March 9, 2012- Antelope Island 50K with Craig Lloyd, Matt Williams and Josh Greenwell

I had the most enjoyable run out on Antelope Island with the crew. We started at White Rock Bay and our goal was to run the 25K course with the out and back added on for 19 miles and from there see how much time we had and hopefully get in a 50K. It was a touch cool at the start, but we were all wearing shorts and it was almost perfect weather for running. It was really fun for the first 5 miles just chatting with the fellas and running at a nice easy pace. Everyone pushed it up the hill to the Elephant Head aid area and I dropped to a power hike to save my legs. From there we dropped into the valley and we spread out for the first time. Jun took the lead and I tried to keep pace while Dors and Jsh were just behind. We were all running about a 7:30 pace and it felt easy.

Climbing out of the valley on the switchbacks was really fun and we were all moving well. We all ran the entire way up and that was the first time I have ever run that section without hiking. At the top I stopped to pee and Dors and Jsh never came, so I went back to see what was up and Jsh was cramping, so we slowed for a bit so he could stretch it out. There was a bit of mud and snow over the next half mile, but nothing to slow us much. It was really the only place we encountered any mud all day. Back at Elephant Head Jsh decided to go back to the car because of his cramps and sore ankle and we continued with the out and back to Elephant Head. On the run out I stopped to pick up an S-Cap and the other guys got a little bit ahead and I just tried to keep up. It was really fun and the views are incredible. At the turnaround I was still a little behind the guys and they slowly put some distance on me and I would be running by myself all the way back to the car.

My hamstring that has been bothering me started getting tight and I slowed down. After the Elephant Head aid area you run down a pretty steep hill and at the bottom I stopped to take some Ibuprofen. I was able to get back into a pretty solid pace, but the other guys were about a half mile ahead. I just cranked up my tunes and had a nice run back to the car. After a few more miles my hammy seemed to be getting a little better, but it was still tight. I made it to the cars (mile 19) about 8 minutes after Jun and Dors and I had to hurry and cram some food in as fast as I could. French toast, sausage, V8 and Pepsi. Mmmmmm. We left the aid stop and ran west around Buffalo Point. My legs were a bit stiff at first, but they slowly came around and felt a lot better.

Jun pushed a pretty solid pace and I really enjoyed the views going around the point. Incredible! The views all day were unreal, but I really enjoyed this area as I had never been over there before. When we came around to the north side we picked up the road and ran over to Buffalo Bay. Jun kept a solid pace and again put some distance on us. Matt wasn't far behind, but they dropped me a little there. We picked up the trail that goes south to the Ranch and ran that back to the fence where we turned and headed west again in the direction of the cars.

We hiked up the steeper hill there for a few minutes and hit our 26.2 point. At the top we decided to go to the top of Buffalo Point or I should say Jun decided that. Dors and I were looking up there and thinking it was really far and high up, but we thought we could give it a shot. The run on the road over to the point was awesome. We were all feeling great and we had a very solid pace. To get to the trail to the point you have to run up a very steep road and all three of us were strong all the way to the top. I kept running when we got to the trailhead and tried to catch Jun who was ahead. We ran about 3/4 of the trail all the way to the summit. Awesome! We were all feeling great. We hung out on top for a while and took some pics.

The run down was fun. We kept a strong pace all the way and even pushed it at times. When were were coming close to the cars we decided to take the longer route to get a full 31 miles for an ultra distance. When we got back to the parking lot I had to run zig zags and some circles to finally hit exactly 31, which I hit at the car door. What an incredible day with great friends. It was one of the best runs I have ever had. 5:28 minutes total time.

Summits in 2012

We are 9 weeks into 2012 and I have climbed 19 peaks so far. Last year I finished the year with 78 peaks, which is a personal best for me. This year I set a goal to summit at least 75 peaks, but I am on track to go over 100 for the year, which I would have thought wasn't possible a few years ago. I'm sure that some people think that I am obsessed with climbing peaks and they are probably right. I have been a summit junkie ever since I reached the summit of my first mountain of any significance (Lone Peak) back in 1993. While I love to explore new places and climb new peaks, right now I primarily find myself running/hiking up the same summits over and over again. This is not optimal, but practical and necessary if I want to get elevation on my legs while staying relatively close to home and work.

