Running on Twinkies

Ran a mile and a half with my three oldest kiddos on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. This was their first trail run. They loved it.

Evan, who is 4, also wanted to run. I told him that I would run with him when I got back. When I headed out with Evan it was just starting to rain. I asked if he wanted to run in the rain and he said "Yes." We drove to the park. By the time we got there it was pouring. I asked him if he wanted to wait until tomorrow. He said "No, I want to run now." So we got out and ran on the sidewalk around the playground. We got completely soaked. I asked "Should we get in the car?" He responds "That wasn't very long." So we continue to run around the playground. On the third lap it started hailing. I asked again, "Should we get in the car?" He says "Let's do one more." So we ended up with four laps and got drenched. I think Evan is going to be a die hard runner. It makes me so proud.

I was going to run the Bonneville Shoreline Trail this morning, but I when I headed out it was dark and I didn't have my headlight. I ended up running on the roads. I kept it easy this morning because I am running Bairgutsman tomorrow. As I was heading home, two racoons crossed my path. It that a good sign?

I'm back......

This was my first official race since I started running again. I wanted to test my legs out and see where my fitness was at. The course was changed from precious years because of Farmington Canyon being closed. The course usually goes up a mountain trail and comes down the road. This year it went up the trail, then came back down the same trail.

At the startline I ran into fellow blogger Matt (Dorsimus). When we started, he took off at a faster pace than I wanted to do. So I just settled into a comfortable pace and figured I would save energy for what was ahead. The trek up was challenging. It was mostly single track with little room for passing. When we got above the tree line, the trail opened up a bit. I was able to pass people. I was surprised at how much energy I had at this point. I was able to pass about thirty people between there and the top. One of which was Matt. Near the top I had to start stepping aside for the leads runners who were coming back. The nice thing about an out an back race, is that you can count the number of people ahead of you and know what your position is. As I got to the aid station at the top, I could see that I was in about 30th place. I decided to set a goal for coming in the top twenty. Several people at the aid station we taking their time and catching their breath. I was in and out quickly, which moved me up to about 23rd.

The downhill was a blast. Technical downhill is one of my strong points. As I was coming down though, several runners were still coming up. At this point I was paying more attention to my footing than to position. One of the runners coming up told me I was number 18. Wow, I was in the top twenty already. Time for a new goal, Top Ten. I continued to pass people as we got back to the treeline. Runners were more spread out now I would go a ways without seeing anyone. But each time, as I came upon one of my fellow competitors, they stepped aside and let me continue bombing down. One of them commented to me after the race that I was running downhill at crazy speeds. At the end of the trail we hit road. I tried to run fast on the road, but didn't have much left in the tank. About a quarter mile before the finish, Ryan, a friend on mine that I usually beat, appeared from behind. I pushed hard to try to stay ahead, but he outkicked my to the line. 

Not that was fun. I definitely liked the alternate course and hoped they make that the route for next year. This race has the best finishers medals. They also were very organized. The results haven't been posted yet, but I think I finished in 12th to 14th place. If you feel like trying a race that pushes the limits of insanty, I recommend Bairgutsman. After I got home and took off my shoes, I realized that I had bloody toes on both feet. Battle wounds.  

AM - I would like to use the excuse that it took me two weeks to recover from Bairgutsman, but that's not true. I have been busy lately, but I was able to get out this morning and do a few miles on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. My favorite trails are still closed because of the pipeline work. It looks like they are getting close to finishing though, so hopefully they we re-open those trails soon.

PM - I headed out and ran another 5 miles on a different section of the Bonneville Shoreline trail. After two miles my left shoe felt loose. I looked down and it was still tied, so I ignored it. A few minutes later, I had to stop because it was getting worse. When I went to tie it I released that the lace had broken. I tied as best I could and finished the run. I only have about 100 miles on these shoes, guess I am just rough on them. Time to buy some new laces.

I ran the Mueller Park trail while it was still dark this morning. The trail is still closed 1.6 miles up because of the pipeline project. I hope they finish that up soon. I miss running that trail. It's one of my favorites.

Legacy Parkway. Five miles nice and easy.

I ran on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to Ricks Creek. On the north side of the creek, I found a new trail heading up the mountain. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to check it out. I am running a marathon of Saturday so I am trying to keep things easy this week. It's hard to do when I love to run up unknown mountains trails just to see where they go.

Today I ran the Mesa Falls Marathon. I have been waiting for a year to run it. I was registered for it last year, but was unable to run. The race director was nice enough to hold my registration for this year. This was my second time running the course. I ran it back in 2004.

The course is very scenic. It starts in a forested area and the first ten miles are on a gravel road. I really enjoyed this part and settled in at about an 8:35 pace. Everything was feeling great. The next 3 miles are on paved road. The pavement just wasn't that exciting for me, but I kept the pace about the same. At mile 13 we passed all of the half marathoners waiting to start. Their start was 2 hours after ours. I was glad that I made it passed them before the all took off.

Just after that is my favorite part of the course. It's a rail trail with a gradual downhill grade for 3 miles. My body loves to run trails, so without realizing it, I picked up the pace to 8 minute miles. About 1.5 miles down the trail, the first half marathoner blew past me. It really played with my mental game when these guys with fresh legs passed me. The trail wasn't long enough, and soon we were back on the road. This was the first time I saw my family. My parents, wife, and two of my kids were there to cheer me on. The rest of the course is on roads, and none of the roads are closed to traffic, so I saw them several more times. The support was great.

At mile 17 there is a large hill. I was still feeling pretty good, so I went into one of my lower gears and headed up the hill. On top we came out of the forest and ran alongside grain and potato fields all the way into Ashton. The sun was out and it was getting hot. After that there are a few rollings hills but nothing too bad. Between miles 19 and 20, I could tell that I had reached my max for what I had trained for. My longest run this year was sixteen miles and I only started training in June. My body was tired and the heat wasn't helping. I tried to keep some kind of pace up, but the last few miles were slow. I was able to run the whole thing though and finished at 4:01:22. I came in 6th in my age group. I was surprised that my placing was that high. 

At the end of the race when they give each runner their medal, they also give out a coupon to get a free huckleberry milkshake at the local ice cream/soda fountain shop. It was delicious. It was definitely worth running 26.2 miles. This is one of my favorites races and I highly recommend it. 

I went out for a recovery run on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Everything seemed to be functioning properly. My quads are still a bit tender, but running wasn't difficult. The wind was wicked this morning. It was a crosswind for most of the run. Had it been a head wind, I would've been standing still, or perhaps going backwards.