Running on Eddie

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Guns and Hoses, Pleasant Grove Utah 5K

On Saturday, 6/22/2013, I decided to run the Guns and Hoses 5K in Pleasant Grove Utah. I jumped into this race on a whim -- for only $20 and I had never been to Pleasant Grove.

Pleasant Grove is a tiny community nestled near the Wasatch mountains in Utah County. It has a mix of old, nostalgic houses as well as new modern subdivisions. You can definitely tell that the downtown area has some history to it. Many of the buildings looked like they were built in the early 1900's. Some of the surrounding houses also were built in the mid 50's -- potentially earlier.

The race has a police / fireman theme to it. Since it is their strawberry days festival, many of the public workers were ready for a parade and worked as course marshals as well as lending their equipment to host the race.

The race started about 5 - 10 minutes late. For a different style they started it off by using a flash bang grenade. Suffice to say, you don't want to be anywhere near one of these...

The race was billed as not hilly, but I thought there were some rolling hills. While none of them were back breakers they did play a part in the race. There were only a few sections of truly flat sections. However, for each uphill there was a generous downhill return.

I felt good at mile 1, clocking in roughly a 7:15 mile. I was starting to feel it at mile 2, which included a significant uphill section. I haven't looked at my split yet, but I am guessing it was close to 7:45. While the 3rd mile was mostly downhill, I was having a hard time getting leg turnover... again probably leftovers from the full marathon I did 2 weeks ago. I did close the 3 mile race course (it appears that the course was short) in 22:45, enough for 3rd place in my age division. Not sure what place overall, but I am guessing in the 20's to 30's. They had a solid turnout as well...

Afterwards, I did a cool down through the neighborhoods, grabbed a donut and a water and took off. I believe you had to outright win your age division to get an award. They did give away free pins / medals to all finishers. For $20, I enjoyed the race and it was nice to experience a new community.

I am slighly disappointed with my time, but again, for a few weeks post marathon and working to get my speed back, I'll use it as a tough workout / tune-up race.

Lower Bell Canyon Hike, Sandy Utah

On Sunday morning, we decided to make the hike to Lower Bell Canyon Reservoir in Sandy, Utah. This trail is located about 5 minutes from our apartment and is a 30 minute, 1/2 mile hike to the reservoir itself. It is billed as an "easy" family-friendly hike.

When we arrived the area was filled with cars. We had to park about a 1/4 mile from the trail head. The trail head itself is surrounded by upscale houses but it quickly ascends and climbs into the mountains (it starts at about 5000 feet).

Shari was a good trooper with the hike despite the heights and the arduous climb. I had run 10 miles in the morning and I was worried it would take a toll on me, but I was fine. The trail was well marked, easy to follow and in some spots had steps. It was well maintained and one that I could see easily doing by myself.

After about 30 minutes of climbing we did come to the reservoir. It is ice cold and actually felt pretty good, but you can only take it a few minutes at a time. I did get in up to my waist and lasted about 2 minutes. There were plenty of people up there and while I wanted to go a bit further on the trail, Shari was cooked. Going down seemed a bit more dangerous than going up, but it certainly took less time.

Enjoy the photos:

The view of the valley from above

reservoir run off at the bottom.

the reservoir

Freezing cold but feeling good!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

2013 South Jordan Country Fest 5K

Last Saturday (6/15/2013) I decided to run a 5K -- the South Jordan Country Fest 5K, located in South Jordan, Utah. Mind you, I haven't run a 5K since February and I had just run a full marathon the week before. You may even ask "What the heck were you thinking?"

Well, here is what I was thinking.... I wanted to get in a "quality" workout and the race was pretty affordable (about $25). I had also run the race last year and won my age group with a mediocre performance. I figured that even with another average performance I could do a repeat, get in a good workout and have a little bit of entertainment.

I felt pretty good Saturday morning and the temperature was ideal. Instead of a blistering hot day it was actually in the low 50's. The race was supposed to start at 7:00AM but was delayed for a few minutes.

I didn't expect to do awesome in this race and I just hoped to be able to run low 7 minute miles. I was able to do the first mile in about 7:15 which felt challenging yet doable. I didn't feel like I was pushing the envelope, but that the pace was something I could hold. The second one I hit at about 7:30 or 7:45 if I remember correctly. There were some hills here and some of the miles from last week's marathon started to affect my turnover. I think I gutted the last mile out in about 8:00 minutes.

The course was long -- my Garmin came up with 3.27 miles. I finished in 24:25, my slowest 5K to date (and equivalent to an easy 5K training pace a few years ago). I was okay with that in some regards because I wasn't particularly concerned with my time. You can see the results here. Also, a change from last year is that I was lumped into the over 40 group so I was competing against everyone in the over 40 age group (where as anyone younger than 40 had their own groups). So no age group award this year.

