Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon Trip Recap

Introduction

First off, this post really isn't about running but about the long weekend trip I took to partake in running the Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon.  I mostly do these types of posts for myself, as occasionally I like to take a trip down memory lane.

Either way, I did take a bunch of pictures of the events that transpired as well as eat at some new and interesting places.  So someone out there (besides me) may find this useful.

Friday

I took a half day off from work and left around 11 AM to make the roughly 3 hour trip from Salt Lake City to Elko, NV.  Normally, I wouldn't have taken a day off, but I had to be in Elko by 6 PM pacific time to get my bib.  

Of course, I planned on stopping in Wendover on the way out.  I like their Friday morning buffet and I had earned enough points on my previous visits to acquire a free meal.  It has been a while since I was there for a Friday as I love their seafood ciappino soup.  We stopped at Montego Bay and I knew better than to gorge but I definitely ate enough to get my money's worth.

After eating, we decided to let the food settle for a bit and gamble.  They had 8x comps so we wound up playing a bit there.  My belief is that when they up the comps, they seem to make the machines tighter.  Whether there is any truth in that remains to be seen.  I did get some entertainment for my dollar and earned back some of the comps that we had used for breakfast.  I left a little lighter in the wallet so I suppose we paid for our breakfast after all.

The rest of the trip to Elko was pretty uneventful and by mid-afternoon we reached the place where the packet pickup was being held.  It was pretty much an easy-in, easy-out and I double checked exactly where I needed to be in the morning.  

Before making the trip, I had discovered that this weekend's race corresponded with the Elko Motorcycle Jamboree.  This basically meant that all Harley Davidson, black leather wearing rider was going to be there.  They had blocked off most of the downtown area so I made the short walk from the outfitter's store to the downtown area. 

I was pretty impressed with all the classic cars and biker swag for sale:

The crowd looked a little rough but generally speaking people were well-behaved and I didn't have any incidents with loud or obnoxious people all weekend.

It was pretty warm to be walking around so we got back into the car and made our way back to the Red Lion, which was the hotel I had booked for two nights.  Usually I get a room free for a night or two, but being that it was motorcycle weekend, they weren't honoring the free room vouchers unless you were a far higher roller than me.

The Red Lion is a nice hotel and I recommend staying there if you are ever in Elko.  For $200 I got a pretty decent room that was super sized.  It was close to the casino, which had me worried.  Normally you get the drunks coming in from the casino at 2 AM in the morning talking in the hallway but I was only disturbed once or twice.

We gambled a bit at the Red Lion and I actually made back some of my money.  I played a variety of machines and was actually getting a lot of entertainment and actually cashing with some minor wins.

For dinner we walked across the street and ate at Jr's Restaurant.  It is part of the Gold Country Casino, which is affiliated with the Red Lion.  I've never had a bad meal there.  They seemed to have new menus and I carb loaded with some spaghetti.  Very good and the cost was offset by some coupons I had.

We wound up gambling a bit more but nothing terribly exciting happened.  By 8 PM we decided to call it a night and watch some TV.  I had to be up early the next morning.

Saturday

I slept like crap -- as usual before the race.  I always have worries my alarm isn't going to go off or some unforeseen tragedy occurs.  Couple it with sleeping in a strange bed and feeling kind of warm, made it a difficult night.

In the morning I ran the Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon, which you can read about here.

After the race, I wound up hanging around the park for a good 90 minutes making small talk with whomever I could strike up a conversation with.  It was just a beautiful morning and I enjoyed every minute of my experience doing the race.

After the race and loitering around, I made the roughly 30 minute drive back to town.  I cleaned up and decided to head on over to the Gold Dust West.  I was dying of thirst and they have self-serve sodas there, which I used to quench my thirst.  We also gambled there quite a bit, since they had given me a tiny bit of free play via the mail.

