbly donettes and I was really starting to feel good.  I'm going to have to remember that combination - 4 ibuprophen, 2 cups Mtn Dew & a crumbly Hostess Donette because I really started moving.  After running 10 - 11 min/miles for the past 20 miles, I finished off with an 8:33, 8:03 & 7:24 min/mile and passed 2 runners.

Great race.  Quite a wake-up call when I think about doing it twice in September for the Wasatch 100.