running for my mind

25 - 3,694 ft - 4:47 on feet

It is remarkable how the body can function so differently from one day to the next. I woke up at 3:00 and was feeling pretty good. I made sure to start hydrating right away and got some fuel as well as I drove to Brighton. 

Started off easy up the initial climb and then eased into the steep down. I started feeling good and simply enjoyed the rest of the day. I ran this same route 2 weeks ago in 4:32 and would have been happy with anything between 5:00 and 5:30 going into today's run. I figured an hour slower on tired legs would still be doing well. I found myself walking less than 2 weeks ago and just holding some steady paces. Then I was able to open up the last few miles and it felt really good to run! Finished in 4:47 and felt really great about that time.

Now it is time to rest up for a few days and knock out a few more weeks before tapering.

That was a great week. I am pleased with how it turned out and am excited for a few more weeks of training before tapering off for the big dance. 60 miles in 2 days is by far the most I have ever done. My body held up well and that is promising. I spent more time training this week than I ever have. Almost 17 and a half hours. If I included all the prep and drive time to and from trails it would be well over 20 hours this week. Commitment is the name of this game right now. Walked a couple miles today to loosen up and aid recovery. Will take a few days really easy and then back at it.

Week Summary
6 days - all singles - all trail
88.35 miles
15,994 ft.
17:25 on feet

6.65 - 13 ft. - 60 minutes

Body wanted to sleep in a bit so I hit the parkway for an hour in the rain. Was nice and peaceful...and wet.

8 - 1,145 ft - 1:24 on feet

Easy from East Mountain. The trail is vastly different than last week. Yesterday's few inches of rain moved lots of dirt and rocks around. I have a slight pain in the back right side of my right knee. Likely just a little niggle from last weekend's double. Other than that, body is feeling good.

9.5 - 1,381 ft. - 1:36 on feet

Great run catching up with Josh talking the philosophies of man mingled with scripture, among other things.

8 - 2,005 ft - 1:23

Ran a variation of the 3 mile time trial up Farmington Canyon and on the creek trail. Wasn't pushing it as hard as previous time trials. Backed off a hair to save the legs a little for the next two days. Surprisingly I ran faster than the first time I did the time trial though, but was not having to exert nearly as much effort.

19.35 - 5,623 ft. - 4:40 on feet

Met Nick, Leslie, and Matt at East Mountain and ran an interesting loop. Longer than what was proposed. Got frustrated with a pretty rutted loose descent section where I actually went down twice within 5 minutes. Still fun to get out as always and was nice to finally meet and run with Nick.

PM - 12 - 3,000 ft. - 2:50 on feet

Got out in the rain! It was only sprinkling when we started at Upper Big Water at about 10 PM. A couple miles in I kicked a root hard and my middle toe hurt the rest of the run. Another mile later it started dumping buckets of water on us. A mile later it was 41 degrees. A mile later we saw lots of salamanders. A mile later we were almost to the crest and thankfully headed back to the cars. I got really cold and was ready to be done. Had the heavy rain not hit us for those 5ish minutes, it would have remained a pleasant evening and I would have hoped for 16-18 miles. Going to rest up some now and have 2 more weeks strong before a taper.

rest from running. lots of time on feet for family wedding. toe is black / deep purple from kicking the root last night. burned a hole through the nail to relieve some pressure. helped.

Week Summary
5/6 days - one double - 1 pavement
65.5 miles
13,167 ft.
13:00 on feet

9.5 - 1,378 ft. - 1:38 on feet

Was feeling a little worn down over the weekend. Easy pace and alone on Mueller did just the trick to put a smile on my face and feel loose.

PM - 4 - 11 ft. - 35 min

Trying to get a couple of shakeout runs at night early this week to get the mileage a little higher. Peak week is coming up quick.

9 - 1,398 ft. - 1:35 on feet

East Mountain north and back. Nice and easy. Relatively warm morning.