I wound up winning a minor jackpot on Fu Dao Le, which definitely put me over the top:

$120 minor jackpot win

I wound up putting back some money but overall I left a winner, which is the first time ever at the Gold Dust.  Shari wound up hitting a minor jackpot too on some bonus wheel game:

We wound up using a $5 off coupon for lunch.  I had a salmon + fries, which was good.  Service was a little slow and I wouldn't recommend their cafe to vegetarians.  It was pretty barren of any non-meat items.  Sure you could go with pancakes or a salad, but it needed some non-meat alternatives.  The food was good though...

After eating we thought about going back downtown to check out the motorcycle show, but I was crashing pretty fast and so we decided to head back.  I tried to nap for a bit, but I was over caffeinated and over stimulated.  

I think we gambled a bit and I wasn't doing terribly well.  So I decided to read by the pool.  Normally Elko can be pretty warm, but it was 75F at best so I only lasted a few minutes in the heavily-shaded pool.  It was refreshing but their pool is pretty small.  If it was warmer, I would've stayed in a lot longer.

After cleaning up, we headed back across town to Dos Amigos Restaurant.  I've been itching to try the place for a while since most people we talked to liked it.  They were prompt with service and the portion sizes were huge.  It was a team-service method so people were constantly assisting us.  I was never quite sure who our server was, but either way, my hunger was definitely satiated.  I also ran into a fellow runner at the restaurant who I met at the race.  It was good to see a somewhat familiar face.

After eating we went back to the Red Lion in hopes that our names would be drawn for their random hot seat drawings (spoiler alert: it wasn't).  They had a Father's Day special of earning a small toolset if you earn 350 points.  I came up slightly short and I wasn't really willing to chase it for a $10 tool (you probably have to gamble a couple hundred to get that many points -- granted you win some, you lose some).  I wound up doing okay and by the end of the night my wallet was a little heavier with money but I certainly wasn't cleaning the place out.

Sunday

In the morning, I stumbled out of bed and attempted a 5-mile-ish run.  I was extremely sore from the half marathon but the more I ran, the better I felt.  It was nice to take some pictures.  I even discovered the Elko bike trail and put in a short distance on that:

Elko Bike Trail

After cleaning up, we packed up and made our way eastward to Wendover.  We had a 2-for-1 buffet pass and they were offering 4x comps.  So with whatever money we had left, we'd use it there.  I am happy to report that when I left Elko I pretty much had the same amount of money in which I came -- minus tips and petty change.

Breakfast, as usual was awesome and I ran into a friend of mine who said the slots were hot.  I really didn't expect them to be hot, but just about everything I played, I made a small but tidy profit on.  I also got quite a bit of entertainment for my money.  Also, the longer I played, the more comps I made, so I have more freebies coming my way next time I go.

I did get a couple of hot hits on the bonus wheel game, including a 5x payout on a $10 win (just missing the 50 times).  I also got 50 free spins which netted me another $55.  Some machines I didn't do well on, and clearly were primed for me.

I actually came out ahead gambling-wise.  It wasn't a huge success, but anytime I get a lot of entertainment, free meals, and more money in my wallet, I am happy.  Shari didn't fare as well.  She tends to bet more aggressively than I do so her fortunes tend to swing wilder in either direction.

Hopefully I can make it back to Elko for their 4th of July celebration.  I did it last year and I had so much fun that I really want to do it again.  So hopefully something will work out.

This Week in Running - 6/12 - 6/18

Day	Mileage / Workout	Comments
Sunday	5	Mostly medium with some speed pickups thrown in + hike about 10 miles
Monday	5	Normal paced run.
Tuesday	7	4 x .5M in 3:45 average with .12 mile break between reps
Wednesday	4	Easy
Thursday	7	4 - 5 miles at half marthon pace. Rest easy
Friday	Off	Early morning run. First half really good, second half, not so much
Saturday	13	Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon
Total miles for the week: 41 YTD: 1115

Week's Summary

This was a pretty uneventful week to say the least.  I did manage to get in 1.5 speed workouts though.   The one on Tuesday, I held back a bit on account that I wanted to be somewhat fresh for the half marathon.  With the week's temperatures being fairly reasonable for mid-June, I also got in a tempo run on Thursday, which I ran at a comfortable hard pace.

My overall volume for the week was pretty average -- maybe down a few miles than usual.  Again, I wanted to come in fresh for the half marathon.  I also got in some decent cross training / preparation for my trail half marathon at the end of July by hiking 10 miles on Sunday.   Being that I don't have a marathon on the near horizon, I can afford to try and get by during these dreadful hot weeks.

Friday's Half Marathon

This Friday I am doing the Provo Midnight Half Marathon.  This race starts at 10 PM but it will still be somewhat hot out.  I am hoping my legs will have recovered from the Lamoille Canyon half.  I was able to run with some soreness on Sunday, but Monday it seems almost worse.  That is usually a fact of the matter after running a course with nearly 3000 feet of elevation drop.  

I don't have any time goals, other than to not blow up from the heat and try to run as evenly as possible.  I always enjoy the race as it gives me an opportunity to stay out late and do something a little different.

Upcoming Races

06/24: Utah Midnight Half Marathon - Provo, UT(Confirmed)
07/31: Black Hawk Trail Half Marathon - Black Hawk, Colorado Confirmed
10/09: Lake Tahoe Marathon (Very Probable -- hotel booked)
11/13: Las Vegas Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
04/15: Salt Lake City Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed) (2017)

Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon Race Recap - Spring Creek Nevada

Official Time: 1:48:00
Placement: 27th overall, 2nd in the 45 - 49
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Low 40's to start, Upper 50's at finish.
Garmin Dump: Here

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:33	A really tough uphill section and then all downhill
2	8:27	I should be going faster, but running at 8000 feet elevation is tough.
3	7:54	More downhill
4	7:33	Mix of up and down -- bathroom break here too
5	7:41	More downhill
6	8:01
7	8:33	Actually had to work here.  Felt like I was going to blow up though
8	7:53
9	7:56	Back to coasting on the downhill
10	8:08
11	8:34	At this point, mostly flats with some mix of uphill and downhills
12	8:36
13	9:01	Legs are shot.  Come on finish line.
13.12	1:05
Total Miles: 13.12 - 1:48

Introduction

For a while now, I've been targeting the Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon.  I feel in love with Lamoille Canyon in 2013, when I went to Elko on a whim and went hiking there.  So just about any chance I get, I try to go back there, get some hiking and revisit the canyon.

Looking for a weekend getaway, I planned the race and decided to give it a go.

Like a lot of Utah races, the Lamoille Canyon is a mainly downhill race.  It starts roughly at 8800 and finishes somewhere around 5500.  If you've read this blog for any length of time you know that I am not a super big fan of downhill races.  Sure they produce fast times but in my opinion they are punishing physically, hard to control the pace, and substantially increase the risk of injury.

However, knowing how much I like Lamoille Canyon, I decided to give this race a go.  I had toyed with doing the marathon, but after my lackluster race performance in Ogden, I decided to just do the half.  Yes, I felt like a puss "only" doing the half, after finishing the race, I was glad I had reigned in my running enthusiasm.

The Race

The day before the race, I drove from Salt Lake City to Elko -- about 3.25 hours away.  Packet pickup was at an outdoor clothing store, which was super easy to find (Elko isn't that big).  Swag consisted of a nice tech shirt, some food samples and a sticker.  They even had some throw-away gloves, which I was glad I took.

I woke up around 4:15 after a rough night of sleeping.  As usual, the night before a race I slept poorly.  I think all the excitement of the day as well as pre-race jitters had me on edge. 

After eating a light breakfast, I assembled my stuff and made the roughly 30 minute drive to Lamoille Grove -- a community park about 1/2 mile from the entrance to Lamoille Canyon.  There was ample parking and I easily found the coach buses.  

After using the park's bathrooms, I jumped into the first departing bus and made the roughly 20 minute drive or so up to the top of Lamoille Canyon.  