Once I finished the race I was able to recover quickly and took off for a 4 mile easy run down the bike trail. I normally don't run on this section of the bike trail (except after work a few times) and I was pleased to see quite a few runners getting in their miles.

Overall, I am disappointed with my time. I figured more of a mid 22 minute performance. I guess given that the course was as long as it was, I am not surprised. Either way, I did enjoy my run -- although I was sad to note that I didn't know anyone there. Usually at races (particularly in Illinois) I would know a ton of people -- here I didn't know a soul. Hopefully that will change as I frequent more and more local races.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Millcreek Canyon - Pipe Line Trail

On Sunday, I went to Millcreek Canyon -- about 15 minutes from my apartment. I had heard about this canyon but didn't know much about it. I was pleasantly surprised with its popularity and the trails there.

Normally after a marathon I have no interest in doing much walking, but to be honest, I felt fantastic and decided to go for a hike. I pulled off at a random parking lot and jumped on the trail.

There were plenty of people on the trail: cyclists, runners, walkers and plenty of people with their dogs. It was really nice to see happy dogs frolicking around in the streams and loping around. The trails were nicely marked and pretty well maintained (figures -- you do have to pay $3 to get out of the park).

The trail I stumbled upon was mostly flat. I expected cooler temperatures there, but they were only marginally so. I don't think the drive / elevation change caused that much of a difference.

Either way, I did do about 2 hours of hiking there and it was really nice. I am not sure I am ready for hard core trail running yet (I am a bit of a klutz and was constantly tripping and rolling my ankles on rocks) but this is a place where I can easily see myself visiting again.

Enjoy the photos.

Post Race - After the Bear Lake Marathon

After taking my 30 minute soak in the lake, I toweled off (actually evaporated off) and jumped back into my car and headed back into the heart of Garden City. At this point, the water stops had been abdoned despite people still being on the course and I only saw a few people on the course. I was feeling pretty good although I probably smelled like lake water.

I stopped back at the race start and used the very nice public facilities to get dressed in fresh clothes. Usually getting dressed after a marathon, particularly where you can't sit down is a tough deal, but due to the cold lake I was moving around pretty nicely. I put on my new shirt and shorts and proceeded to make the hour trip back through the canyon into Logan.

Now, in the morning I had made the trip through the canyon when it was dark. This time I got to see it in all of its glory. Let me tell you, it was astonishing just how much there was to see. I stopped a few times taking pictures of meadows and an aerial view of the Bear Lake / Garden City. There were a few spots for camping and hiking... it was just incredibly green and lush. Probably one of the most incredible drives I've taken in a while.

The Logan River hugs most of the road back into Logan. At times this was a roaring brook and at other steams a quiet stream. You are also changing elevation, mostly going down at this point.

An hour later, I arrived back in Logan and as tradition dictates, I stopped in at Golden Corral. I am slowly visiting every Golden Corral in Utah and this was my chance to knock off the Logan one. This one was an all right one (my favorites are still the Layton and Midvale ones), although to be honest my appetite wasn't that great. I doubt I got my money's worth but I ate well enough...

I had gotten some requests to get more cookies for people in the past 24 hours, so I proceeded to go north and I revisisted the cookie factory. I dropped another $20 on crackers, cookies and even got a free loaf of bread. I also picked up a flavored water for the way home.

As I was making my way back into Logan, however, I started to feel faint and queasy. I suspected my electrolytes were out whack, despite eating a full meal. I drank more water and warm Gatorade, but I still felt awful. I wound up cranking up the AC in my car, which eventually helped. Up to the point, I was considering pulling over, getting a hotel room and taking another ice bath. Something really caught up with me and luckily I was smart and knew how to cool myself down. By the time I left Logan I was fine but it was a scary 20 minutes or so.

The 2 hour drive home was scenic, although the roads were fairly congested with weekend travelers and the normally sedate freeways were filled with speeders and it was crowded. I did see a roll-over accident on the 15... it happened about 30 seconds before I got there as I saw a blume of dust scatter over the free and saw the overturned car. It was on the other side of the freeway, but it was definitely causing people to slow down.

I did arrive home safe and sound and sat in the apartment's pool for a good hour. The drive through the Logan area was definitely incredible and I would have loved to spend more time up there... I can see this as another weekend trip later in the year when they start their Raspberry days.

Arial view of Garden City

A meadow off the canyon road.

Some guy obviously married a very good woman here! Wow!

Logan Utah Golden Corral where marathon champions eat.

Shirt and medal

My entire cookie and cracker stash.

