Kendall

DEER CREEK TRAIL (Out & Back)

One of the best kept secrets on the Wasatch. Perfect evening.

Trying to post with phone but not working out.

DEER CREEK PART DEUX

Mixed it up a bit from yesterday. Up little deer creek trail skirting the private land and fence up to cascade springs. Cascade springs up steep road to summit and down dirt road a dew miles then hopped off heading down the valley hooking back up to the deer creek trail. 3 miles back to the parking lot with a quick stop to jump into the lake to cool off.

Feeling really lousy. Low energy and slow.

1.5 warm-up. 7 x 400 at <6mm with .2 mike walk in between. Finished with 1 mile at 5:40. .75 cool down. Half hour weights. 

Downhill miles.

4 easy miles. Tapering for El Vaquero Loco.

Not a typo.

EL VAQUERO LOCO

Beautiful 50k course just outside Afton, Wyoming. Race went about as well for me as it could have gone. 9,000 vert of climbing and I went after it. A conservative 3:08 at the turn-around and 3:33 coming back with the 8 mile downhill section all uphill (5th fastest time after turn-around).13th overall with a pretty fast field out front including Luke Nelson who won for the 6th year in-a-row.

6.5 on the treadmill, shaking things out. Legs felt a lot better after run than before.

Another treadmill run followed by some weights.

WASATCH TRAIL RUN SERIES (CORNER CANYON)

2.25 mi warm-up / 8.3 mi race (including .4 extra miles going off course--all uphill of course). Ended up tied for 6th (?) place.

Why I thought this was a good idea after El Vaquero Loco on Saturday is still a mystery. Felt great for the first 2.5 uphill miles, then final mile or so still climbing wiped me out. Tired legs kicked in and I started to unravel. Downhill wasn't much of a relief struggling to keep a good pace going. Guy in front of me wasn't going to be caught and I had a good gap on the guy behind me so I decided to figbt just to hold my position. Coming down Clarks at a pretty good clip took a wrong turn and headed quarter mile back up the trail. I saw the error of my ways about the same time one of the lead guys was on his way down having also taken the wrong turn.

I latched on to him and we ran a fast 2 miles downhill to the finish passing one runner who had passed me on the extra distance--no harm done just a lousy time. 

Post race fell into a crazy dilusional slump. Dizzy, slurring my words, seeing spots...what the heck!? Feeling a little better since but wow.

On a positive note the view from high up corner canyon of the sunsetting, smoke filled sky was exceptional. 

Six nice and easy on the treadmill. Going to work my way back up to it again with the set-back on Wednesday. (Certainly some fatigue but nutrition most likely played a larger role in the melt-down.) 

DEER CREEK TRAIL

I really like this run. Headed up early Saturday afternoon for an easy 15 up on the west side of Deer Creek (starting at the dam). I knew there was a chance of thundershowers Saturday afternoon and there were a  few dark clouds hanging around but nothing too threatening.  

A few miles into the run I noticed more dark clouds starting to form and some lightning over Heber Valley. It was still pretty far away and isolated. I reached the turn-around at Soldier Hollow and a light rain had just started and the thunder picked up. I ducked under some of those massive trees there at the trail head to see if it would pass. I waited a couple of minutes and headed out again as it didn't look like anything too serious.

1 mile from the turn-around a couple of flashes of lightning and the crack of thunder got me a little nervous. The trail on the west side of the lake is cut right into the side of the mountain leaving the trail fairly exposed with as it travels across fields and open land with nothing more than sage brush and some occasional scrub oak--I felt exposed. The storm was closing in and the lightning and thunder were now a continuous serious of flashes and rumblings.

I found a spot under some scrub just as it started to hail and hunkered down. I sat nibbling on the hail and trying to stay warm as the hail turned into rain. Lightning was everywhere. It was part comical and part holy $@%#. Every time a close one hit I'd laugh a little thinking "I'm a goner." I stayed right there for close to 45 min +/- and the rain wasn't letting up. I was shivering so badly that I was weighing the options of freezing death vs struck by lightning.

Thinking it may be time to get moving inspite of the downpour, one big strike just to the north of me sent me back for a few more minutes. I had had enough of sitting there and jumped up from my little hideout immediately slipping and falling in the mud on the embankment. 

The rain continued but the lightning seemed to stay to the east and horizontally above vs striking down. I'd grit my teeth and do that ducking thing every time I'd see a flash of light. It took a few minutes to get rolling again but after half a mile or so I found my stride and started moving along. By the time I reached the truck the rain had slowed. I was wet but warming up and felt grateful to have come through that okay. It was beautiful, terrifying and quite an adventure. 

Super unmotivated. Went to the gym late. Got on the treadmill 3 diff times. Just couldn't do it.

GROVE CREEK

PR to the spring 45:14 (only 3 miles, 2100 vert). Thought I might get a RT PR but lost my daylight and had to pull back. 3 min slower than RT PR (5 min slower down). Fun to move fast uphill.

Treadmill Intervals

1.5 WU, 6 x 400 at 5.50mm, 1 x 800 at 5:50mm, 1 x 800 5:30 mm. .75 mile CD. Probably need to work up to 800's+ on my splits. Dripping sweat. Good workout.

5 mile HIKE into Uinta's. I'm counting it.

CLOVER SUMMIT elevation 12,425 ft.

Went from camp just up the scree slope to the top of Clover. Running Saturday.

UINTAS

7 on treadmill. Knees still pretty swollen and banged up from rock hoping with overloaded backpack last weekend.

MOUNT OLYMPUS

Easily the hardest (short) hike on the Wasatch. 4,200 ft vert in just over 3 miles.

Got off to a good start then off-course for over a mile when I mistakenly jumped on the BST. Really ticked me off and from there I was grumpy and ready to quit. Kept after it but it was a whole different deal after the extra miles.

I don't recall ever sweating as much as I did on this hike. Western facing, hot, sweat soaked cloths and constantly wiping and dripping sweat heading up. I bet I lost 5+ lbs and had only 1 bottle.

Met a kid sitting on a rock heading to the summit. He was done--exhausted and had thrown in the towel. I coaxed him off his rock and drug him up to the summit with me. I stayed with him coming down as the sun had gone down and this clearly wasn't his thing. Turns out his gal had dumped him earlier that day. I told him to post a picture of him at the summit as kind of a "hey...I'm good...look at me!." Nice kid.

Drag two liters of Powerade and ate two Del Taco bean and cheese burritos when I got down. Got on the scale and was still 4 lbs under weight.

Tough hike.

ALTA-BRIGHTON LOOP

Didn't quite run the route I was after. Need to study the map a bit more. Fun day out nevertheless.