This Week in Running 9/10 - 9/16

Glad I can run and enjoy views like this

Day	Mileage / Workout	Comments
Sunday	Off	3 Miles of Hiking
Monday	5	Had heart burn. Hard to run.
Tuesday	8	2 Miles at 16:15, rest medium to easy
Wednesday	5.25	Medium with 1 mile of strides
Thursday	7	Wanted to go hard but body wasn't on board
Friday	5	2 Miles at 5K Pace -- rest fairly easy
Saturday	16	Long run
Total miles for the week: 46.25; YTD: 1262

Week's Summary

This week was very productive.  I managed to get into the mid 40's in terms of mileage.  My long run seemed a lot harder than it should've been.  My knee injury has certainly derailed a lot of my training.  On the plus side, it did go okay and I managed to get the mileage in that I needed to.  My focus right now is on the Las Vegas Marathon and building up my marathon level endurance.

Also, on Tuesday I set out to run a 5K.  Just a mock race.  You know what? It was hard... After 2 miles I thought my lungs were going to explode.  I could've grunted it out -- no worries on that but it was the first time I had done any sort of speed work in a very long time.  I was certainly not used to the mental strength that I needed to endure to hold on to my pace.

So I stopped at 2 miles.

And right now that has been my speed work out.  Go hard for 2 miles.  It gives me a bit of speed and endurance.  Hopefully doing this once or twice a week will start firing my long neglected speed muscles.

Knee Injury

I graduated this past week from physical therapy.  I will continue to do my exercises and am scheduled to check in early in October.  

My knee is definitely better.  Most days I am at 100%, but occasionally I still feel it.  I am never sure whether to train through it or take some more time off.  I am definitely WAY WAY better than where I was in mid July.

Upcoming Races

I need to fill up my "dance card" again. It is fall and I am itching for a race.

11/12: Las Vegas Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
04/21: Salt Lake City Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed (2018))

Smith Lake Hike - Wells, NV

Smith Lake

Introduction

After spending the night in Elko and after having spent the previous day hiking and running, I needed something to keep the trip entertaining on the way back.  I had last hiked to Smith Lake from Angel Lake in 2015 and found it entirely enjoyable.

The action starts at the top of the Angel Lake exit off of the west exit on I-80 in Wells, Nevada.  When the road is serviceable (basically summer through fall), you take it about 11 miles up and park near at the non-pay / non-camping section of Angel Lake (the first right hand parking lot).  In the back of the lot is a trail that you take, open a gate and travel about 1.25 miles to get to the lake.

The trail is very easy to follow.  However, it is a bit of workout, as it involves about 750 feet of climbing over the course of a mile.  The views of the Wells valley are incredible.

The lake itself was tranquil and appeared like a miniature version of Angel Lake.  It was quiet there and I only ran into two sets of people on the trail (and they were coming back).  It seems popular with people who want to fish there and I saw plenty of fingerling fish breaking the top of the water.

Smith Lake is an ideal place for a quiet picnic and there were plenty of spots to sit back and relax.

The trail does end at the lake, but you can poke around around the lake or do a bit of trailblazing further to the west.

I should also point out that the smell was just intoxicating as well, particularly near the lake.  I got the familiar "Juicy Fruit Gum" smell that I just love, despite there not being any wildflowers in bloom (this trail is awesome in July when the flowers are abundant).

Enjoy the photos:

Powerhouse Trail - Lamoille Canyon, Lamoille NV

Introduction

After finishing 13 miles uphill thanks to the Race to the Angel Half Marathon I needed to kill some time before I could check in the hotel and actually relax for a bit.

So that left with me some time to do some exploration.  I had done a little bit of research and tried to find an "easy" hike.  There were a few in the area but they didn't sound too interesting.  I remember hearing, though, of another hike that was in one of my favorite canyons: Lamoille Canyon.

Lamoille Canyon is about 25 minutes south of Elko and after eating at Red Lion and getting a heavy-duty dose of caffeine, I headed out.  

This trail is located practically at the entrance of the canyon.  You basically go in about 2 miles from the road and at the first pull-over section you'll see this sign:

There is plenty of parking here.  The trail head is across the street (you'll see the trail sign from the first picture of this post).

The trail is easy to follow (don't take the jeep trail when you first start) and very well maintained.  In fact, I found it be a highly runnable or bikeable trail.  

I found some posts that said that the trail is about 3.5 miles long.  I believe the forestry department has been expanding it.  I went 4 miles -- one way -- and I suspect the end was yet another half mile or so.  

Initially the trail does a lot of switch backing and that is where the initial elevation appears to come from.  However, it was very manageable and I never felt like I was really going hard.  You can see the route I took and the elevation gain by looking at my Garmin Dump. 

After about a mile, the trail starts to hug the northern edge of the Ruby Mountains.  There are some stunning views of rock formations and the Lamoille / Spring Creek valley below.

There isn't a lot of shade on the trail, so this is best done early in the day or in the spring or fall months.  There isn't any water sources either, so be sure to carry plenty of hydration.  I had cell reception the entire way.

There were two other couples on the trail -- both with dogs.  So it is a family and pet friendly trail.

The trail wasn't super spectacular but it was just what the doctor ordered for me.  I did the entire 8 miles in about 2 and a half hours.  I was pushing the pace, however, so your time requirements may vary.

Enjoy the photos: