This Week in Running 11/19 - 11/26 - Plus Desert Running

Happy Thanksgiving!

Day	Mileage / Workout	Comments
Sunday	10	Marathon Pace / easy long run
Monday	Off	Off
Tuesday	7	Solid effort throughout
Wednesday	7	All Easy
Thursday	4	Thanksgiving Turkey Trot
Friday	5	Desert Run along I-93
Saturday	6	Run through the ATV Trails in Elko, NV
Total miles for the week: 29; YTD: 2011.5

Week's Summary

This week was primarily an easy week.  Early on, I was still feeling the after effects of the Vegas marathon.  So even on Sunday, my long run felt extremely sluggish.  It wasn't until Tuesday that I started to feel better.

By then, though, I was starting to save my energy for Thursday's annual tradition of the Bountiful Turkey Trot.

So all in all, it was a recovery week.

On the plus side, we are receiving the benefits of an extended warm fall here in Salt Lake, so it is still shorts weather.

Also this week I cracked 2000 miles for the year.  This is the second year in a row I've done that.  I don't think all the extra mileage is helping me, but I certainly enjoy logging them.

Friday Run

Over the weekend I went to Wendover and I woke up on Saturday with some sort of plan to drive out to some place new, park the car and just see how far I could go.  Then I discovered there was a race on Saturday morning in Elko, so I decided just to go easy -- just in case I decided I wanted to run the race in Elko.  I wound up just taking a stroll down I-93, south of West Wendover.  I only went a few miles and I am sure I got a few WTFs, because I-93 doesn't take you to another town for at least a 100 miles.  Really nice running though:

Saturday's Run

On Saturday, I realized the Elko 5K wasn't going to fit into our plans.  So despite it being 28 degrees out (it actually felt quite a bit warmer) I decided to go exploring.  

I've run most of the roads around the Red Lion hotel, but this time, after studying a map, I found a road I hadn't run down yet.  

As I made my way south of town I missed the road I wanted to turn on.  So instead of back tracking, I kept going on the shoulder of the highway.  I was studying my map on my phone and figured I'd catch the next street up.  

Of course, I stumbled upon a trail and I remembered a person telling me that the trail system (unofficial from what I could tell) was a good place to run.  It basically consists of several miles of ATV trails.  So I decided to go exploring and I was really surprised at what I found.  Highly runnable trails.

I only scratched the surface there and I suspect I could go a lot further, but it was nice to get out and snap some pictures, as well as see a bird's eye view of Elko.

Weight Loss Progress

My weight loss is coming along nicely.  Nothing drastic, but I know I definitely blew it over Thanksgiving.  I was in Nevada over the long weekend and that meant scoring free / discounted buffets and I definitely indulged.  So you'll have to stay tuned... I need a week of eating clean again to get back on progress.

Upcoming Races

01/14: St George Half Marathon - St George, UT (probably - weather pending)
02/11: Winter Striders Race Circuit 5K - Ogden UT (Confirmed)
02/25: Winter Striders Race Circuit 10K - Ogden UT (Confirmed)
03/04: Legacy Half Marathon - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)
03/18: Winter Striders Race Circuit 10 Mile - Ogden UT (Confirmed)
04/08: Winter Striders Race Circuit Half Marathon - Huntsville, UT (Confirmed)
04/15: Salt Lake City Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed) (2017)
04/29: Winter Striders Race Circuit 30K - Huntsville, UT (Confirmed)
11/12: Las Vegas Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)