10.3 - 1,526 ft. - 1:34 on feet

2 mile warmup, 60 minute steady state (30 up and 30 down), and cool down. Mueller was rather quiet this morning. Didn't see anyone really until about the last 3 miles. The workout up and down felt good. I was only about a minute off of a previous workout I did on the same trail, but was exerting less energy and it took less effort. Good signs for sure. The down was fun as always and my knees and quads didn't hurt at all. 

PM - 4 - 11 - ~40 min on feet

Easy shakeout around the neighborhood and out to the parkway. First mile was run/walk with Grey. First time I have run with one of my kids. Good memory.

8 - 1,109 ft. - 1:22 on feet

Easy and comfortable out just past Fernwood and back. Pretty tired this morning. Hoping to get some good rest tonight to bank some energy for Friday and Saturday.

14.2 - 1,457 ft. - 2:27 on feet

Wanted 2 to 2.5 hours on my feet with the majority easy and the last 25-30 minutes as a tempo for a fast finish. Felt good. My knees were a little achy but that went away after warming up. Ran on the firebrek road. Enjoyed picking it up at the finish. Tried to stay nice and easy at the beginning to get a little more comfortable with 100 miler pace. That will be a big part of tomorrow's run. Nice and easy at first half of 100 miler pace for 25 miles.

25 - 6,690 ft. - 5:18 on feet

Lamb's canyon, to Brighton, up to about Lake Catherine, and back to Brighton. Goal was 100 miler pace...first 50 miles of 100 miler pace. Felt good to cruise along and see how I would feel. I caught myself having to hold back here and there which was good. Also, there were a few pitches I could afford to take a hair slower. Kept my heart rate in check the full 5+ hours and could have carried on when we finished. Ready for one more big week before the taper. 

Week Recap
6 days - 2 doubles - 6 trail / 2 road
84 miles
13,580 ft. 
15:09 on feet 

10 - 1,440 ft. - 1:47 on feet

Easy up Mueller with Matt. 

Peak week is here! Crazy how fast time seems to fly by when you are having fun. I have never run 100 miles in one week and this week might be the week. I will bail on that idea if I feel I need a little rest, but it has been a goal of mine for a while. It just seems right to peak at 100 for a 100 miler. So, I will plod along with a couple evening shakeouts and a possible short shakeout on Sunday to loosen up the legs and hit 100.

Cheers to peak week!

PM - 4 - 738 ft. - 39 minutes

quick up and back on...Mueller. yup, double Mueller day. it was convenient.

12 - 2,008 ft. - 1:44 on feet

Headed to Farmington Canyon to run two hill pushes on the dirt road. Goal was to run the second faster than the first. Test in pacing and discipline along with strength. Due to time constraints I had to cut the second short, but it was still a very good workout that I am pleased with. 

     First   Second
1 - 9:08   8:21   320 ft up
2 - 9:44   8:48   390 ft up
3 - 8:43             253 ft up

PM - 4 - 634 ft. - 40 min

Mill shakeout

9.85 - 1,611 ft. - 1:44

Easing along from East Mountain. Not too much spring in the step from yesterday but overall felt good. 

11 - 1,142 ft. - 1:38

3 x 1 mile repeats on rolling dirt road / trail. Always fun to do these repeats because they are vastly different than road repeats I have done in the past. You never know if the mile you have in front of you is going to have a steep up or a dramatic drop. You have to run more off of effort than pace. Interestingly each repeat essentially netted 0 but had up and down. I eased into them and pushed the last one slightly faster than marathon effort, but it felt good. Still proving Rob wrong. ;)

1 - 7:27 - 98 ft.
2 - 6:59 - 79 ft.
3 - 6:34 - 85 ft.

PM - 4.15 - 657 - 42 min

Mill shakeout slight climb.

13 - 1,781 ft. - 2:21

Easy double to Fernwood. Legs had a little less spring at the end. Tomorrow will be a good long run on pretty tired legs. Perfect training. Still on track for the century this week.