Bear Lake Marathon - Knocking Idaho off my state's list

On a whim I decided to run the Bear Lake Marathon located in Bear Lake / Garden City Utah. I had just run a marathon about 3 weeks in Ogden and this marathon afforded me the opportunity to claim Idaho off my 50-states list. Not that I am trying real hard to knock off all 50 states, but let's just say I am working on it.

The race starts in Idaho, about 4 miles north of the border and runs along the east side of Bear Lake, before rounding the southern edge of the lake. You then run north on the west side of the before finished in downtown Bear Lake.

Bear Lake is definitely a resort town, featuring some small ma and pa restaurants and some charming lake side houses. The lake is sky blue and cold. It seems to be an attraction for anglers and those doing water skiing. The beaches are very rocky but seem to be popular for wading in the water or just sunbathing.

I had to be at the race at 5AM to pick up my bib. I had set my alarms at 3:45 (3 of them!) but I was up at 3:15 after a fairly decent night's sleep. I am glad I got up early as it afforded me more time to eat and pack up my stuff. I ate some Life cereal caveman style (just straight up) and drank some Gatorade. I also filled my Camelbak and headed out for the hour trip through a canyon.

I only saw about 3 other cars during the entire trip and I was sort of worried I was going to run into an animal on the way back. There were many signs warning of cattle, deer, and S-shaped curves. It was pitch black and unfortunately I couldn't appreciate the views (more on that later).

I arrived at 5AM at the race start and picked up my bib. I sat in the my car for a while and got on the bus to take me to the marathon start. I should've claimed my seat on the bus instead of dawdling in my car. I had seen 5 buses and figured that I'd certainly have a seat. No, only the first two were reserved for marathoners--- this was a small race. All the seats were filled, so I had to choice to either stand or find some place to sit -- which I did. The bus was completely packed but I quickly made small talk with a woman from Streamwood.

About 45 minutes later, the bus dumped us off in Idaho. I saw many people start to use the bushes as a make-shift restroom -- including women. The race said it would start when all the buses had arrived and all the buses had arrived. So I knew this was going to be a makeshift race. I used the bushes too -- there were only 3 porta-potties.

About 5 minutes later a guy drove up and unceremoniously started the race with a simple ready-set-go. I started to question whether or not this was legit. Again, I only paid $60 for the race so this was as low budget as it could be...

There were maybe 150 marathoners there -- tops. This was a different breed though. Many were there to run 2 marathons in 48 hours. The race company had had a marathon in the previous day in Idaho so many were Marathon Maniacs and were proudly sporting their tank-tops. There were also many walkers. Some had even started before the race had officially begun...

I took off at a low 9 min per mile. Since we were running on the east side of the lake, we were largely in shade as the mountains blocked the sun. We were in constant view of the lake and while the course is largely billed as flat, there were some gently rolling hills. Like clockwork, there were water / Powerade stops every 2 miles or so. I was wearing my camelbak and thank goodness I could still drink. The temperature was in the upper 50's and within a few miles I was breaking into a good sweat.

Also, along the side of the road I could see carcasses of deer -- bones that had been there for months or years. And it wasn't just one every now and then, it was every quarter mile. I suspect they get a lot of accidents up there and just leave the animals to rot on the side of the road.

The run was quiet with minimal car traffic as we hugged the east side of the lake. There were some nice state parks / camping groups that we passed by and as the race dragged on, I looked longingly at the lake in order to cool off. I know the race was going to get more difficult the minute we got to the south end of the lake as it was bathed in bright sunshine. Also, as the race progressed it got warmer.

I also forgot to mention that the race is at 6000 feet elevation, so running was definitely more labored.

I definitely felt more in control in this race compared to Ogden. In fact the wheels didn't real come off until about 16, when all the rolling hills (which seemed mostly up, by the way) and the heat started to take its toll. My 9:00 minute per mile pace suddenly dropped off and it was all about maintaining my strength, dealing with the oppressive heat (when I left the race, my car said 71 degrees), and deal with the blazing sun.

The final 10 miles were pretty tough. I could feel the heat continue to take its toll on me and as I approached each aid station I gulped plenty of fluids. My time continued to fall off and the final mile I probably rolled in around 13 min / mile (it doesn't hurt to mention that the last mile was 100% uphill). I was also starting to get nauseated and I felt a calf cramp coming on, which luckily never happened. The final line was pretty sparse -- a jumbo "Finish" arch, a couple of soldiers handing out medals, and minimal cheers. This is a small time marathons folks -- so if you are looking for bands, crowds, and the all the trimmings, you won't find it here.

There really wasn't any crowd support in this race, although I did sort of make friends with a cow bell ringer who was following the race and a woman who was supporting her husband who happened to be from Kenosha...

I finished in 4:39 (according to me -- they haven't posted the results yet) -- my slowest marathon yet. Again, I jumped into this marathon on a whim and only 1 week of tapering. I wanted Idaho off my list and I already told myself that this race was all about the experience and not about placing well. Don't get me wrong -- I was trying out there, but I let myself off the hook and just let whatever be, be.

