Last Week: Oct 20-26

Sunday: Run 15 mi. including Humboldt Redwoods Half in 1:43:59. 7:55/mi. 
(in place of MRP run)
I did not feel good going into this race, but I gave all I had and was happy with the results. I just barely made it into my goal MRP range. Hopefully I'll be much more rested for the marathon and I can hold this pace for close to twice as long.

Monday: Run 5 mi.easy, not timed. Strength: Core, legs.
Matt and I took this one very easy. To be honest, I felt pretty wrecked. Sinuses and lungs were angry.

Tuesday: Run 8.25 mi. in 1:08:13.
I wasn't sure what to expect for this day, so I just ran it on feel.  It ended up being surprisingly good.

Wednesday: Run 7 mi: 4x1600m, 400m recovery Goal: 7:00ish. Strength: Core, legs.
Focusing on pacing, this workout felt a lot better than the previous track workout. It was also super foggy with a light drizzle. My sinuses love drizzle. I felt like I could do a few more!

Thursday: Rest!

Friday: 10 mi. in 1:25:57. 8:35/mi.
I didn't let myself go too fast on this one because I wanted to save a bit of energy for the 20 miler. It felt like a solid comfortable pace the whole way and splits that reflected the terrain proved that.

Saturday: 20 mi. in 2:52:53 @ 8:38/mi. Strength: Core, legs.
This run started out sluggish but finished strong. I was happy with that for my first 20 miler.

TOTAL: 65.25 mi.

Notes: My allergies and asthma haven't been nice to me lately and it really showed on Sunday.  There's not much I can do until the seasons change, so I'm pushing through until then. When my body asks for a rest day, I'll give it one. So far I haven't had to slow down or shorten runs, so I'm happy with that...but I won't hesitate to do so if need be.

Considering my energy level and that it was a 65 mi week, I'm feeling pretty good.  The twinge of pain I had on Saturday's long run is doing better after some serious massaging and rolling.

First Fall 20

Running along the Bottoms, tracing Matt's every step, I huddled behind him to stay warm and out of the wind.  Just thirty minutes ago at home, it was sunny and warm out.  Or was I imagining it?  I marveled at the fog pouring in.  Typically, fog around here accumulates in calm areas, not when there's a moderate headwind.  Blowing the fog directly off the ocean just half a mile away, it felt like a great atmospheric air conditioner blowing the 45F air even colder than it already felt.

I struggled to warm up even after five miles.  At least now we occasionally passed through sheltered areas, which surprisingly held no fog whatsoever.  Eventually, I warmed and was able to relax and the weight of the remaining miles became lighter.  I could do this.  Many of my runs lately have followed this pattern.  I'm slow to warm up, but once I do I find a groove and can hang there easily.  The vista point above Clam Beach was socked in with fog.  One can usually see Trinidad Head and the beach stretching out to it.  Today there was nothing.  We decided that beyond the sand was the edge of the earth.  How do people fall off the end? Surely the loud roar would alert them to the danger.

On a particular slanted section of the path below the vista point, I felt a strange twinge in my left thigh. It tightened up and became something of a loud roaring pain. I stopped momentarily to stretch and massage it.  A few minutes later, we moved onto the shoulder of a road and the ache loosened.  I focused on proper form and it seemed to make the hurt go away.

When we reached halfway, I was happy to have, at long last, the wind at my back.  The Hammond Trail is the hilliest of our 20+ routes. The overall elevation gain is similar to the city route, but this one has bigger hills.  Climbing up to the vista point, I urged myself to keep running.  Never on this hill have I been able to make it to the top without a walk.  Every muscle in my body was clenched tight in the final steps near the top, but for the first time, I'd made it.

Now back on the coastal bluff overlooking the ocean and with the wind at my back, I felt myself accelerating. I convinced myself to back off the pace until the last few miles.  It was a surprising contrast to how I felt the run would go in the first few miles. 

By mile 15, Matt and I played leapfrog with a group of touring cyclists.  They weren't going much faster than us and as they passed each time they cheered us along by saying how fast and strong we looked. 

With three miles to go, Matt and I were again running through the Bottoms, surrounded on all sides by lush green pastures, picturesque barns, and young calves.  I picked up the pace, focusing on form and the really cute animals alongside the road.  The touring cyclists were too.  We caught up to them just as they were snapping photos.  Three cameras out....and a flutist.  Standing on the road side in spandex bike shorts and next to what looked like a fifty pound bicycle, she played a roadside concert for the cows.  Maybe next time I need to run with my saxophone so I can jam with her?  Never know when the mood strikes you, I suppose.

I love fast finish long runs.  Nothing gives me more confidence than building a controlled progression over such a long distance and not running out of gas before the end:

In the absence of Dairy Queen, frozen yogurt works....if it is 90% fruit and candy.

Mold

This last month has been tough for me; in fact, every October since we moved here has been the same unexplained fatigue, no matter my activity level.  It pulls the metaphorical rug out from under me and send me crashing to the ground wondering what happened. 

Since it coincided with my first few weeks of training for CIM, I immediately turned to my training log. Had I increased too drastically?  Was I just out of shape?

Our fall weather is typically very windy and dry.  Mold is lifted from its summer growing spot and flies through the air like a great tornado.  When I had allergy testing done last fall, mold was revealed to be my worst enemy.

Of course I didn't put all the pieces of this puzzle together until Sunday when Matt watched me cross the finish line.  "You were breathing really loudly.  Much louder than you usually do."  He's seen me finish many races and tough workouts.  It often feels like he knows my body better than I do. We remind each other to watch our form on track workouts, we massage the other's tight spots; even having someone to say, "you look like you might need a day off" is a huge help.  We know each others weaknesses, strengths, and limits. I think it is the biggest key to both of our successes.

Unfortunately, there's not much more I can do about it.  I'm not willing to take more medications than I'm already on.  Most of the remaining options seem to be more of the immuno-suppressant variety and while I'm already taxing my immune system with hard training, the solution is probably not to suppress it further.  The only things I can do are keep my running clothes in the garage and shower immediately after a run, as well as running early enough that I don't run in the high winds that trigger my symptoms.

The good news is that I don't need to alter my training much and it is unlikely to really affect my race. If I feel like I need to slow down a workout to complete it or take an extra rest day, I will.  No big deal. I just have to wait for this season to pass. I'm confident it will just as it has in the past.  Until then, I will do what I can and wait for the winter rains to take the mold away.

Just this week, the weather has gone from 65F, sunny, and windy to 50F and foggy. I've already noticed an improvement. Surprisingly good run today. The weather has shifted back to fog, so I think this was the day my sinuses and lungs literally breathed a sigh of relief.  Pace still felt a little harder than normal, but not anywhere it was a couple of weeks ago.

Do you have a certain time of year that makes your allergies worse?  Do you train through it or pull back?

Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon

Last week was really windy and all the summer's mold growth flew through the air.  This caused my allergies and asthma to flare up and as a result, my sleeping this week was severely compromised. I was a bit sluggish during the warm up, but once Matt and I completed a series of strides, I could feel my body and mind shift over to racing mode.  I've had surprising good days after illnesses, so I let my mind forget the issues I had prior to the moment the starting horn went off.

This is the right way to warm up, right?

The first mile I went out at a restrained pace.  It felt comfortably hard and I just went with it.  This course is always very spotty for Garmin signal and the placing of mile markers.  Basically the only feedback you truly have is the turnaround at halfway and your own internal pacing cues.  Personally, I love that.  Aside from the pavement, this is the most wild race our club has.  Weaving through the giant redwoods on the freshly paved Avenue of the Giants, it feels odd to call a tough race serene and peaceful, but it always is.  Nobody around me was chatting, only the metronomic tick of our footsteps was heard. I turned inward, thinking about my breathing and how my body felt moving through this beautiful place.