32.1 - 6,352 ft. - 6:32 on feet

From Upper Big Water we followed the course to Dog Lake, on to Desolation, and up to the ridge. We tossed in a mile out and back south for extra mileage and then headed back north along the Crest and down back to the parking lot. That was a 14 mile loop. 

Ran the loop again but excluded the out and back on the Crest. 12 miles for loop 2. We then ran 3 miles of road down to Elbow Fork, did an about face, and ran back up the road to finish at 32 miles and 100 miles in 6 days! Glad to hit the goal of 100 miles for peak week and was happy to run the 3 of road up at the end without dropping to a hike at all.

Week Recap - (Peak Week)
6 days - 3 doubles - 7 trail / 2 mill
100 miles
16,363 ft.
17:47 on feet

8 - 850 ft - 1:21

Easy out and back on the fire break road. Legs were a little slow going at first. Nice to know the bulk of the work is behind me. Time to push to the end of training and get to the start line healthy.

8.1 - 1,109 ft. - 1:23

Easy out and back from East Mountain. David Adams caught me with about 2 miles to go and we ran those in together. He was moving at a faster pace than me so I had to pick up the pace to chat it on it. He was looking strong and should have a good race at the Bear a couple weeks after Wasatch.

10 - 1,493 ft. - 1:33 on feet

50 minute steady state run up and down Mueller. Did a 2 mile warmup and then 25 minutes up and 25 minutes down. Finished with about 1.5 cooldown. Felt good overall, but I went through a couple ups and downs on the way up. (how is that for confusing?). My legs are still recovering from last week and now I am into the taper. Don't feel fresh yet. Hope that feeling comes sometime next week.

PM - 3.35 - 10 ft. - 30 min

Shakeout around the neighborhood. I had all but made up mind I wasn't going to get out because I got home late and I was looking forward to going to bed. I told Whit I was supposed to go for a quick 30 minute shakeout, but that I wasn't going to. She replied, "Go. You can then say you did everything and gave it your all going into Wasatch." That is the definition of support.

8 - 1,119 ft. - 1:28 on feet

Easy out and back from East Mtn. My body is tired. There is a saying that goes something like "the mind is willing but the body is weak." My body and mind can't seem to make up their minds as to which is willing and which is weak. Last night, my body was willing to go run, but I had to convince my mind. This morning was the opposite. I was in one of the deepest sleeps I can remember when it came time to wake up. Doing work.

18 - 2,795 ft. - 3:02 on feet

Double out and back on the BST from East Mountain. Pushed the last 2 and a bit miles and they came in at 6:50 and 6:51. Felt good to finish strong. 

Tomorrow is the 3rd year my sister and I are putting on the street stomp in her circle. Fun for everyone. Feel free to comment or message me if you would like more details and would like to come. This is the description of the event - 

Join us for a family-friendly, outdoor stomp and come dance in the street on Saturday night! Think of a wedding reception without the bride and groom...a high school dance without the slow songs...a block party without the potato salad. 

DJ Bobby (AKA James Clissold) will be playing our favorite music, old and new! All ages are welcome. Feel free to invite your friends, siblings, and neighbors!

13.5 - 2,500 ft. - 2:27 on feet

Big Mountain to Lamb's with Daniel. He slept in. I woke him 20 minutes after we were supposed to meet to drop a car at Lamb's by calling him. He finally arrived at 6:45 and we headed up to Big Mountain. It worked out fine to be a little later. This section of the course is often referred to as "the furnace" "the overn" and "hell." It is actually not that bad of a section by itself. However, it is pretty exposed and on race day happens to fall at the heat of the day for most people. 

So, now I have run every mile of the Wasatch 100 course. 

13 days...

Week Recap
6 days - 1 double - 6 trail / 1 road
68.95 miles
9,876 ft.
11:44 on feet

8.3 - 1,220 ft. - 1:26 on feet

Easy up and back on Mueller. Met a small group and within a quarter mile I was at the back and never saw them again until the turnaround. I was wanting something nice and easy and that is what I got. Cooler morning after the light rainfall from last night. It smelled like fall.