This Week in Running 12/10 - 12/16 + Little Black Mountain Hike

Day	Mileage / Workout	Comments
Sunday	3	Hiking plus a bit of a trail run.
Monday	5	Smoggy gross air, so easy run
Tuesday	4	More bad air
Wednesday	7	Average run but with some fartleks thrown in
Thursday	5	Slow run, burning calories plus 1 mile of strides
Friday	5	Basic run
Saturday	14.5	Long run at 9:25 pace per mile
Weekly: 43.5 YTD: 1744.5

Week's Summary

This past week was challenging.  The week started off casually enough but as it wound its way through, the Salt Lake / Northern Utah area got thicker and thicker with smog.  The inversion was at its worst and most pundits were saying that you should exercise indoors -- or worse -- not at all.

I got through it and kept the mileage during the bad days fairly mild.  I wasn't quite sure if I was doing myself more harm then good.  I have a bit of a streak going having run at least 3 miles every day since before Thanksgiving.

My knee feels good and I have still been doing my exercises.  My weight is up, unfortunately.  I've made some poor lunch time decisions and I gained a few pounds.  I am being more diligent about what I put in my mouth.  I am finding that as I age, things I used to be able to get away with, I no longer can.  Ugh.... I was warned this would happen.

Saturday's long run also went well.  The weather was ideal and the air was crisp.  I probably could've gone a bit longer, but I I don't have any super long races on the horizon so I dialed it back a bit and working on maintaining a consistent pace.

Trail Run

To start the week, I did a little bit of trail running.  Faithful readers will remember a few weeks ago I did the Little Black Mountain Hike and just found it incredibly enjoyable.  The path was well defined and highly ideal for running.  I made a mental note to make it back there and actually run on it.

On Sunday, I wound up running the trail (at least the downhill part -- about 3 miles) and actually made it to the top of Little Black Mountain.  It was a great day for a run / hike and I put in nearly 8.5 miles total.  I also got a chance to climb both of the Twin Peaks of the Avenues.

I also managed to get above the inversion layer, which you can see in some of the pictures below:

Twin Peaks of the Avenues

Upcoming Races

Believe it or not, I was really hurting for a race this weekend.  Since I had done pretty well at the Independence Run I wanted to thrown down the gauntlet and run another one.  

Unfortunately, this is the time of year when the race scene gets pretty thin.  I have, however, been taking advantage of the coupons race directors have been throwing my way and my "dance card" is already filling up for 2018.

12/31: Beat the New Year 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
01/18: St George Half Marathon - St George, UT (Confirmed)
02/03: South Davis Recreation Center Sweetheart's Day 5K - Bountiful, UT (Probable)
02/03: Sun Marathon (likely the half) - Santa Clara, UT (Maybe)
02/10: Candy Heart 5K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

03/03: March Madness Half Marathon - West Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)
03/18: St Patrick's Day Half Marathon (6 Tunnels Half Marathon) - Las Vegas, NV (Unlikely)
04/21: Salt Lake City Marathon (Half) - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed (2018))
11/11: 2018 Las Vegas Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

Little Black Mountain Hike - Salt Lake City, UT

Little Black Mountain

Introduction 

The other day I was looking for a fairly mild hike to do.  I had read about a local hike that looked viable given the late time in the season -- Little Black Mountain.

This hike is located near the Avenues section of Salt Lake City -- an area kind of near the University of Utah and kind of near the downtown area.  The trail is easy to find and there is ample parking located at the end of Terrace Hills Drive (Map)

There are two trails at the cul-de-sac but the one trail that leads to Black Mountain is located in the north eastern section.  Here is a photo:

The trail starts off modestly enough and it is pretty wide.  In fact, most of the trail is highly runnable.  You'll likely encounter a lot of dirt cyclists as well as trail runners.  You can see the route I took here.  I came up with just shy of 3.5 miles to the top.

The trail climbs fairly steadily but for the most part it seemed pretty mild.  The worst stretch is right before the top of the mountain (and it is almost worse coming down then going up).  The trail was also fairly easy to follow, with the only turn being about a mile into the hike.  So long as you keep your eye on the mountain in the distance, you'll get there.

There are some awesome views of the city and surrounding Salt Lake valley.  And best of it, it doesn't require that much effort.  You could probably get the most payoff with just a fairly short hike.

There is no water on the trail and you probably won't be alone.  I saw dozens of runners, walk, cyclists and dogs.  There also isn't a lot of shade, so this hike is best done in the spring, early morning or late in the season.

I'd definitely do this one again.  The hike was very enjoyable and

Enjoy the photos: