Running on Twinkies

I've got my downhill speed back. In the past I have been able to go fast on downhill trail runs, but this year it has not been the case. I have arthritis in my knees. I take medication for it and that keeps it under control. Back in February I went off the medication because we wanted to have another child. I needed to be off of it for three months before we could get pregnant. Being off the drugs caused my arthritis to flare up, which put a damper on my running. I still had my endurance but I lost my speed, especially my downhill speed. We got pregnant and I got back on the meds. It took a few months before they were taking full effect. I have been building my speed back up and today I think that I have gotten it back.

I ran with the Dirt Tours tonight. We ran Mueller Park. About a mile and a half up the trail we started to see patches of snow. As we reached Elephant Rock there was a fair amount of snow that hadn't melted and the trail was nice and soft. I was running behind a guy named Ryan. There was a couple with two dogs hiking down. Ryan stop and walked around them. As he did this one of the dogs lunged toward him tried to bite his wrist. The owner got him off and started yelling at the dog. Ryan had a large hole in his sweatshirt but the dog didn't break his skin. It was surprising to have a dog react like that when it was with its owner. It was even on  leash. We made it to Elephant Rock with a fastest time for this year, 34:38. We rested for a few minutes and then headed down. The other guys told me to lead out because they knew that I like to run the downhill fast. The trail felt great today, so I just relaxed and really opened things up. About halfway down I had lost the other guys and was still gaining speed. Because of the recent storms, there weren't a lot of people on the trail so I didn't have to slow down or stop much. I was impressed at how fast I was going, yet it didn't feel like I was pushing the pace or running all out. I made it down in 22:28, also a record for this year. This is not the fastest I have ever ran this trail. Once last year I made it up in 33 minutes and down in 21. Considering the conditions of the trail, snow, mud, and slush, I felt like I was really moving.

Splits:
Mile 1: 10:46
Mile 2: 10:27
Mile 3: 9:31
Mile 4: 8:27 .4 up .6 down
Mile 5: 7:12
Mile 6: 6:02
last .8: 4:41 (5:47 pace) Whoa!!

avg pace up: 10:11
avg pace down:  6:36

I got a new pair of trail running shoes today. This is the first time that I have actually bought trail running shoes. Running shoes are expensive. I ran easy today to break them in. I along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from Cheese Park. It was cold this morning, but I don't mind running in the cold.

Mueller Park Trail. I didn't have to worry about mud today because the ground was frozen. The trail was great today with a few frozen puddles and patches of snow on the sides. It is taking longer to get light in the morning. I had to use my head lamp for the entire run today.

Time up 42:00 avg pace 12:21
Time down 32:29 avg pace 9:33

After I put the kids in bed tonight I got on the treadmill and turned on the TV. I was flipping through the channels when I came across the 2007 Ironman in Hawaii. It was very inspiring and motivational. There was one guy who completed the race with no feet. He only had stubs below his knees. I definitely have no excuses. Another competitor had finished the race in fourth the year before got injured and ended up walking most of the marathon portion and came in 892nd place. When he was asked why he didn't just drop out, he said "It is disrespectful to your other competitors to drop out just because you are having a bad day." I admire people who finish the race no matter what.

Ran with Dirt Tours tonight. We started at Red Butte canyon. We headed North along the Bonneville Shoreline trail. The first mile had an elevation gain of about 100 ft and a split time of 9:37. Just before Dry Creek Canyon we turn up a steep hill toward Mt Vancott. This hill is one that should be considered a walker, but I was determined to run it and focus on my hill running technique. There were a few short patches that I did have to walk. Mile 2 gained over 1000ft in elevation and my split time was 18:51. If you are doing the math I ran the second my twice as slow, but the elevation gain was ten times greater. We made it to the top of Mt Vancott at 2.1 miles. From there we dropped into Red Butte Canyon. Almost literally. The first 15 ft was cliff that we scaled down. After that it was a steep technical downhill into the canyon. I think that downhill was steeper than the uphill, but I won't know for sure unless I run the route in reverse. 

Mueller Park Trail. The snow from the earlier storms had all melted. The trail was nice a soft today.

Time up 42:11 (avg pace 12:24)
Time down 31:15 (avg pace 9:11)

This was a race for diamonds. Real diamonds. The grand prize being a $2000 diamond from S. E. Needham Jewelers. To win you not only had to run fast, but you also had to dress in a wedding related costume. The scoring was based on the judging of the outfits and finish position.

I decided to go all out with my costume. I wore a black tux with long tails, a silver vest, and a silver bow tie. To top it off I added a top hat, white gloves, and a cane.