I didn't run with a camera. I either took these during the warm up or cool down miles.

Mile 1: 7:48
Mile 2: 7:40
Mile 3: 7:48

By mile four, interestingly enough I was running right along the same man from last year.  His name is Bob and he lives in Sacramento but has been coming to race the half here for almost thirty years.  Remembering that he unapologetically threw water on me last year, I decided he could repay me by being my pace car for the day.  I shadowed him closely and followed his artful tangents across the curvy road.

Mile 4: 7:49
Mile 5: 7:58
Mile 6: 7:55

When we reached the turnaround point, I got caught up in watching for and cheering on my club friends and lost Bob.  I've gotten in the habit of cheering on club friends at all the races. If I know your name, I'm gonna wave and shout it out as I see you.  As a result, I get a fair amount of cheers back.  I was beginning to lose steam here, but the distraction of looking for others helped the miles pass quickly.

Mile 7: 7:48

Shortly after this mile, I could feel the fatigue piling on. It wasn't within my legs, but my lungs.  As I tried to maintain my pace, I had trouble calming my breathing.  My head went to that dark place.  "You know you didn't sleep well this week. You've been feeling sick.  We should probably just slow it down and give up now."  As if the good and bad angels were fighting on my shoulders, the other one, Positive Angel fought back.  "Shut up," Positive Angel barked, "We're doing fine.  This may not be our day to be fast, but we're doing great right now. Keep going."  Every time a negative thought came into my head, it was quickly thwarted by the positive voice.  "Those things last week don't matter.  What we're doing here right now is all that matters. Keep your head in the game."

Mile 8: 8:09
Mile 9: 8:11

I managed to keep my effort level just below where I began wheezing for air.  That was the only way I'd run my best race.  I focused my eyes on the freshly painted fog line on the road.  It glowed in the sunshine and was quite mesmerizing to look at as I ran along. Every aid station after halfway required twice as much time as normal because I had trouble breathing and swallowing at the same time.  Everyone that passed me for the remainder of the race did so there.

Mile 10: 7:22 (one of the places a marker was wrong)
Mile 11: 8:06

Poison Oak is so pretty this time of year.

Occasionally I caught up to another runner and stayed with them, letting their pace pull me along. It was comforting to shut that part of my brain off, even if briefly. Even though it isn't really true, I thought of the course and repeated to myself in a cheery singsong voice, "Downhill both ways, downhill both ways. Wheeee!!"

Mile 12: 8:33 (other incorrect marker)

Mile 12 sits just below the final uphill, the Hwy 101 overpass, of the race. The other three times I've run this race, it has been the only place I walked.  This time I allowed my pace to slow to whatever I needed without a walk.  Instead of forcing my gaze downward, I picked a strong looking runner about halfway up the hill.  I imagined we were tied together with a string.  "Isn't it nice that he's pulling us up the hill?" Positive Angel commented. "We should thank him later."

After the high point on the bridge, the rest is gravy.  A nice gentle descent to the last quarter mile awaited me.  This is where I began picking up the pace as much as my lungs could handle.  Up ahead I could see the bright sunny spot at the end of the course.  I emerged from the tunnel of the Redwood canopy and broke out into my best finishing kick.

Mile 13: 8:02

Y. Kim, SRRC photo credit.

The faster we run, the faster we're done, I repeated to myself.  Once again Lanore's voice popped into my head as the clock moved closer to 1:44.  1:43:55, :56, :57.  Suddenly I was running a pace that I thought only a charging bear would provoke and I crossed the line right at 1:44:00.

Last .1: 0:47

I regained my composure before grabbing my finish medal, the first time they've offered them to the half marathon finishers in many years. I wasn't sure if I had made it in under 1:44 (in chip time), so I returned later to find the official results:

Holy crap, I did it!  With one second to spare!