Lamoille itself was about 54 degrees, however, at the top the temperature had dropped quite a bit.  I figured it was in the lower 40's, perhaps upper 30's.  Luckily, I had brought some extra clothing and only had to kill about 45 minutes up there.  It was just nice soaking up the atmosphere.  

On the way up, we saw the full marathoners had started the race an hour earlier making their way down the canyon.  I didn't have a real good view of them, but I think most people said there were only about 10 of them (did I mention that I was SO thankful I hadn't done the full).

For a small marathon / half marathon, there were people from all over.  It would seem a lot of people traveled to run this race.  A lot were ex-Elko residents and a few who were just in town passing through and decided to race it.

The race started at 7 AM.  At first, I thought we were going to start at the top of the canyon loop and simply end at the grove.  However, in the past they used to have to run an extra lap around the park to make it 13.1 miles.  They have since changed it so that you run about 1/4 mile (or so) UP to the top of the canyon and then back down.

As soon as I started running I was breathing heavily.  I don't know how everybody else got off to a good start, but I was gasping for air from 10 yards in.  Then I remember, I was at 8800 feet and everything is SO much harder.

Luckily the uphill is short lived and after circling around the top of the parking lot I started my descent.  It still felt hard to run and it wasn't until about mile 3 that I felt like I could breathe.

Part of me was really worried about how fast I was going.  I was easily cranking out sub 8 minute miles.  I suspected it was harder to control my pace versus just going for it.

For the most part the descent wasn't too bad and I wasn't feeling any pain points, other than a cranky Achilles tendon once in a while.

I was on for a fast pace, so I didn't take any pictures of the absolutely gorgeous scenery.  I've photographed a lot of the canyon, which you can see with this tag.

Around mile 6 or so, I encountered the first section of flat / uphill.  My pace went from flying to almost crawling (it seemed).  My legs just seemed to not respond and I was laboring a great deal.  I think all the pounding they took from the early miles had run me down.

Luckily a fellow runner ran with me for about the next 3 - 4 miles. I normally don't talk to people during a race -- I am too focused on my own pace but this was a nice respite.  Both of us were making the same pace.  I hadn't run with too many people in the race, since it was small and many people were well ahead of me.  So Heather -- if you read this, thanks for the company and may our paths cross again!

The final 5K is flat with some uphills.  You are basically out of the shaded canyon and now into the glaring sun.  While the scenery was beautiful, you definitely had to maintain your own running power.

The race organizer only had 3 water stops -- one of which had Gatorade.  I had read that before hand and was so GLAD that I had brought my own flask.  With the rising temperature and the glaring sun, I was taking more and more hits from my canteen as the race progressed.  I think I would've suffered a great deal without it.

All in all, my pace wasn't too bad and in fact, I haven't run sub 1:49 in a LONG time.  While I hate to mark these types of courses as PRs because they are giving a HUGE benefit to the runner.  It was very nice to have a good overall time.  Granted, the last 2 miles felt like I was dragging an anchor.  Thankfully, I wasn't being chased by anyone and I even managed to nab second place in my age division.

Conclusion

Overall, I was really happy with this race.  They kept the price very reasonable ($65 for week of registration) and while it wasn't terrible formal (no chip timing) everything went according to plan.  If you ever visit Northeast Nevada, make Lamoille Canyon a must-see on your visit.  It is just gorgeous and most people don't even know it exists.

There was a good sense of camaraderie at the race too.  I didn't know anyone there but I easily struck up conversations with a variety of people.  Probably the friendliest group I've ever run with.

The scenery for the half marathon is just incredible.  It was really an honor to be able to run this course.

I am glad I didn't run the full.  It was warm and seeing the second half of the course, it would've been a massive sufferfest.  My legs would not have been able to tolerate the final 15 miles of flats after 11 miles (or so) of the massive downhill.  I talked to a few of the marathoners and I got the impression it was a lot of hot, not shady, dirt roads with not a lot to look at.  I probably would've been walking after mile 20.

