Gaining more than you lose

First "real" run in the Altras. Hit the Gully with Jun and Scott. I knew Craig had run it yesterday at a good pace, and I yesterday I had mentioned that I didn't think I had ever run it that fast with him -  so...of course Jun seemed to be pushing the pace pretty good right from the get go, especially when we crossed 13th and started up the hills. I had forgotten my watch (OK, it was in my bag) and I didn't want to let Craig get ahead of me because I wanted to have an accurate time. :) When we got to the top of the horse trail Craig mentioned we were a little faster than he had been the day before...ha.  

Once we had Scott with us we headed up the road to the towards the Bells trailhead. Up to this point the Altras had already been feeling REALLY good, but once I hit the pavement, they were like "butta" - incredibly smooth and comfy on the pavement, while still allowing my feet and legs to do what they're supposed to. Moving on, hit the steep trail part and this is where Craig always gains a little ground on me - I run the whole way, but right near the top of the first climb I can't seem to hold the same pace as him...one of these days. Cruised down the little flat section then up the climb to the reservoir, getting there about a half a minute after Jun. Scott showed up shortly thereafter. We hung out up there for a few minutes, chatting it up and pounding a gel. Once it started to feel a little chilly, we headed back down. I was right on Craigs tail as we flew down the rocky downhill, and had to back off a little, cuz if you follow too closely to him you'll find yourself taking routes down, across, over, under, and through rocks that you probably wouldn't have selected yourself. Craig even leapt from one boulder to another at full speed in full stride...I thought for sure he was going to eat it because the trail was so wet. No such luck. 

As we hit back on the horse trail, Scott seemed to be runnin' hot, just pushing the pace as we were heading down. We just shrugged and kept the pace going. Just as we were getting close to crossing 13th, he started to say that he would be normally be cursing us by know if they're weren't so many houses close by. As usual, Craig decided that meant that we should really pick up the pace and he put the hammer down and we started our final couple mile stretch. He and I kind of took turns who would punish the other by setting the pace, and we ended up sprinting out the last couple hundred yards, to finish as a couple of heaps on the grass in front of the car. 

  Fantastic run, with very nice running weather and a blistering (at least for me) pace. Speaking of blisters, there wasn't even the slightest hint of any on my feet! I was very impressed with the Instincts. Even though they are a road shoe, they would perform just fine on all but the most rugged trails (and even then they'd wouldn't be bad). Looking forward to having them as my go to road shoe (gotta wear something for the UV Marathon), and everything else shoe! I think they are a great shoe for those that want the benefits of barefoot or "minimalist" running (zero drop, foot shaped design, roomy toe box, etc), but still want some protection and *gasp* a little cushion. Now to see how they'll hold up with the miles I put on 'em! :)

  13.3 miles - 1:51:35 - 8:23 pace - 1225 vert

See Juns report for a couple of pics

There really is nothing better than running with a couple of friends on a nice rocky trail under the sunny sky. There's also nothing much worse than having to take part in the years debut of Craig's shorty shorts - I was just glad I didn't forget my sunglasses. 

Today it was the BST Draper with Jun and Josh (jsh). If I had a nickle for every time Craig said "Today we're going to take it nice and easy" and then he doesn't, I'd have....well, not much, but at least a dollar. I was actually feeling tired as we started, but, as is seeming to be usual, felt better and better as the run went on. Craig led us out for the first 3 miles until we hit Corner Canyon, then we could all run next to each other up the road. Our speed wasn't terribly fast here, just a nice hill eating pace that got us to the top of the Ghost Falls trailhead at 45 minutes flat. Stopped there for a minute or two to stretch and eat a gel - we also found out that Josh had worked where Craig and I both work and had been there when we were! HA! I thought he looked familiar. :) Small world. 

At this point my eyes sorely needed a rest from the shorty shorts, so I led out as we ran down the Ghost Falls trail. This trail is a blast to run down, made especially interesting today as there were several spots with a significant amount of mud...sketchy! I had one really close call, but luckily never went down. Josh said he usually runs up that trail and down the Canyon road, so we'll have to try that sometime.

Once we got back to the Corner Canyon road and connected back to the BST, I was starting to slow down, trying to find a little speed in the legs, but hadn't located it yet. Craig ran up next to me and said "remember how we are going to take it easy today? Umm, when is that going to happen?" I commented that I think it was happening right now, to which he responded by immediately taking up the lead and taking up the pace. Well that helped me find the gear I was looking for, and I was pretty much able to stick right with him for the remainder of the run. Once we hit the pavement I sprinted it out to the end. Great run. I was glad that we ran early enough in the day to miss all the crap that is coming through and still see some sunshine....or maybe that was just the glare from Craigs legs...

10.3 miles - 1:35:51 - 9:18 AP - 1600 vert

Ran up City Creek with Jun after we strolled around the marathon expo, running into Kelli and Scott, as well as Craigs friend Jason. Cruiser of a run at a relaxed pace, just enjoyed the perfect weather. Haven't done a purely road run for quite some time. The Altras didn't disappoint.  

Jun met up at my place this morning to go hit the BST in Kaysville. He told me he was on his way at like 10:30, and I realized I hadn't eaten anything yet. I was shopping with my wife, and so thought I'd give the stomach a nice little running test, and stopped by Einsteins and got a Turkey bagel sandwich. It was tasty, and quite filling. Craig showed up about 5 minutes after I got home so it was perfect timing. Took a last sip of Coke and we were off. 

Started a little cloudy but was still warm. I led the whole way out, with a brief stop at the Fernwood trailhead (about mile 3.5) and then we kept on. From there it really starts to pick up in vert, so it was a little slower, but we kept running. Took the Great Western turn (4.7) and made our way up that about a half a mile more, then found a good turnaround point (5.2, 55 min) and stopped for a few minutes. It was a beautiful day, with a blue sky valley below us, and snow capped peaks above us, some hidden by the passing clouds. 

Taking the turn

Craig led the way down, and since the majority of it was downhill, we were flyin'! I think that got his legs turning over well, because he kept a solid pace from then on out. He had forgotten his watch, so being the kindly friend that I am, I let him know (from about 10 yards back) that he was running sub 8 minutes on flat/uphill stuff, which of course, he took to mean that he wasn't going fast enough. He pulled further away despite my efforts. I kept looking at my watching and though it told me I wasn't moving slow, I just couldn't seem to reel him in. On the last stretch I really pushed it hard, hovering just over and under a 6 min pace, and didn't quite catch him by the end, finishing about 10 seconds after. We had covered the 5 miles back 14 minutes faster than the way out!

Jun Cruisin'

Great run, legs felt like they could have kept going (though not at that pace) for another 10, especially with this weather! Always a good time on the BST.

Blue skies and sunshine!