Cheesey bottom crust

Landfill.

City Wells

Hell Hole/Power/Landfill. Slow and easy

Grapevine/Highland loop. Uptempo. Hard workout.

Parkway/Greensprings. Chilly chilly chilly.

School/top of millcreek. Didnt want to run but once I got a few miles in I enjoyed the rest of the jog. Love getting out on the trails when the sand is packed.

CC trail. Pushed the hills hard today.

Millcreek. Ran to the wash then went up the wash a ways. It was to nice of a day to not be on the trails.

Landfill.

Firestation

Gunlock/Santa Clara

Fun run with Bill, Mike and Tim. Hit the last 6 hard.

CC Trail. Chilly. The next time that some jack asses dog comes after me during a run its getting shot. Dogs are not people, they are animals and should be treated as such. They are not your kid, they are not a person. If you need companionship that bad get married, have real kids or go make some friends. It might be a little heavy but im more than willing to carry to keep myself safe from all the dick head dogs in this area that no one thinks need to be on a leash. So if you have one and its not on a leash while you are out be prepared to have it no longer be alive if I see it. End rant.

Grapevine/Perry Landing.

Landfill. Threw in a couple of hard effort miles coming home.

Dino Tracks/Top of Millcreek. Really nice run.

Hell Hole/Heritige Elem/Landfill. Had to go to the school so I decided to run and kill two birds with one stone. Nice run.

Really wanted to get away from everything so I loaded up with some chomps and two water bottles and headed up Ice House. Didnt have a plan just wanted to run some trails. Unfortunatly the snow had other ideas. It was really muddy up top and once I hit the snow line it just got deeper and deeper the further up I went. It was fun to run in but once it was over a foot deep I decided I wasnt equipt for the conditions (short shorts and a short sleave shirt but I did bring gloves and ear muffs) so I turned around. Once I got down to the Broken Mesa turn off I decided to try going up that way as I still wanted to run more even though my legs were shot. Even worse mud on this section and I finally went down. Thankfully not bad but enough that I started to think twice about going further. Went up maybe another 1/2 mile then ran out of steam so I turned back for home. Super slow coming down off the mesa and down Millcreek. Thats some serious climbing out there. Glad I got out and im excited to hit the whole of  Broken Mesa once the trail dries up.

Landfill

CC Trail

Highland Loop.

City Wells

Firestation. Pushed hard for 5 miles.

Landfill.

Frontage road from Toquerville exit to quail creek then up to the bowling alley. Nice and easy till the last 3 then I got a shot of feeling really really good so o picked it up. One of those rare times when you can keep picking up the pace and it doesn't seem to be getting any harder. Good way to end the week.

Landfill. Left knee started hurting after Saturdays run. It was fine during the run today but as soon as I stopped it was tough to walk.

Highland loop. Hit the whole run at a faster tempo. Body was pretty tired the last couple of miles. Knee started to hurt the last few miles too. 

City Wells. Uptempo run again today.

Hell Hole/Power Station/Landfill.

Prospector/Adams/White Reef. Sandy parts of the trail were super nice. Clay parts were a really slick and gunky. This one wiped me out big time.

Landfill

Cc trail.

Parry/kiln/grapevine.

CC Trail

Landfill.

City Wells.

Landfill. Uptempo run.

Landfill.

Highland Park.

City Wells

Grapevine.