The shirt is actually a pretty nice one. The medal wasn't terribly fancy, but will suffice. The post race spread consisted of lemonade and water. Of course, they had some Pepperidge Farm cookies, fruit and candy bars. All in all, for a bargain marathon I felt it was run pretty well.

After making sure I was okay (and talking with many people) I made the 4 block walk back to my car. I drove about 5 miles down the course (seeing a lot of the walkers and hanger-ons coming in) and pulled over at a parking area and headed to a super rocky beach. I went in shorts / t-shirt and just sat in the water for 30 minutes. Most people looked like they were amazed I could be in the water for that long, but it was heaven.

The water was bone chilling cold, but you know what -- it felt awesome and the soreness and tiredness in my legs and hips vanished by the time I was done. In fact, today, Sunday, I was half tempted to go for an easy run -- I felt that good. So for those that are reading this -- jump into an ice bath -- you will feel much better.

All in all, this was a very good experience. Sure my time wasn't that great, but I definitely got to check out a beautiful section of Utah, bonded with some kindred spirits along the race and afterwards (many of them were from Chicago, by the way) and all in all, had a great time.

Now for the drive home....

Smiles all around. Notice the sunburn

Just about ready to go for a Swim

On the other side is Idaho, I am in Utah

I started running somewhere on the other side of the lake.

And ran along that side as well.

and around the lake....

Garden City is below...

Logan Utah

This past weekend, I decided to make a trip up to Logan Utah. I had rented a room at the Days Inn up there in order to run the Bear Lake Marathon, up in Bear Lake.

Logan is probably the last major town in Utah before reaching Idaho and it is off the beaten track a bit (meaning it is about 30 minutes from the interstate). I was expected a sleepy idyllic little town, but instead found a thriving community.

It is primarily noted for its cheese, as they do have a unique cheese dealership up there (I didn't visit however, there was no way I could buy cheese and bring it home). It is also home to the Utah State University.

I had taken the day off from work and left around 1pm and arrived at about 2:45. I couldn't check in to my hotel quite yet and definitely wanted to do something before calling it a night. The drive, upon getting off the freeway and driving through Brigham City, is absolutely stunning. About a 15 mile ride through a meadow filled canyon... It was certainly less brown and more lush feeling. Too bad there wasn't any place to pull over and take pictures, but I found this to be really pretty -- also it was up hill... as Logan seems to be a bit higher up in elevation.

I drove down the main drag and decided to visit the Pepperidge Farm Cookie Factory located in Richmond, Utah (just about 14 miles north of Logan. It is an outlet store where they sell discounted and factory second cookies. Upon arriving, I was greeted with shelf and shelf of cookies. I quick bought $20 worth, and upon getting to my car, decided that wasn't enough and went back in and bought another $10 worth. Money well-spent in my opinion as they make great gifts and I can share them.

Logan is a full-featured city -- they have all the name-brand stores, Kohls, Sports Authority, Golden Corral, Olive Garden, and a mall. Again, I was under the impression this was a sleepy little town.

I headed back into town and checked into my hotel... I must say the Logan Days Inn is very clean. Usually Days Inns are questionable but this one had its act together (Thanks TripAdvisor.com!).

Upon unpacking and making sure I hadn't forgotten anything, I decided to go for a walk. There were a lot of old buildings, ma and pa shops, and restaurants along the main drag -- so I decided to take a stroll. Also, I had spotted an Italian restaurant that I thought about trying -- but I was also tempted with Chuck-A-Rama's all you can eat shrimp night.

I decided to go with Italian - despite having spaghetti for lunch. I chose Gia's Restaurant on account it had gotten good reviews on yelp. It was pretty empty when I arrived but the service was good. I got a large shrimp spaghetti. The shrimp was generous and of the good quality, although I think they killed the spaghetti with too much garlic and onions. There really wasn't a hint of basil in it and the tomato sauce seemed a little bland (maybe the garlic over powered it). Either way, I was amply fed, but it still hasn't measured up to my all time favorite Galati's in Cary, Illinois.

After dinner, I walked around and took pictures of the Mormon Tabernacle and their new church. The town itself reminded me a lot of Lake Geneva Wisconsin as the streets were tree lined and it had that cozy, neighborhood feel to it. Also there were some older houses that obviously had been built a long time ago.

After a 2 mile walk, I decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel. I didn't want to be on my feet much more on account I had to run a marathon in the morning. I wound up watching I Dream of Jeanne, Bewitched, and other reruns on the Classic TV channel, before turning in at 9:15. I had an early morning to be ready for (my alarms were set for 3:45AM).