It has been almost a month since my last post- lame! I usually post a few times per week on my training blog, so it is hard to get over here and post because I just don't have any time, but I do like to keep a log of my fun training runs, races and other random thoughts that I sometimes don't post on the other blog. http://scottw.fastrunningblog.com/

Considering how busy life has been over the last month I feel pretty good about where my training is going into Wasatch 100 in less than a month. Wasatch has been my focus all year and everything else is just part of the build up. Last year at Wasatch was an incredible experience, but this year will be different. There were so many unknowns last year and just getting that first 100 under my belt and having that experience gives me quite a lot of confidence going in this year. Last year I was jut a wreck about the whole thing, so I think I can actually put together a pretty solid race this year. My goal is to go under 30 hours and if I do that I will be thrilled.

Recently my training has been a lot of View Benchmark... and a lot more of View Benchmark. While not the coolest peak in the Wasatch by any means, it has become the perfect training run for me. It is close to my home and on my way to work, so I can be at the trail in 15 minutes and done with the run in less than 90 minutes. And what do I get in those 90 minutes? Almost 8 miles of solid trail running on a nicely graded trail that is 100% runnable. 1600+ feet of vert and some of the best views in the Wasatch, plus if you know when to hit the trail you rarely see a soul, just the way I like it. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be cruising up the Pfeifferhorn and Lone Peak and other Wasatch peaks, but I just don't have time with my job and family to do that right now. For now VB has become my treadmill and I haven't grown tired of it yet.

I did hit Timpanogos for the second time this year with Craig a few weeks back and we had one of the best runs of the year. I love that mountain. Here is a brief TR:

Mount Timpanogos with Craig:
One of the best runs of the year so far. I met Craig at Kohlers in Alpine at 5:30 am. The Timpanookee trailhead was packed, so we had to park 1/4 of a mile below the TH. We had a nice jog up to the TH where we saw probably 100 people getting ready to hike up the mountain. We were quickly running up the trail and lucky for us there wasn't a lot of people on the lower mountain, but as we got higher we started passing several groups. It was fun picking them off and making good time up the trail.
Just before the upper basin we ran into Davy Crockett who was coming down from his first summit of the year and looked pretty good. We said hi and it was good seeing him back in the mountains after recovering from injury. In the upper basin we passed several more groups and Craig kicked it into high gear. I pushed up to the saddle and he was now about 5 minutes ahead of me. We got a ton of comments from hikers on the way up and down. From the saddle I tried to push it hard and I felt really strong on that section. It was fun actually seeing it because the last 3 times I have been up there it was in the dark. On the final push I really picked up my pace and hit the top in 2:02 which is a PR, but I really only pushed the last half, as we took our time on the first few miles chatting and taking pictures, so I know I can do it faster.

We chatted with a few people up top that were surprised to see how fast we had made it up and also we talked to a few girls that also ran to the top. After a few pics and signing the register we took off.  Craig pushed the pace a lot and I ran with the girls and another guy (who did Wasatch 100 in 2010) back to the saddle where Jun was chatting with some folks. I was feeling really good, so I just cruised down the trail. Again more comments from hikers asking how fast we went up and telling us we were amazing bla bla. It was kind of fun though. My legs felt really fresh, so I pushed the pace a lot more than I ever have on this trail. It helped that we were doing it in the light and I felt a lot more comfortable, but I was just feeling good.

We probably passed at least 150 hikers on the mountain and several that we had passed on our way up. That was really the only thing that slowed us down out there. With a few miles to go Jun said I could go under 3:15 so I was pushing for that, but didn't quite make it. 3:15:15 total time. It felt good and we had a blast. I love that mountain.