Had such a fun time last year at this race that I figured id run it again this year. Went out with Logan and we stuck together till the end of the second loop. I was starting to feel frisky so I told him I was going to pick it up a little and see what happened. Felt really good for a several miles then on the big climb in loop 3 I started to feel the effects of either speeding up or just plain tired legs. I missed a slight stepup on some rocks and went down on my shin. Thankfully not bad and the water bottle broke the fall for my hand so it didnt end up being bad. The rest of the race including the climb fest on loop 4 was pretty uneventfull. Just lots of mental games to keep the legs turning over. I was within sight of Hayden and #2  after passing Logan but didnt seem to be gaining. Once the decent started on loop 4 I knew I needed to really concentrate to keep from triping cause my legs where really hurting. I used the down hill as best I could and poked along on the climbs but managed to make it back to the aid station for the final route. Filled the water and downed a few pickles and a shot of something Steve handed me. Grabbed a few pretzles and then was back on my way. My dad said I was only about 3-4 minutes back from number 2 so I tried to keep moving along to see if I could close the gap even though this portion of the race is horrid. Once I hit the road I felt like I might repeat last years walk-a-thon but I slowed on the climb before getting back on the trail and just tried to focus once I got back on the trail and it seemed to work out cause I caught #2 about 3/4 of  a mile from the finish and was able to finish strong. I fueled well (didnt keep track of when I took gu or shot blocks just took them fairly ofter and ate 3 sandwhich slices going up #4 on top of the pickles, pretzles and drink before #5) and keep just the right of water in me so it was a fun experience. Super hard but enjoyable. With more distance training I think I could keep a better pace the last several miles.

Grapevine. Most soreness is gone but the legs are still tired.

City Wells

Highland Loop.

Landfill. Not sure if it was the heat or just tired body but today was a tough run. Glad I had water with me at least.

CC Trail.

Perry/Kiln.

Landfill. Warm out

CC Trail. Uptempo on the way back.

Landfill.

City Wells. Out of gas jog today.

Highland loop.

8 - Elementary/millcreek. Got a little rain't but not enough to pack the sand. Had to cut short but went at a faster clip.

12.72 - Went out for a late night run. Through the fields out to 2760S and back.

Prospector/Cottonwood Hills. Beautiful day for a run. Legs where really tired so I went slow and walked sometimes up the big hills.

Parkway/Cactus/Fairway Dr. Nice easy run on a nice cool afternoon.

Parkway/cactus ln.

CC Trail

Highland loop

Landfill/Landfill Entrance.

City Wells

Coral canyon/Gilbert Dev. Pretty good run. A little worn from the week.

Landfill

Maverik

Grapevine. 

