Watching An Amazing Sunset From The Trail

Last Friday evening I saw storm clouds in the sky. That hasn’t happened in our area for months! I knew it may not be smart to go out running the night before a race, but I couldn’t help myself. I knew the lighting would be perfect for some good pictures.

I ran six miles on one of my favorite trails ever. It’s a little connector path to the Jem trail. The setting sun really lit up Gooseberry Mesa.

I kept stopping along the way as the clouds were shifting and throwing light in different directions. In the last mile I stood on the edge of a rim watching the storm roll in and I knew I was seeing something special.

All too soon the sun went down. I didn't want the run to end. It is difficult to go back to running on roads around houses and neighborhoods when there is scenery like this only a few minutes drive away.

Quitting Job To Become a Pro Cake Decorator

This week is a three-ring circus at our house. All the kids have their birthdays this week, two days apart. We have a tradition of letting each of them choose a design for their birthday cake. My youngest daughter Kylee was facing a difficult decision. She didn’t know if she wanted her cake to be 1) a sock money, or 2) a dolphin.

I was feeling a bit like Vincent Van Gogh one night (except that I have two ears) and suggested that she have BOTH – a sock monkey riding a dolphin! She got a huge smile on her face and the decision was made.

Unfortunately the day arrived when I had to pay the piper. My obscene lack of artistic ability was put to the test as I attempted my exemplary work of art. So I present to you……a sock money riding a dolphin:

She watched intently during the whole decorating process. As I completed the final lines her face beamed with pride. The moment I finished, she started clapping. Thank goodness. Because I was about to apologize that her cake looked so silly.

Mel constructed the cake for Danica who decided to not combine two species and just wanted a monkey cake.

Jackson was the easiest of all, wanting a Better Than Anything cake.

I admitted to Mel that I was thinking about quitting my job and becoming a professional cake decorator. She didn’t go for it because obviously that idea is more ridiculous than a sock money riding a dolphin.

Chased By A Cat and Saved By Coke

"Runners can get through the weary and lonely hours only if they are at peace in themselves." ~ Ayers

Monday, July 2nd 2012: 3 miles @ 8:40 minutes per mile. I tried to push toward the end and finished the last mile in 7:53. Generally my pace is similar to an obese rhinoceros so I was very happy to see that 7:53.

Tuesday, July 3rd 2012: 20 miles @ 12:15 minutes per mile. Tuesday night was the only time I could squeeze in a long run this week. When I headed out, it was a positively miserable 99 degrees. I did the Sand Hollow loop which includes some great scenery along the way.

After a few miles I noticed that I was running with my shadow:

I had plenty of time to myself on the long, lonely roads. For the first couple hours I only saw a handful of cars:

Out of the blue I saw a car up ahead with flashing lights and a honking horn. As it got closer I could hear cheering. And then I realized that it was my family! They were on their way home from Walmart and drove out to find me. I thought that was so thoughtful. I refilled my water, grabbed some Oreos, then started running again as the kids cheered “Go Dad! Go Dad!” Best. Aid. Station. Ever.

I was kind of in the zone running along oblivious to what was going on around me. But I happened to look over and see this incredible scene of the sun setting across a field. It was just beautiful. I stayed there for about 10 minutes taking pictures.

Around midnight I arrived at a gas station. I was tired and burning hot. I didn’t have any money with me, so I decided I would stop at the gas station and ask if I could fill my water bottle with Coke, then I would come back later to pay. The girl looked at me sweating my guts out in the middle of the night, laughed, and said “Go fill up your bottle. Don’t worry about it.” I was so thankful I could have hugged her.

I finally made it to the home stretch. Thanks to my shot of Coke, I was ready to run for another four hours. Not.

Lucky for me, it was downright chilly 88 degrees when I finished the run. By then it was July 4th. I loved the fireworks we went to that night.

Friday, July 6th 2012: 7 miles @ 10:49 minutes per mile. Early morning run, chased by two dogs and later got chased by A CAT! For a few minutes I was chased by a cat! I wish I had my camera with me. Hilarious. That was a first. Unlike the dogs, it didn't try to bite me.

That night I ran another 6 miles @ 10:55 minutes per mile on the Jem Trail. The storm clouds I saw were incredible. I took lots of pictures worth a separate post in the next few days.

Saturday, July 7th 2012: Hurricane Trails River Run. The review is HERE.

My primary goal was to get in 40 miles for the week. My secondary goal was to get chased by a cat. Everything went perfectly and I achieved both goals.