This race started at the USU quad in Logan. Most of the course was downhill and ended in front of the jewelery store.  There were several people dressed up in a lot of crazy outfits. A guy dressed up like flowers? A girl dressed as the wedding cake. Maryann was there in a full wedding dress with a long train. 

When the race started I thought I was starting awful fast, but it was a much shorter race than I am used to and I usual don't run that fast. The outfit didn't seem to slow me down much, I occasionally had to pull my hat down a little so that it wouldn't blow off. The course went right past the Logan Temple and there was a couple just outside of it getting their wedding pictures. What a sight we must have been running by.

Here is a shot of me flying through the course. It is blurry because I was going sooo fast.

Here comes the bride

Maryann and I after the race.

Some other runners after the race. From right to left Allie, myself, Maryann, I don't know the names of the other runners.

Well for my efforts and speed I won second place. A $1000 Diamond. The first place winner carried a wooden/cardboard car through the whole race. It had tin cans tied to the back of it. Third place was a photographer with the cake knife in his head.

This is the biggest prize I have ever won from a race. It is a good thing that I won a diamond because my anniversary is coming up. 

2.5 easy miles just to keep my legs feeling loose. I ran on the treadmill so that I wouldn't be tempted to go too fast or run up a mountain. I am running the Pony Express 50 on Friday. I will probably do one last easy run tomorrow.

Less than 24 hours until the Pony Express 50 miler.

I have completed my first 50 miler.

I ran the Pony Express 50 miler. This was a free race put on by local ultra runner Dacy Crockett. The were no aid stations, so each runner had to supply there one crew car to support them while they ran. I ran the race with Craig Lloyd (Jun). His mom crewed for both of us. She was awesome. We had her stop every 4 miles so that we could refuel and fill our water bottles. 

After the first eight miles we walked leaving the car for about five minutes before starting up again. We felt strong during those early miles, but walked so that we could make it through to the end. Our time at the half marathon mark was 2 something. I forgot to look at my watch at 13.1, so I didn't get the exact time. We averaged about 9 min miles (while running) for the first 25 miles. We hit the marathon mark at 4:40.

During the second half of the race Craig's IT band was giving him lots of trouble. We started walking for part of every mile so that he could stretch it out. We would run .75 and walk for .25. This helped him ease the pain, but he still struggled with almost every step. We stayed together and the walking was helping me too, since my muscles and joints were getting pretty worn out. It was good to stay together to keep each other motivated.

At mile 40 Craig was able to find a rhythm that minimized his knee pain. After that we made very short stops at the vehicle and made up some lost time. The finish line was just a point on the road where they had put a Slow Children at Play sign. We crossed the line together and tied for second place with a time of 10:42:49. First place went to Phil Lowry who had come in at 9:30:30, over an hour before us. 

This was a very fun race and I am excited that I was able to complete it. I didn't have any major troubles during the run. Just kept plugging along. I did get a nasty sunburn though. I had put on sunblock, but not very well. The were some spots I missed and I have streaks of red on my arms and legs. It's Saturday morning now, and my sunburn feels worse than my muscles. Note for next time: Apply sunblock better. 

I also got to meet some awesome bloggers. Smooth and Leslie. 

I did 2 miles today at a super easy pace. I just wanted to stretch my legs and see how well my recovery was going. My muscles were tender but not painful. My right knee feels weak and probably needs a few more days of easy running.

No miles today. I went up to Logan today to visit family. While there I went to S. E. Needham Jewelers to use my gift certificate that I got at the Race for Diamonds two weeks ago. I used it to get my wife a pair of earrings. I got her a pair of oval hoop earrings that are 14k white gold with 24 small diamonds on each and a total carat weight of .7. They are really pretty and she loves them.  

Today I decided to try a run on the roads. I haven't done much road running this year. It felt good but was a bit boring. Trails are much funner. I actually did a bit of a workout today instead of just running, which is what I normally do. I ran 6 miles with 2 one mile intervals at about marathon pace or just a bit faster.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail. I headed out at 5 a.m. today. It was very quiet out today. Just the sound of my footsteps and my breathing. It snowed lightly during most of the run. I tried out my new headlamp today. It has three different brightness setting and worked great. My old headlamp didn't have a strap across the top and would slide down as I ran. The trail was nice today with only a little snow on it and a few muddy spots. Avg pace: 9:51

Happy Halloween!!

Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Same route as yesterday. It was warmer today which made me sweat more. The trail was also more muddy. there was a section of the trail that had clay-like mud that would stick to the bottom of my shoes. I saw three dear on my run today. One doe with two bambi's. They didn't seem to care that I was running by and let me get within about 15 feet from them.

I wanted to run longer but didn't have time today. I am baptizing my oldest son today.