I was debating back and forth for a few weeks on weather to do this race or not. Its local and looked like a fun/challenging race but always has bad weather and I couldnt get a comp entry so it was going to cost quite a bit. I love to run and race but paying for these things is getting outrageous. Finally decided to bite to bullet and enter and felt like I could do fairly well as Ive recovered pretty good from the Red Mountain 55k one month ago. Ran into Hayden at the packet pickup and he said I could prob win. Of course I tried not to think about that but it got me a little excited thinking there was a chance. Got up early Sat morning and my dad ran me up to the start and we sat in the truck and talked for a while because we where pretty early. Tried to use the facilities that were "eco" toilets covered by a "tent". Well the one I picked had a broken zipper and the door kept trying to fly open in the wind. I was trying to hold the door shut while hovering above the completly full crap bucket. Needless to say that that didnt workout at all so I gave up and hoped that I didnt have an emergancy later in the race. Finished getting ready then stood at the start for a few minutes waiting for a late shuttle bringing the rest of the runners. Started off with a group of about 8 guys and hit the first few miles feeling good and enjoying things. About a 1/2 mile before the big climb I jumped up front because I was tired of almost tripping over peoples feet and needed to be able to see the trail better. No one came with me but that changed as I hit the climb. That hike up the mesa is a straight up monster. I went from 1st to 9th place and even though everyone was power hiking i was getting blown away. I tried to keep moving quick but not go so had as to burn myself out because there was still 30 miles of running to come. Finally got to the top and went straight to filling up my water then back out on the course. Most of the others stopped and took a bit so I was back up in 4th place. A couple of guys came up quick and passed but I was able to stay within 10-20 feet for the run along the south rim. I didnt stop at the aide station just ran through for the 1 mile out and back portion. Saw the 1-3 place runners and they wherent but about 3 minutes up at this point. Stopped and filled the water and grabbed some pickles at the aide station after the out and back and then was back in 4th place. Got passed by a guy in here but was able to close the gap on  the third place guy to within 50 feet and stay there. Dropped my light with my dad at the aide station just before the decent down the mesa, grabbed more water and a few chips. 3 guys came in right behind me so it seemed we were all keeping whithin reach of eachother. The decent was almost worse than the climb. Its so steep you cant run down but you cant walk either so its really had on the quads and knees. The younger guys came blowing by and I was back in 7 place i think. Thankfully got down without getting hurt or falling and then tried to get back into a steady pace of some kind. The rain started as we went along the north side of the mesa but thankfully it was just enough to wet the ground and not make a muddy mess. I was pretty beat mentally and physically and had a really hard time keeping moving through this portion till the mile 26 aide station. The two guys in front of me were in the same boat though and we played leapfrog for a few miles sometimes even power walking up the steeper climbs. Watered up at the mile 26 station and tried to get some fuel in me but there wasnt anything like it felt I could stomach ( no sandwiches and I was so full of gels the thought of more of those was enough to almost vomit.). I grabbed a hand full of pretzels and headed back out. I was as dead as Ive ever been and the only thing keeping me moving was knowing there was only 5-6 more miles left. I was wrong. After a few miles and passing guy #5 I got to thinking that we were still a long way from the finish and hadnt even crossed over the highway yet.  Turned off the music and got into mind over body mode. Those last several miles where exceptionally difficult with lots of steep quick climbs and I was out of water so I was having a tough go of it. Once we crossed under the highway I, for the first time checked the miles and it was 31.25 and we still had quite a ways to the finish line. That was tough and go in my head pretty bad. After a while I saw guy #4 in the distance and he was having the same trouble i was (having to walk up the final portion of each big climb) so that helped me dig down and try to see if I could catch him. I was making progress but then he noticed me coming and stopped walking up the climbs. I just about settled for this place and pace when I though "when you get to the finish are you going to be able to tell yourself you gave it everything you had and left nothing out on the course?" So I started going (felt like i was running fast but the splits tell a different story lol) and started closing the gap. We hit the walkers from the 1/2 marathon the last bit so that was kind of a pain to have to dodge around them while trying to navigate the ups and downs of the trail. I caught #4 and encouraged him to come with me ( not really wanting him to but trying to be nice and encouraging to the other runners) and kept pushing hoping the finish wasnt to far and that he didnt have legs left. Finally saw my dad up ahead and knew the finish couldnt be to far away so I pushed with whatever was left to get to the finish line. Came as close as I ever have to throwing up and passing out for a few minutes after stopping but it felt good to know I gave it my best and didnt give up when I wanted to so badly during multiple stages of the race. Not going to say this was an enjoyable race because it wasnt for about 75% of the run. Very tough course physically and brutal mentally. Glad I ran and Im happy my body lets me race and be able to compete against kids 1/2 my age and do so pretty well. I think I need to take a few weeks away from race thoughts and recover and just enjoy getting out.

Parkway. Really enjoyed the break and didnt really want to start running again but I also didnt want to wait to long so talked myself into going out today. Took 3 miles before the lower ab felt ok but enjoyed being out after that loosened up.

Landfill

Perry Landing/Kiln

Grapevine

Landfill

Landfill.

Highland park.

Landfill. Quicker pace on the way back.

Kiln/Grapevine.

Landfill

Highland Park. Saw my first tortise of the year. If its the same guy as last year (and i think it is) hes gotten bigger.

City Wells. Started off feeling good but was spent coming home.

Landfill. Havent done any faster tempo running for several months so I figured it was time to get that going again. 1.5 warm up down Hell Hole. 2.16 @ 6:21 pace. .75 jog then 1 mile at 6:12 pace. My form started to head south during that mile so I called it enough and a good place to start. 2.8 cool down back home.

Millcreek. Hit the sand while it was wet. Turned off at the wash before the pumps and ran up a ways. Always a fun route but cant run it much because of the sand so after the rains is the perfect time.

Landfill. One of the best feeling runs Ive had in a few months. Enjoyed every second of it.

CC Trail. Didnt take the watch but tried to hit 3 miles home at a hard pace.

Landfill.

Grapevine. First run in 2 weeks. Ready to get back at it I think.

Hell Hole. Its amazing how quickly the body falls out of shape. The legs where super sore today.

Kiln. The body just doesnt want to go at more than a super slow jog. Just plain tired.