The medal and age group award were pretty basic.  If you are a medal hound, you probably won't be impressed.  Nothing too fancy.  They had a free pancake breakfast, free ice cream and the usual spread of post-race food.  That included water, bananas, granola bars, and chocolate milk.  Awards were fairly prompt and there were plenty of room to sit in the park and just bask in the shade or sunlight.  Just a perfect setting and I was happy with my experience from start to finish.

Pre-race park area

I definitely plan to do this one next year.  Yes, I am incredibly sore, but this made for a perfect long weekend and I had a lot of fun.  I would definitely shy away from the full and while my ego took a hit from not doing the long race, I did have a great half marathon.

Mormon Pioneer Trail Hike - East Canyon - Salt Lake City, UT

View from the Top of the Trail

Introduction

Last year, I had the opportunity to explore the Big Mountain Trail.  I noticed while I was there that there was another trail called the Mormon Pioneer Trail.  This trail is located up route 65, midway between the I-80 and Morgan. 

The Mormon Pioneer Trail is a historical trail that follows the path of the original Utah settlers as they came into the Salt Lake Valley some 170 years ago.  I don't know how they got their wagons down the trail and it must've been a massive undertaking.

The trail is also unique in that you generally start at the head of the trail at the top and work your way down to the Little Dell Reservoir.  This route is about 5 miles long (each way).  The decline isn't terrible and actually the trail is used by cyclists and runners alike.  It isn't rocky and the ascent is generally forgiving.  Keep your wits about you, as some of the cyclists were a bit aggressive and were cruising down the trail at breakneck speed.

This trail hugs the Route 65 road and you can almost always hear cars passing by.  So I never really felt like I was "out there".  Also, the trail crosses the road a few times and you have to walk through a campground to follow it.  

Most of the views can be found at the very top and the bottom near the reservoir.  The rest of the trail is surrounded by trees and to be honest, wasn't terribly exciting.  The trail, however, was pretty shady and is good for a sunny day.

I shot a lot of photos and I hope to run this trail some day as I think the footing is reasonably good and would provide a hard, but not gut busting workout.

Enjoy the photos!

This Week in Running 6/5 - 6/11

Mount Olympus in the distance. Taken on my long run from the "420" bridge

Day	Mileage / Workout	Comments
Sunday	7	Easy - Did hiking on Saturday so my legs were dead
Monday	7	Nice paced run
Tuesday	5	Easy run - 1 mile of strides at the end
Wednesday	7	Medium paced again with 1 mile of strides
Thursday	Off	Too hot and too tired to run
Friday	9	Early morning run. First half really good, second half, not so much
Saturday	13,5	Long distance run
Total miles for the week: 43.5- YTD: 1074

Week's Summary

This week was really difficult for me.  We are now suddenly in summer and it has gotten a LOT warmer.  The past few days have been in the mid 90's.

Having come from Chicago, I know what heat + humidity is like.  Utah's weather tends to be just hot and with a lot less humidity.  It still makes it difficult to run in though.

I normally run around 4:30 in the afternoon -- or the minute I get in the door from work.  But for the next 2 - 3 months I'll probably be running around 8pm.  This makes it really difficult for me to fall asleep afterwards and basically I have to kill around 3 - 4 hours after I get off from work.  It also means timing my meals so that I am not starving but not running with a full belly of food either.

I did do an early morning Friday run.  I got up at 4:15, through on some running clothes and headed out the door.  It was sort of weird being out that early and there weren't that many people on the trail.  Yes, there were a few other runners but it was a pretty lonely and kind of sketchy experience.  On the plus side, with the cooler weather I did run quite a bit faster.

Still No Racing

I toyed around with doing a race this weekend.  There is a major marathon in town (as well as half) and there was also a big downhill half.  I've run a few downhill races and while I can usually get a decent time, my knees wind up paying a price.

Also this week I really felt flat.  Part of it is the hills and part of it that I am paying a bit of a price for all the spring time racing I've done. 

Next week I intend to change that.  I'll be heading west on Friday afternoon and looking to take down the Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon.  I had intended to do the full, but since the Ogden Marathon, I haven't really felt up to it.  Lamoille Canyon is one of the area's best secrets and it is a gem to hike.  The full starts at the very top and I would've loved to have come running down it.  My legs though probably would not have appreciated it.  