Hurricane Trails River Run Race Report

It's been a long time since I've actually "raced" in a race. Usually I just go for a good time. But at the Hurricane Trails River Run this morning, I decided I'd push myself to see if I was a man or a Muppet.

The course includes 515 feet of elevation gain over four miles but most of the course is fast and runnable. Basically you run down a canyon to the river bottom and then run back out. The first mile ticked away at 8:18 and I was feeling good. But we hadn't gotten to the tricky parts of the trail yet.

Since I've been doing almost all training on trails, I felt right at home when the trail got more hairy and technical. This race was radically different from the 100 miler in May. In the ultras, you have to be very patient and not let yourself get into the danger zone. But for this race I felt comfortable pushing the whole time. The only problem was that I was sweating roughly the same amount as if I had a sleepover in a sauna.

Finally we got to the meat of the course where you climb a few hundred feet in 1/2 mile. That hill is nothing compared to the Zion 100, but enough of a climb to get your attention. I caught a few people at this point.

We had one last climb before the home stretch which seemed to be a good excuse for everyone (including myself) to take a little walk break to catch our breath.

And before I knew it, the finish line was in sight. One last kick and I was there. Not even any chunky burps.

My friend Tom Dansie is the race director and I appreciate the time he put into the race. Additionally, race directors earn serious bonus points when you see something like this at the finisher's table. I ate until my stomach threatened to make a deep-fried mess on my shoes.

My friend Cherie Santiago (a guru at UltraSpire, and one of the most giving people you could ever hope to know) designed the shirts. It is an unspoken rule that you never wear the race shirt on race day. Which is exactly why I wore it. At the end my shirt looked like it was sprayed with a fire hydrant.

I loved the Hurricane Trails River Run. I love the atmosphere of races. I love trails, and how when I pass somebody they say "Good job" and I love telling someone "Good job" when their legs have more kick and they pass me. I love pushing my body to see how much it is capable of. I love the feeling of crossing the finish line knowing that I worked hard. And I definitely love stuffing myself with doughnuts at the end. Yes. I definitely love the doughnuts.

Running With Butterflies and Unicorns

"If you run hard, there's the pain - and you've got to work your way through the pain.... You know, lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond."  ~ Bob Clarke, NHL Hall of Fame

Sunday, June 24th 2012: 10 miles @ 13:19 minutes per mile. I was out of town for a family reunion and was surrounded by new and beautiful trails so I broke the no-training-on-Sunday rule. We were in Heber City, Utah and I snuck away for a few hours on the Dutch Hollow trail network.

I ran around a spider web of different trails. No, really. This was a SPIDER WEB of trails. And by “spider web of trails” I mean I was running through spider webs for most of the 10 miles. I didn’t love that so much.

After around an hour I came across some flowers (actually, weeds) that were covered with butterflies. They were everywhere.

They weren't afraid of me getting all up in their grills to take pictures so I ended up snapping a lot.

I was happy to find a double track road to run down for my last two miles. It had some shade and was thankfully absent of spider webs.

Tuesday, June 26th 2012: 5 miles @ 9:56 minutes per mile. BEMPWR (Boring Early Morning Pre-Work Run).

Thursday, June 28th 2012: 6 miles @ 10:50 minuts per mile. I looked back at my running log and realized that this was the first time I’ve run on a Thursday in 71 DAYS! I never planned it that way, but it just worked out that my running shoes haven’t seen a Thursday in two and a half months. Weird.

Saturday, June 30th 2012: 14.6 miles @ 12:19 minutes per mile. I met up with my friend Travis to run on the Barrel Roll trail.....which I have affectionately re-named The Surface Of The Sun.

It was around 90 degrees and my body was not thrilled. Over those 14.6 miles, this is how my thoughts progressed:

1) "Why does it smell like a burning dumpster fire? Oh, yea. That's my skin."
2) "Why couldn't my hobby be Chinese Checkers instead of running?"
3) "Either I'm having a heat stroke, or those are unicorns trotting next to me."
4) "Devil, I've got a deal for you."

There isn't a 7-11 within hundreds of miles so I tried to make a deal with the devil. "Dear devil, I am willing to sell my soul for a pina colada Slurpee." He didn't take me up on the offer.

We planned to do around 20 miles, but got back to the car at 14.6 miles to refill our water. I didn't admit that I was about to upchuck, or that every ounce of fluid in my body had leaked out of my skin. At the car we seemed to have an unspoken agreement that we sere sick of running on the sun and we called it a day. So we left. And I never got that pina colada Slurpee.