Saturday, July 26, 2014

This week in Running 7/20 - 7/26


Day Mileage / Workout Comments
Sunday 6.75 miles trail run Met my boss and did a run in Bountiful, Utah up to Elephant Rock
Monday 9 miles Medium pace throughout. Solid run
Tuesday Off
Wednesday 6 5 miles at roughly half marathon pace. Solid run on the bike trail
Thursday 7 miles Decent run despite eating WAY too much during the day
Friday 4 miles Nothing but easy
Saturday 15 miles Slow run at roughly 9:22 pace for the first half and then died from the heat / tiredness in the final 3 - 4 miles. Not bad having done a long run in a while.
Total miles for the week: 47.75 - YTD: 1039.25

Well this week I opted out of all races.  The Morgan Valley Half Marathon was calling my name but I couldn't justify the $80 (plus service fees) entry fee.  None of the other local races appealed to me (many were labeled as fun runs or had taken place on Pioneer Day) so I boosted the mileage up for the week and focused on mileage; the fall marathon season is rapidly approaching and I am anticipating a 2 week lull in training in mid-August due to vacation plans.

One of the highlights of the week was running up to Elephant Rock in Bountiful.  This is a well kept trail with about 1200 feet of elevation climb in just over 3 miles.  The first mile is tough but after that it just turned into a mild ascension.  I wish I had brought my camera on the trail as there were some really nice views of Bountiful once you made it to the top.  But it was threatening rain (it was thundering) so I opted to leave the phone in the car.  I am not super big on trail runs -- I am a klutz and I always wind up eating it... but I successfully managed this one (although almost face planted a few times).

I also did a long run on Saturday of 15 miles.  My legs were pretty beat up from the week's training, it felt extremely warm, and it had been a while since I've done more than 13 miles.  I saw / met a bunch of people on the bike trail on my run which helped lift my spirits.  Amazing how many people I talk to on any given long run.

Also I cracked 1000 miles for the year.  I've always wanted to crack 2000 for the entire year, but I don't think it is going to happen.  April's calf strain and some easy weeks will make doing that feat a bit challenging in 2014.

Upcoming Races

Next weekend I am doing a 7K race up where I used to live in Cottonwood Heights.  It starts and ends at a fancy / nice restaurant called La Caille.  It will be pricey but I am hoping to try out some of the food.  On the plus side, I'll have an instant PR for a 7K.  I can't remember ever running a 7K before.

In about 2 weeks, I spotted the Sandy Moonlight Classic 5K coming up.  I ran it last year (My Review Here) and it should be a fun, low key race -- plus it is cheap -- under $20.

Running Photos:

The trail to Elephant Rock starts near the LDS Temple in Bountiful.  I managed to snap a few pictures of this beautiful and very large building (which can be seen from the interstate several miles away - the pictures really don't do it justice).  

One thing to note is that if you are on the east side of Bountiful, you'll encounter a TON of deer.  They are literally everywhere.  On the drive around the area I spotted at least a dozen. They were in people's back yards, on the golf course and in open fields.  

LDS Temple in Bountiful

LDS Temple in Bountiful

LDS Temple in Bountiful

One of many deer in Bountiful

Elephant Rock Trail Map from my Garmin

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