This year's time was less than a minute slower than last year (1:43:07).  If there's one thing that racing these three half marathons this fall has done for me it was restore my mental game.  Sometimes there isn't much you can do about the health you have on race day.  Interestingly enough, I had asthma and allergy issues for this race last year too.  (Mold is really bad in October and it is my #1 trigger allergen.)

The only thing you can truly control (also applies to life) is your attitude.  And at the 2013 Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon, I PRd in mental toughness and positivity.  I couldn't be prouder of my performance here.

Matt had a solid race, coming close to his Rogue Run time on this hillier course.  Since the half is the USATF championship race and draws all the fast runners, he was 68th place, despite an exceptional time of 1:20:48.

Y. Kim, SRRC photo credit.

Surprise on the Usual Route

I have several routes that I run each week. Most are the same repetitive two or three mile segments that can be expanded into runs that are as long as my 22 mile route. Today I did the smallest of the possible loops: the five miler.

I might as well be officially inducted to the neighborhoods on my running routes. I probably notice as much or more than the neighborhood busybody. I know when garbage day is, who just recently painted their fence, and even know when some people take their daily walk. It is kinda creepy, I know.

Today, at about mile 2.5 of my run, I encountered another runner trotting along slowly. Rarely do I see anyone else out running, so I smiled and waved while wondering to myself how anyone could run in basketball shorts that long.

When I rounded another corner near my mile 3, I saw him up ahead and easily closed the gap. He wasn’t going very fast at all. I crossed the street and ran on the sidewalk across from him. I didn’t want to be that asshole that pulled up right behind him and just sailed past.

To my surprise, when I continued on at the pace I had been going, he picked it up. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he was watching, deliberately trying to stay with me. Normally, the thought of someone following me (this neighborhood in particular) would scare me, but the wide city street between us brought me some comfort. I decided to mess with him a little. If he wanted to race, I could humor him.

I sped up. He did, too. I slowed way down. So did he. As I approached my next turn, I really sped it up. Surprisingly, he stayed with me, but Basketball Shorts was now sprinting his little heart out. He fell behind when my watch registered a 7:15/mi pace. Almost 3/4 mi. with me. Okay, so I was a little bit of an asshole, but it seemed like he was trying to provoke me. :) Props for keeping up for that long, dude (mile 3: 7:48).

My final distance home was uneventful. I think I’m going to take the next two days easy or off and rest for Sunday’s half.

5 miles, 40:05, 8:01/mi. and a nice faster portion in the middle.

Do you pick up the pace to keep others from passing you on training runs? Have you ever had an impromptu race with a stranger like this one?

I normally don’t race people, but I was in a weird mood today. Usually if someone passes me, I just convince myself that they aren’t going for as long a run. Usually that keeps me from pushing too hard when I know I shouldn’t.

Last Week: Oct 6-12

Last week was my first one of marathon training.  Until this point, most of my fall has been either hiking binges or dealing with the ensuing adventure hangover.  Sunday began with a race that was much hotter and stressing on my body than it should have been, but I did what I could and adjusted a few things to make everything fit.  Here's what happened:

Sunday: Run 15 mi. including the Three Bridges Half Marathon.
The course was too long and too warm.  Gutted it out and managed a finish with a pace close to marathon pace.  The overheating left my body a little wonky the rest of the week.

Monday: Run 3 mi. easy and untimed.
Beautiful sunny day.

Tuesday: Run 10 mi. in 1:25:56, 8:35/mi. Strength: Core, legs.
Let my body guide me on this one and these paces felt surprisingly easy and strong.

Wednesday: Rest!

Thursday:  Run 6 mi.: 3x1 mile, 800m recovery. Goal: 6:55-7:05. also Strength: Core, legs.
This was my first mile repeat workout since April. Unlike 200m and 400m repeats that I’ve been doing this summer, miles require a lot more discipline and skill than raw speed. Go out too fast and miles will eat you alive.