Grapevine. Super dead again today. 

Landfill. 

Firestation

Hell Hole/Dam Rd loop. Wanted to attempt a tempo today and was hoping to get in maybe 4 good miles. 1.4 warmup then 6:30, 6:27, 6:59, 6:46 then 3.5 home. The first mile felt ok but I knew I wasnt going very fast. Couldnt go any faster and the dam rd hill killed me. Was able to speed up a little once it started back downhill but the body had nothing after about 3.5 and the remaning jog home was a battle to just stay under 8. Kind of wishing I hadnt signed up for Bryce 1/2 after the last week of running. Maybe things will turn a corner before then though.

CC Trail. (3/10)

Landfill. (4/10)

AM Grapevine. (2/10)

PM Grapevine. (5/10)

Highland loop. Despite being 105 degrees out this was my best feeling run in months. Almost enjoyed myself again. (6/10)

Hell Hole/Dam Rd. Tried again to do a faster paced run. Felt better than last week but the 110 temps hindered the workout a bit. (6/10)

1.4 warmup.

2 tempo ( 6:21, 6:17).

1.46 got to the slow climb up the dam rd and decided to slow to a easier pace as the legs and hottness got to me.

1.77 (6:08, 6:21) started speeding up at the top of the climb but had to stop at the turn to the bridge as Emily was there with a water refill and a bucket to dump on me. Got started again but ran into a couple of dogs that I had to slow down for to make sure they werent going to attack or get in the way. Sped back up and across the bridge I ran into the first rattlesnake of the year. He was grouchy and struck at me as I ran by. Glad the dogs slowed me down or I might have come upon him at a worse place. Tried to hold a good pace till the start of the climb out of the river bottom but it was pretty tough.

1.66 Met Emily at the top of Hell Hole for more water dumping then finished home.

AM - Grapevine/Sienna Hills. A touch tired after last night but survived. (5/10)

PM - Perry Landing. (6/10)

CC Trail. (4/10)

Hell Hole/Power Plant/Landfill. Nice to get out in the morning. (5/10)

Kiln/Firestation. Actually almost felt good during this run. Had to work but hit a better pace on the way back.

City Wells. Night runs on trails are much more enjoyable when you use a headlamp.

CC Trail/Gilbert Dev. (7/10)

Hell Hole-past treasure valley park. Decent run. Got a little tired the last 3 miles. (7/10)

Highland loop. Ok night run. (6/10)

Landfill. One of those burnt out runs. (4/10)

Hell Hole/Dam Rd loop

1.5 warmup

4 tempo 6:16, 6:42, 6:50, 6:24

3 cool down

Going to take a while to get back in shape.

AM - Grapevine. Waited to long to get out and it was way to warm so I called it at 6. (3/10)

PM - Grapvine. Slightly better run than the morning. (5/10)

CC Trail. (4/10)

City Wells. Finally got up for a morning run. (4/10)

Did 2 with Ada down to the Hell hole and back home then did the landfill route. (6/10)

Grapevine. (3/10)

Grapevine/Sienna Hills. (5/10)

Landfill. (6/10)

Highland loop. Hot hot hot. Had to stop and cool in the shade at the park. (6/10)

Perry Landing/Kiln/Grapevine/Sienna Hills. (6/10)

Landfill. (6/10)

Grapevine. Just plain crappy run even with the weekend rest. (2/10)

Landfill. Pretty good run after taking some time off to try and get some energy and drive back. (6/10)

Parkway/Greensprings. Unfortunatly I missed the rain by a few hours but had the best feeling run ive had in several months which was a welcome suprise. Ran a little harder and the legs got tired but a good tired and not the complete exhaustion of the last several months. (9/10)

Landfill. Tried to run in the early evening and it killed me. Had to stop and find some shade and cool down for a few minutes halfway through.

Main/Millcreek/Parkway. Thought maybe the trail would be good from the rain but the moisture was gone and it was all sand. Couple that with my headlight not staying on the bright setting and I bagged Millcreek and came back and ran home on the parkway. Tried to push a little.