The 4 peaks that I climb the most are View Benchmark, Mt. Wire, Grandeur Peak and Lake Mountain. These are all close to my home or work and I can be up and down all of them within two hours, which allows me to hit the peaks early in the morning and make it into work on time. I know some people would get sick of climbing the same peaks again and again, but to me I prefer it to running on a treadmill day after day. I enjoy climbing the peaks alone and with friends and I have been trying to get up at least two peaks per week so far this year. Don't get me wrong I would definitely prefer to have more of a variety, but for now I'll keep hitting these 4 peaks and mixing in others as time will allow. When the snow melts it will be a lot easier for me to add several other peaks as well. I will try and Add Timpanogos and the Pfeifferhorn into the regular rotation, with others mixed in.















Matt Williams just below the summit

So far this year I have climbed View Benchmark 8 times and it is becoming one of my favorite runs. I typically start at Ann's trail in Draper and it gives me almost 8 miles with over 1600 feet of vert and the best part is I can run almost the whole thing. It is a really good workout and I am sure I will do it just about every week for the rest of the year.

Me running on the View Benchmark trail

The Wedge at the Little Grand Canyon in the San Rafael Swell

Awesome photo of Craig lloyd

With Craig Lloyd, Matt Williams and Matt Van Horn 2/20/12:

This was my first time down to the Swell and it did not disappoint. We met at the American Fork park n ride at 5:00 am and it took about 3 hours to get down to the Wedge where there is a sweet lookout into the Little Grand Canyon. We would be running on a rim trail that goes around the rim of the canyon for just over 15 miles and then back. It was 20 degrees when we got out of the car, but the sun was shining, with no wind and it looked almost perfect for running. After a few pics and a little goofing off we hit the trail. The first 5 miles were a lot of fun running in the mid 8's, talking and laughing a lot. We also stopped at most of the lookouts to take pictures.

My hamstring was really tight and sore after my run up Lake Mountain on Saturday and I was worried about it, but hoped it would loosen up. It didn't bother me at all early on, but was tight. At about mile 5 I noticed that my stomach was unsettled and by mile 7 it hit hard and the guys had to wait for me for a few minutes. From about mile 10 to the half way point I was running by myself and had to stop a few more times to deal with my stomach. Damn tamales. They were good though.

I passed Craig on his way back and he told me I was about .5 from the turnaround. I also passed MattW and then MattVH and I convinced MattV to hang back with me because I was worried about my hamstring which was now really tight and hurting. We took about a 10 minute break at the turnaround taking in the views and I put some glide on a hot spot on my toe and had some GU chomps.

The next 5 miles were by far the most difficult of the day for me. My hammy was really hurting and I had to stop again because of my stomach. Matt was a good sport to hang with me. I popped 800 mg of Ibuprofen about mile 19. I hate taking it when I run, but it was almost a necessity. We had a pathetic pace back to where we had cached some food just after mile 22. I had run out of water and the Coke I had stashed was fantastic. I also refilled my water and ate about 500 calories. The Ibuprofen also started to kick in and I couldn't believe the difference.I felt like running again.

The next 4 miles we tried to pick up the pace and just chatted away. I was having fun again and enjoying the views that we would stop to take in at the lookouts. It was tough getting into a fast pace on this trail because it winds a lot and there are a lot of rocks to deal with, but I really enjoyed it. About mile 26 we stopped so Matt could retrieve some clothes he had stashed and I told Matt to just catch up and I would run slow, but I got two great songs in a row on the ipod and all of the sudden my legs were feeling incredible and my energy was up so I picked up the pace and ran it in pretty well the last 4.5 miles.

The last mile on the road I was feeling really good and I actually saw the 7's for the first time in a long time. I was having fun and felt great when I saw Craig and MattW driving toward me about a quarter of a mile from the finish. I ran it in hard and jumped on a rock and yelled out a primal scream. Awesome. MattVH came in a few minutes after, but he also had an extra mile since he ran back with me and I am sure I slowed him down on the way back as well. I really enjoyed this run, even though I went through a lot of issues out there. The views and the company were as good as it gets and I was happy that I finished strong. I can't wait for the next adventure.