The first mile felt just like that: Awful. I went out too hard and then willed myself to finish. The second two, although slower, followed more of a negative split pattern each lap and I felt comfortable picking up the pace on the last lap. I’m assuming that with a little practice, I can hone the pace of these within a second or two of each other like I was doing this spring. Regardless, it felt good to get some longer fast stuff into my legs again. As has become tradition, I played “Devil Went Down to Georgia” for my final repeat. It has the perfect cadence and I feel like I can fly.

Friday: Run 10.25 mi. easy and untimed. Strength: Core, legs.
Matt and I chose a rural route that took us through farmland and had one giant hill in it.  It was a nice change from the city streets we often run on otherwise.

Saturday: Run 18 mi. in 2:53:27, 9:37/mi. 
Next weekend is our running club’s fall marathon/half/5K. We ran this on the half course (Avenue of the Giants) serving as the long run for the week and a reminder of what the course is like. We were happily surprised to see that the whole thing was freshly paved and still downhill both ways!

I felt like garbage until about mile 12 (my first 60+ mile week since spring will do that) but managed to rally and bring my final mile to between 7:45-7:55. As always, the scenery was incredible.

TOTAL MILES:   62.25

Notes: I knew it would be tough to recover from a half and have a high mileage week, but it felt as I expected it to.  Next week will be a recovery week and slight taper for the half.  I'm excited to run fast in the Redwoods again!

How do races fit into your training plan?
The first two half marathons were in place of long runs, the last one is instead of marathon pace.

Three Bridges Half Marathon

Also known as: The longest half marathon of my life.

In the two weeks leading up to the Three Bridges Half Marathon, I was the furthest from rested that I could possibly be.  After the surprisingly good day I had at the last half, I decided to at least start out at a brisk pace and see how it felt.  It was a beautiful cool race start and I figured I didn't have anything to lose, especially since this was just one of the half marathons I would be running this fall (three in all, final one on Oct. 20 on our home course).

The first few miles flew by in a blur.  Even though this race was over 150 miles from home, Matt and I have traveled to do a few long runs here on the Sacramento River Trail in Redding.  In fact, my all-time best long run happened here, just six months ago.  As I powered along through the first few miles, I told myself to save a little bit for the steep hill near mile 5.  I always have to walk it on my long runs, so I held back a little.  After two miles in, it was a gradual 400 ft. uphill to that steep spot. I told myself that the unlike most races, the first half would be the most difficult.  Just hold it together until then and then we'll go back downhill for the second half.

slightly pornographic race course

(all laps are with race mile markers)

Mile 1: 7:38.
Mile 2: 7:57.

This race is put on by the Redding Lions Club and all the race officials had their club vests on.  They cheered us on and directed our turns on the course.  About 2.5 miles in, a volunteer stood in middle of the path I thought we were supposed to go down.  Since I'm not completely familiar with the maze of trails nearby, I just followed the person ahead of me and thought we'd connect to the River Trail again somewhere later.  When the woman I was following reached a large parking lot and called out to me, "do you see the arrows?" I knew we were off course.  We caught up to a dozen runners that turned around and we began turning people back.  "Wrong way!" we shouted, only half of the runners realizing what we were saying.  A few runners angrily scolded the Lion that had directed us the wrong way.  That added about 0.9 mi. to my day.

Mile 3: 13:48.  (Actual: 1.85 mi.)
Mile 4: 8:09.

After that, I decided that with the way I was feeling and the extra distance, I knew I'd at least get a solid day in, I planned for 15 miles on the day anyway and figured this would just mean less miles after I was done.  No big deal.  I found a runner ahead of me and decided to keep myself glued to him for as long as I could.

D. Huddleston photo credit.

Mile 5: 7:56.
Mile 6: 8:28.
Mile 7: 8:24.

