It's about time!

Well, it only took us a year or so but we finally did it!  

Back in the day Lindsay and I were pretty much inseperable. But give us two grown up lives with grown up responsibilities and we're lucky to see each other once a month now a days. 

Lindsay was a BIG part in why I started running. I wanted to be able to explore and enjoy the beautiful trails like she did. So after running for a year, we finally made it up to a trail together!  And it was such a good time. 

Tehra and I met up with her at a trail head she picked called East Mountain Wilderness Park. It's one of Lindsay's old stand by's but it was a new one for me. It was GORGEOUS!  (Shhh... Don't tell Dry Creek, but it migh be my new favorite!) 

We were actually on Bonneville Shorline Trail for a bit but it's a different feeling part. It's much further away from the city line and felt, oh so peaceful.

I was AMAZED the first time I watched Lindsay fly, literally FLY down a hill!  She told me to make sure I was leaning forward. Holy Hell!! What a difference!  I may not be flying like her yet, but I've definitely found my wings now. What a blast!

We had a random little snow flurry that was fun and there were tons of cacti! Which I never remembered to snap a pic of!!! Ugh!

Oh well, next time!

No mile tracking today. I was too excited to finally run with Lindsay Lou to remember to start my counter... But here's a good guess...

Miles: 3

Time: an hour maybe?

Pace: about that fast...

Why Not? (Emigration to home)

I haven't done a long run since my half. So when it worked out with everyone's schedule for me to sneak one in this morning at 6 am, I took it.

Tehra picked me up at 5:45am. We met up with a new running buddy, Renee at The Shoreline trailhead at This is the Place. It's a crazy coincidence that I even know Renee, but I'm glad I do. 

We took off running towards City Creek in the dark. It's ridiculous, I know, but I was super excited to get to run with my head lamp... And FYI, my headlamp sucks and is super dim.  Noted...

We got to Dry Creek just as the sun was coming up and it looked amazing. My picture doesn't do it justice. 

I felt really sluggish today and couldn't pick up my pace. I've played the mental "you suck" games before and they've almost made me quit running, so I try my hardest to stay in my own zen and only worry about MY best, in the right here right now kind of way. So I kept chugging along, knowing that the only option I had was to finish my run (I was planning to run home from the trail.) or double up my miles and go back with the others. (They were doing an out and back.) Time to suck it up, buttercup!

I got to City Creek and said bye to the other ladies... And apparently "hello" to a large group of people congregated around a guy giving a speech... Don't mind the sweaty, red faced, heavy breather running through your speech....

The last three miles down Capitol Hill weren't bad, but they were WAY steeper than I'd thought they'd  be. I was actually relieved when things leveled off a bit. 

I almost got to my house and realized if I ran straight there, I'd finish at 12.5...  That wasn't happening. So I rounded out my 13 with a lap around the block. 

My OCD is happy now. 

 

Sunrise

This patch of sunflowers came at about 9.5 miles. I needed some happy sunflowers right then!

See that road... That's where I was headed. 

The Capitol

Miles: 13.0

Time: 3:03:09

Pace: 14'04"

Fall!!

Have I mentioned I love fall?  I LOVE FALL!  Really though, it verges on unhealthy.  (We won't go into my pumpkin problem...  Someone might consider me obsessed.)  It makes me so happy when that first crisp of wind comes in and makes everything a little bit cooler.  It may not make sense, but when it gets cooler outside, it makes me all warm and cozy!

So I've been itchin' to get up to a trail since the winds came in.  Add a crazy busy week that forced me to take a "rest" week and I couldn't drop my kid off fast enough at school!

With a lack of training schedule (even though I have another half in about a month!! oops!) I've been feeling REALLY adventurous lately.  I love my good ol' stand by trails, but I'm feeling a need to expand.  And who wouldn't, when you live in SLC with a plethora (love that word!) of trails right out my door!

I headed up to City Creek.  My old stand by's are heading south on Shoreline towards Dry Creek or straight up City Creek.  I've always wanted to run Shoreline north towards Bountiful, so that was my plan. 

I parked, got my gear ready, then remembered thanks to a LAME iphone update, I'd had to delete my Nike+ app.  I could stand around and wait for it to download, or just run mile counter free....  I lucked out that I was just in the right kind of mood and aching to get on my first fall run, that I chose that later...  zen running it was! Well, with my music of course!

Well, maybe it was the fall air or maybe the forced week off, but it was a damn good run!  Inclines suck and usually get me down.  But I was rocking these out! 

I knew it was almost exactly a mile to where Shoreline meets City Creek.  Then I headed north for the first time.  There was quite a few little switchbacks that made it really interesting and fun.  Then it levels off and follows behind a load of fancy-shmancy, big houses.  I kind of felt like I was invading their space... but oh well! I took a while going up because I had to stop and take so many pictures! 

I stopped for a minute to check time.  I still had about 15 minutes before I figured I should head back, so I kept going.  And right then a HUGE gust of wind raced through bringing a pretty good, cold rain with it.  Maybe it was time to head back!

I ran down the trail to a little shoot that goes down to the road of City Creek.  I decided since the road wasn't muddy and it's decently covered by trees, I'd take a jaunt up that way.  I used to run/walk that road every chance I got.  In fact, I was on that road when I heard the news that my grandma had passed away and haven't been back since.  There's a small creek that goes under the street at one point. On the side of the street before it goes under, the water is filled with a bright green water clover of some kind.  Even in the dead of winter, that creek is full of life.  I needed to go there again, so I did. 

I love going back to a run I haven't done in a long time.  That road used to be one I couldn't make all the way up without walking at least a little.  Yesterday, it was cake... when did that happen?



See how happy I was to be out there!

 

FALL!!!

 

These woods made me think of a spooky movie.

 

Looking up City Creek. 

When I got home I got out my handy dandy map so I could figure out where I'd gone... and how many miles... oh c'mon, you know I couldn't resist!

My freakish, useless OCD was very happy when I realized I'd run from the mouth of City Creek to the point and then to the end of the "V". (nice and pretty like!)
Next time I'm going to go farther.

Miles: (about)5

Time: (about) 1 hour

Pace: you figure it out!





















My grandma's creek

The Compromise

What do you get when you cross two two trail running momma's, an extra thirty minutes of preschool, one of the first beautiful days of fall and a training schedule that says not to run long runs this week?  A compromise, that's what... a compromise.

 

I woke up to a beautiful over cast sky with a slight breeze and occasional sprinkles.  The boy's preschool was going on a field trip and would be back late = extra momma time! The trail was calling, no YELLING my name and there was no way I wasn't heading up.  But there's that whole, "you have your first half marathon in two days... don't over train" thing. A hike up and run down wouldn't break the deal, right?

 

We headed up to the Dry Creek section of the Shoreline Trail... My favorite! We got hit by a pretty good down pour as we walked up to the trail and as we got going I realized the trail was muddier than I'd expected.  I fall just fine on my own without mud and the Murphy law of my lingering first half.  I decided not to tempt the "ha-ha" (imagine Nelson from The Simpsons) gods anymore than needed, and my quick cheater run turned into a long hike. 

 

I've run this trail countless times, but haven't hiked it in a while.  It was nice to slow down and see what I miss at a faster pace.

 

So, sit back and enjoy my hiking vacation slide show... drinks anyone?

 



 

The mountain line in the rain... GORGEOUS!

 

 

 I love me some acorns.

 

We met this guy on our way down. Pretty cool looking.

 

FALL LEAVES!!!  yippee!

Some of the mud... I totally would have bit it....

This view never gets old.

 Happy mommas!