Total time including all breaks: 6:11. I think the total moving time was closer to 5:20ish. Total miles 31.3.To see some pictures check out my album:http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3176299573953.147315.1459523495&type=3&l=dfc4543a63

Canals loop marathon

Salt Lake County canal loop with Craig Lloyd:

This is a run originally done by Davy Crockett and it is 25+ miles of running on dirt trails/roads that run next to canals that run right through the Salt Lake Valley. We started out at a park near Camp Williams at 4:00 am. Just after we started we had to crawl under a fence and then within the first mile I was already heating up. I was expecting it to be colder out there. We had an absolute blast laughing and joking and just chatting at a comfortable pace and the miles flew by. We had to cross a few roads and go over a few fences, but nothing serious. The trail winds through a lot of rural property, neighborhoods and for quite a long way runs in the back yards of several houses. We had a lot of dogs barking at us and set off a lot of motion lights and I'm sure we woke up a handful of people. At mile 8 I took a gel and almost barfed it up. Sick!

At 90th South we got off of the canal road and ran east for about a half mile until we reached a different canal trail that we would follow all the way back. We took a small break to dump some rocks out of our shoes and have a gel and I noticed right away that there was a bit of a headwind on the way back and it lasted almost all the way back to the car. The run back had a little more adventure as we had to jump more fences and cross Bangerter highway. The fence before Bangerter had some barbed wire and I just about sliced my bits and pieces while Craig laughed and threw trash at me. haha. At about mile 19 I noticed that my left hamstring was really tight and it slowed me down the rest of the way. We did stop a few times so I could stretch it out, but it seemed to get a little worse with each passing mile. The last 3 miles are much more rural than the rest of the run and it was really cool to see that part of the valley. Eventually we came to a paved road that took us up a hill and right back to our cars. It was an awesome run and I will definitely do it again. About 95% of it was on dirt trails/roads which is amazing considering we ran so far into the city. All of this before work. 4:16 total time including all breaks.

Lake Mountain 50K

With Craig Lloyd, Matt Van Horn and Josh Greenwell. January 10th 2012:

Matt wanted to get in a long run to prep for his 100 mile race in March, so we got some of the fellas together and decided that the Lake Mt. 50K course would be the perfect option. We started out a little after 7:00 am and it was downright COLD. The car said 15 degrees and while everyone got their things together I tried stretching and dancing a bit to keep warm and it took a mile or two to start feeling good. Almost right out of the gate we started to climb up to Soldier Pass and we kept up a pretty decent running pace all the way up. The views from the pass were stunning and we were the only humans within several miles in all directions. After that we dropped down into the Cedar Valley where we could see the fog hovering eerily and waiting for us to enter. As usual we were laughing and joking and the miles were clicking by.

When we got lower into the valley it became quite apparent that the temps had dropped significantly and we all felt it. We were dressed appropriately, but we all had to make a concerted effort to keep the water moving in our hydration tubes or they would freeze within minutes. Jun actually had to mess with his for several minutes after it froze up. At about mile 6 I took off a glove to take a gel and my hand was so frozen that it became totally numb and I couldn't even open a zip lock bag. The gels also were almost solid and became a little more difficult to swallow, but as long as we kept moving we were all fine. There was a fine layer of frost covering all of the bushes and brush and we all started to accumulate it on our facial hair as well, but we were having a great time.

The dirt road we were on eventually takes you into the edge of Eagle Mountain and after a short stint on some pavement we were back on the trail that would take us around the north end of the mountain. We stopped here to take a break and at that point the trail seemed to be numerous rolling hills the rest of the way. At about mile 17 I noticed that my hamstrings were a little tight and I would try and stretch them out whenever we stopped. At mile 19 we had a cache of food and drinks and we took about a 15 minute break to eat and replenish our energy. I was feeling really good except for my hammies. They were still tight.

The next 6 miles were pretty tough for me. I usually really enjoy hills, especially on a long run like that, but they were really hurting me and the farther I went the tighter my hamstrings got. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely slowed me some. It was one hill after another as we made our way south on the east side of the mountain. Eventually we topped out on Enoch pass with about 6 miles to go. I had been behind Matt on the way to the pass and he was running really strong up every hill and I was impressed with his toughness.