Upcoming Races

06/18: Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon - Elko, NV Confirmed

06/24: Utah Midnight Half Marathon - Provo, UT(Confirmed)
07/31: Black Hawk Trail Half Marathon - Black Hawk, Colorado Confirmed
10/09: Lake Tahoe Marathon (Very Probable -- hotel booked)
11/13: Las Vegas Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
04/15: Salt Lake City Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed) (2017)

This Week in Running 5/29 - 6/4 + Desert Trail Run

Leppy Hills Trail along the Nevada / Utah border

Day	Mileage / Workout	Comments
Sunday	Off	Off
Monday	7	Trail run along the Nevada / Utah border
Tuesday	5	Medium paced - 1 mile of strides at the end
Wednesday	7	Medium paced with some at tempo pace
Thursday	7	All easy
Friday	Off	Walked several miles though.
Saturday	Off	Hiked
Total miles for the week: 26 - YTD: 1026.5

Week's Summary

Well there isn't a whole lot to report this week, other than I am sort of burned out.  Ever since the Ogden Marathon, I've been feeling really slugging and almost unmotivated to run.  Feeling unmotivated to run is a HUGE new one for me.  I never feel like not running.

I really started to feel it on Sunday.  I went to West Wendover for a long weekend run and normally I can squeeze in a run on Sunday morning before we leave . Unfortunately, I couldn't muster up the energy for it.  I figured I'd run aways on Monday morning.

On Monday morning I felt bad.  Like hang-over bad.  But I am a teetotaler and I had gone to bed at a some what reasonable hour.  I just felt drained.  As I was making my way through the Nevada desert on their remote hiking / biking trail I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to call to have someone pick me up.  I just felt woozy.  However, about 3 - 4 miles into the run, yes it took that long, I got into somewhat of a groove and managed to complete the run.

Leppy Hills Trail along the Nevada / Utah border

Add caption

Leppy Hills Trail along the Nevada / Utah border

Throughout the week I had mixed feelings about running but I am a creature of habit, so I did do my runs.  However, on Friday I noticed my Achilles tendon really hurt... like enough for me to put on ice on it.  I hadn't run since Thursday and hadn't felt it at all at work.  It was as if my Achilles decided to take notice.  I had felt a little bit of a twinge on Thursday but nothing all day.  I have had Achilles problems before and let me tell you -- they aren't fun.  It took me about 3 - 4 months of almost no running to get over the injury in the winter of 2009.  I do NOT want a repeat of that.

No Racing This Weekend

I had toyed with going to Casper Wyoming and making a long weekend out of it by doing the Casper Half Marathon.  Faithful readers may recall I did the full marathon in 2014 and I had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.  However, with the my sagging energy levels, a somewhat cranky Achilles and a friend from out of town coming in, I opted to go for a hike up to Lake Blanche.  It was a nice way to cross train and while hiking on a rocky trail isn't really recovery for a cranky injury, it was a good training exercise.

Lake Blanche with Sundial Peak

Ugh, It's Summer

This week also brought us temperatures in the mid to upper 80's.  I am really not a fan of summer running.  I tend to get off of work by 4 PM and I am on the bike trail by 4:30.  Now, with temperatures scorching hot (and in the 90's) I have to adjust my training to either run in the morning or after 7:30 (or beyond).  I am not really a morning runner -- I tend to want to get to the first order of business and that is work.  So the next couple of months for me are a little frustrating.  Perhaps I'll make an effort to do some morning runs. The thought of waking up at 4:30 (or so) doesn't appeal too much to me.

Upcoming Races

06/18: Looking at the Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon

06/24: Utah Midnight Half Marathon - Provo Utah (Confirmed)
10/09: Lake Tahoe Marathon (Very Probable -- hotel booked)
11/13: Las Vegas Marathon (Confirmed)
04/15: Salt Lake City Marathon (Confirmed) (2017)