CC Trail. (3/10)

Navajo Lake. Ran the south side of the lake.

Virgin River rim trail. Ran from camp to the lake. Died on the way back pretty bad.

Down the road and up some trails

Up to the highway then back down the road and up some side trails to explore.

Landfill.

CC Trail (7/10)

Landfill

AM - 6 Grapevine

PM - 10 Greensprings

Highland loop. Mid day run. Bad idea. Mild heat stroke and a sunburn. oops

CC/Gilbert

Landfill

CC Trail. Felt pretty good and wanted to hit a little quicker pace on the whole run after a mile warm up. Thought i could hit a 7 pace for the whole run. Wrong. Ended with a 7:24 avg but it was a lot of work. that used to be my easy run pace. To much super easy running on the trails for to long. Ive lost any speed I used to have over the last year. Going to have to work really hard if im going to not have a crappy race in a couple of months.

Fields Staheli Farm. Legs where feeling a bit sore from yesterday but still managed a decent pace.

Treasure Valley park. Kind of a dead leg burnt out run.

Parkway/Greensprings

Landfill

CC Trail. Pretty worn out tonight.

Highland Loop. Pushed the pace today.

Greensprings. Ran up to the top for the first time is several months. Sad to see all the homes that have covered the area up there. 

Landfill.

Fields. I could really feel the increase in miles on this run. Ouchy

CC Trail.

AM - 10.2 - Landfill. Felt really good. 

PM - 10 - A little tired but not horrid.

AM - 7 - Kiln/Grapevine.

PM - 12.65 - CC/Gilbert Dev. Ugly, ugly, ugly run. Havent been this dead since 2011 when I had to walk in the Utah valley marathon.

Treasure Valley Park. Easy on the way out. Pushed hard on the return. Felt much better than yesterday thankfully.

Landfill.

Greensprings.

CC Trail

CC Trail/Highway 91. Thought Id better try and get some long runs in before it gets to close to November. Felt pretty good for most of the run.

Fields/Southern Corridor. Ok run.

Firestation

Landfill

CC Trail. Saw a fox tonight. Pretty cool sight

Top of Green Springs. Been a long time since I ran this route. Enjoying the temps out right now.

Landfill.

CC Trail/91. Pretty tired for most of the run. Died bad after 16. Had to walk a few times and cut the run short by coming home via Maverik. 

Landfill. Tried a faster pace workout to see how I should adjust my goals for NY. 

Short warmup then 4.5 at 6:30 then short cool down. Not as horrible as I thought it would be but not anywhere near where I wanted to be to spend tons of money to go run a once in a lifetime race. Oh well.

Highland Park

Grapevine/Perry. Super tired and very slow.

Grapevine/Kiln/Perry. A touch more juice today and aside from the three seperate instances of peoples unleashed dogs coming after me it was a pretty good run.

Landfill. 

Pine Park. Felt pretty good for the first 9 dispite the climbing but the last 12 were hard hard hard. Just cant seem to find the energy to go more than 10 miles without it being beyond hard.

Landfill. 1.4 warmup then 5.5 @ 6:23 then 1.7 cool down. 

Perry/Kiln

Highland

Kiln/Grapevine

CC Trail

Landfill

Waited to long to fill in this run so I cant remember which route i took but I do recall running.

Highland park.

Perry/Kiln

Highland park.

Landfill

Highland loop. A little better run than the rest of the week.

Landfill

Perry/Kiln

Fun trip out to New York. Wanted to call off this race a few months ago but couldnt get my money back for flight, room and race so I just decided to go run and enjoy seeing the sights during the trip. The race wasnt much fun except for a couple miles in the middle where I felt like I was running strong and passed a few thousand people.Got stuck way to far back at the start and was forced to run slow because of the traffic. Glad I went but wish it had been a better race as I doubt Ill ever spend the money to go out again.

Parkway. First run back. Decided after New York that I needed a break. Most times I've taken a small break I would still be thinking about running all the time. This time I actually lost the desire to run so this was a much needed break after 10 years of straight running.

Hell hole

Parkway

Parkway.

Parkway

Hell Hole

Parkway/Sienna Hills