Running downhill was such a relief for me and my legs felt instantly better. I did have some fatigue, but my hamstrings were no longer hurting and it was nice to be able to run under a 9:00 pace, however I still wasn't keeping up with the other guys and Matt and Jun took off at a blistering pace which was very impressive considering we were over 26 miles in. I settled into a 9:00 pace for the next 3 miles and I was pretty content with that. Eventually I caught up to Josh who had stopped to take a break and we ran in the last couple of miles together. His ankle was hurting and my legs were quite fatigued, so we went pretty slow. Those were some tough miles, but it felt really good to finish. Check out Craig's blog for some really good pictures

City Creek Canyon runs

Craig Lloyd about to top out on one of the 'bumps' on the ridge

From Dec 26th-Jan 4th I did 3 runs in City Creek Canyon. First Matt V. and I ran to the Avenues Twin Peaks on the 26th on a cold morning. There wasn't much snow on the trail and other than it being cold the conditions were fantastic out there. A few days later we decided to check out the other side of the canyon, so we ran to the top of the ridge above Ensign Peak and hit all of the small summits with towers. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed the trail, so I talked Jun into heading back up there a few days later to try and climb Dude Peak on Jan 4th. It was an absolutely perfect day with sunshine and warm temps above the inversion. We were both running in shorts and sleeveless shirts and really had a fun run. we didn't quite make it to the summit (we'll be back) because of time constraints, but we had a blast anyway. I really love this canyon. There are some fantastic trails with good elevation gain and awesome views all with easy access.

On the way back from Dude Peak on the ridge

December training

I had a very good month of running in December. We have been experiencing very warm temps this winter and without much snow in the mountains it has been great for getting out into the mountains to run. One of my favorite runs in December was a Friday night/Sat morning run with Matt Van Horn. We decided on a whim to run View Benchmark peak and Lake mountain back to back in the middle of the night. This would be summit #76 and 77 for the year and we had an excellent time laughing and joking the whole way while most of the world slept. Here is a short report:

View Benchmark/Lake Mountain run. 12/17/11

I was frustrated that I couldn't make it out on the trails the last few days and with a very busy Saturday coming up I decided to do a late night mountain run and I was happy Matt wanted to come along. I suggested View Benchmark via Ann's trail and Lake Mountain as possibilities. Matt said why not do both. I like the way he thinks.

We met at Ann's at 11:00 and we were running up the snowy trail a few minutes later. It was bitter cold and it took about 5 minutes to start to warm up. After that I felt fine, but whenever we stopped it would chill me within about a minute and I had steam flying off of my head. We were having a blast though. It took us longer than I had hoped because of the snow, but we made it up to the summit in about an hour (That included breaks for Matt to move some product). On top we checked out the views, but after a few minutes we were VERY cold, luckily there wasn't much wind.

The run down was a lot of fun. We laughed pretty much the whole way down and had a decent running pace most of the way. Back at the cars we decided to add in Lake Mountain as well, so we drove to Lehi and after taking a break to eat, warm up and change some clothes we parked and were on the trail just before 2:00 am. It was COLD!

We had both changed into our Altra Lone Peaks and after running the first 1.5 miles we could feel the extra strain on the calves and tendons. After the first mile we were in snow the rest of the way. After two miles we settled into a nice fast hiking pace for the rest of the way, but we would still run the slopes that aren't quite as steep.

About a mile from the top the nice 4X4 track we had been following ended and we had to break the trail the rest of the way which did slow us some. There was a slight wind after the saddle and the snow was very light powder and you could see bright crystals sparkling in the headlamps. It was pretty cool. We reached the summit a little before 3:30 am. It was cold, so we didn't stay long. We tried to snap a few pics, but they didn't turn out so we headed down.

The run down as incredible. We picked up the pace with each mile and the Lone Peaks provided plenty of traction on the steep snowy grade. We were singing to various songs that were blaring on my ipod, laughing and just having a fun time. The last two miles were in the 7's and felt really good. We both had an excellent time and I made it to bed just before 5:00 am and it was definitely more fun than sleeping.

We had just under 5K elevation gain for the night and we were able to run all but about 2.5 miles of the 16.2.