Mentally, miles 5-7 were the worst.  I crested the steep hill I had been saving some energy for with ease.  When I got to the top, I wondered to myself, this isn't it is it?  My split slowed dramatically, but I didn't walk any of it for the first time ever!  Win!

D. Huddleston photo credit.

I crossed the Ribbon Bridge, the course's high point just before mile 7.  I recovered from the hills and enjoyed the gentle downhill trail.  The runner I was tailing for the majority of the race was just ahead of me.  I would indeed trail him to the finish line.

Mile 8: 8:04.
Mile 9:8:19.

Now running directly into the unshaded sun, I felt it first in my fingers.  My hands swelled up like sausages.  I could no longer bend my fingers, so I ran along with robotic stiff hands.  Shortly after that, I began feeling dizzy and could only think of stopping to sleep in the grass.  I've done enough hot races and when this happens, all the warning alarms go off in my head.

 I caught up to the man ahead of me at the aid station.  He smiled and as he grabbed his second cup of water said, "It sure is heating up today, huh?"  When I reached for my second cup, I dumped it over my head.  The volunteer manning the station looked on curiously.  "I'm sweating just standing here," she said.

My sausage fingers were causing enough discomfort that they begged me to stop for a shower at the two drinking fountains I found on my way to mile 10.  I obliged.  For the next mile, my fingers couldn't stop praising me for my charitable act.  It was then I realized I was just running in "don't faint" mode.  Thankfully, the majority of the last 5K was again in the shade, but it was already too late.  I was kinda fried.

Mile 10: 9:21.
Mile 11: 8:31.

I hit the last aid station and again the volunteer commented on how the day was heating up quickly.  Although it reaches well into the triple digits in the summer in Redding, this time of year it is unusual for it to be almost 75F at 10am.  "I guess I better hurry up and finish before it gets any hotter!" I told him.

Mile 12: 9:09.

I look like death but somehow still have decent form.

Matt was waiting for me near mile 12 and I was surprised by how much of a boost his company was.  When we reached my Garmin's half marathon point, I noted the time, 1:46, just over the 8:00/mi. I had adjusted my goal to after learning about our bonus mile for the day.  Considering the way I was struggling with the heat, I was happy with that.  I really need to choose my destination races more carefully, I told Matt.  He ran along in jeans and a t-shirt, making my race pace seem like a walk.  When we crossed the Sundial Bridge for the final time, he sped off ahead and said he'd see me at the finish.

Mile 13: 8:14.

When the finish clock came into view I remembered something Lanore had asked us after the Medford race: "Couldn't you have taken just 18 seconds off (to Matt) and finished in 1:19(rather than 1:20:17) ?"  I noticed the clock ticking 50 seconds, 51, 52.  I dashed off in a sprint that I didn't even know I had and I crossed the finish line in 1:53:58.  One never knows when inspiring thoughts will pop into one's head. Thanks Lanore! :)

1:53:58.
14 miles (Garmin distance)**
8:07/mi.

**Normally I don't adjust anything for what my Garmin says I did, I just go with what the race distance is.  But when the race distance is clearly wrong, this is the best gauge of performance I can get.

Unsurprisingly, there was a huge gap in the results between 1:32 and 1:40.  The first dozen finishers were locals and knew the course, not taking the mile detour some of us did.  Because not everyone completed the extra portion, gun time was official, and only profound apologies were given at the award ceremony.

Surprisingly, my finish time netted me first place in my age group.  That just made all the suffering worth it.  Cherry on top of a satisfying day.

Or was it?

While we waited for our blizzards at Dairy Queen, we noticed they had a big screen TV with the Packers vs. Lions game on.  Okay, clearly my day just kept getting better!

We stopped at a park on the drive home and grilled some burgers while trying to stay out of the sun.  For the first few hours after the race, my body was clearly out of whack.  Normally I don't enjoy pickles from the jar or Gatorade, but I had both.  My temperature seesawed from goosebumps in the sun at 85F to shivering moments later.  There was no question that I gave my best (safe) effort at the race that morning.

We seriously know how to BBQ feast.

*Other than the confused volunteer, this race was great.  I'm sure the race will not have that issue next year.  From the volunteers to the other racers, I enjoyed the welcoming hometown feel of this race.  If you're ever looking for a cheap ($35 pre-reg, $50 race day) fall half marathon, you should give the Three Bridges Half a try.....just be a little more acclimated to the heat than I was! :)

Last Week: Sept 29-Oct 5

Sunday:  Hike 15 mi. Mt. Timpanogos in Utah.

Monday: Run 4 mi. in Park City.

Tuesday: Rest and travel day.

Wednesday: Run 11 hilly trail miles in 1:56:50 with a couple of Alaskan visitors.  They loved our Redwood trails.  I was feeling really good for this run and took a minute off of my PR!

Thursday: Run 6 mi. pace run. Goal: 7:45-7:55.  This run had 25-30mph wind for the first three miles.  I pushed really hard and still didn't make paces for the first couple.  The return trip was a LOT easier and my average was right on target.  It took a lot more effort into the wind than it should have.  The windy days with my allergies brought on some breathing problems I've had trouble kicking, so I'm restarting my everyday inhaler tomorrow. I refuse to let my allergies/EIA get out of control this time before I do anything about them.

Friday: Run 3 mi. untimed.
Recovery run in the sunshine. It was less windy, but still a challenge to keep the effort as it should have been.

Saturday: Rest day.  I crewed for Matt and Danny while they ran the Weaver Basin 30K and 50K.  Matt won the 30K despite getting lost twice.  Danny took fourth overall in his first 50K.  Both had really solid days, I was a very proud groupie!

TOTAL: 39 miles

Notes:  Other than the hike and Friday's run, nothing about this week felt easy.  I really enjoyed the surprise PR on my trail route, but the rest of the week was kinda uninspired.  Clearly, I was still recovering from our vacation....not exactly a good setup for a half marathon the following Sunday.  The scenic variety this week was outstanding!!

Official marathon training begins this week.

Running at Altitude

Even though Matt and I fed ourselves a steady diet of high altitude mileage, most of it was hiking.  Since all of our running is done at sea level or just feet above, sometimes it feels like we are more affected than other people that live just one or two thousand feet higher.  We did still manage to get in a couple of beautiful trail runs in Utah that I'd love to share with you.

Run #1: Cassidy Trail, Red Canyon in the Dixie National Forest near Panguitch and Bryce Canyon.
6 miles, 1:16:49, 12:48/mi. with some climbing, all between 7,300-8,000 ft.

We squeezed this run in early on Friday before driving back to Salt Lake City.  The early morning trail frost crunched beneath our feet.  We climbed up a seasonal drainage surrounded by beautiful red rock.  I love chilly runs like this!  The scenery didn't suck either.

Run #2: Trails above Park City, UT.
4 mi, 1:00. 15:00/mi. with some climbing, all between 7,000 and 7,900 ft.

The scenery on this run couldn't have been more different.  Paths finally crossed to meet Meghan, trail runner extraordinaire, for lunch and a short run.  She wrote the article that got a few of my photos in Trail Runner Magazine last year.  She's also kinda my running hero, but of course I was too shy to say so.  Every one of her adventures seems like so much fun.  It was cool to finally be part of a short adventure.  Somehow she knew my Midwest heart ached for hillsides of fall color and took us on a fantastic running tour above Park City on trails called Grave Digger and 420.

From the high point on our run, we could see all of town. I can see why she and her boyfriend chose to live here.  Now they're onto new adventures in Moab, where I'm sure the trails are different but equally amazing.

It was nice to get in a few runs during our vacation.  Now we're back at home, building toward my fall marathon and enjoying our own coastal version of fall, with loads of extra oxygen.