A screen shot of my Strava map. My run info can be found here
Well after over a year hiatus I'm back at it. Hopefully I can keep some posts going. This isn't a New Years Resolution, just ramblings, so let them commence!
After some social pressure I committed to running Moab's Red Hot 55k in February. Some nagging knee issues left me thinking I couldn't do it but it seems I'm back to feeling whole and last Saturday was the latest test for that. 55 kilometers is roughly 34 miles so in the interest of being prepared I decided a 20 miler would be necessary to see how ready I am and if (knock on wood) the knee felt good after 20 miles I knew I couldn't have any excuses. I met up with my new pal Tobias who joined me on the first 10 miles. We met up at Porter Fork and hopped on the Pipeline Trail heading west towards the overlook of the Salt Lake Valley. It was nice to have someone to chat with to keep my mind off the miles. The trail also kept us on our toes as about every element was present; ice, snow, dirt, mud, rock, puddles, etc.
Tobias looking particularly cheerful though I made him re-run this part to get a pic
The further westward we reached on the trail the better it got. It felt like spring running. I must also add it is a pleasure to run with someone that provides such fine company. Tobias is originally from Sweden and quite the runner. In a few years of trail running he's already completed two 100k races (in non Euro measurements that's 61ish miles) and does it all the while balancing a career, two vivacious children, and a wife that is eager to get more and more miles in(he's taking a break from two consecutive years of running Moab's Red Hot 55k to watch the kids so the misses can run it this year).
The narrator and photographer doing only one of those tasks and not particularly well
An obligatory picture of my beautiful Altra Lone Peak 1.5 shoes & the Swede running from shadows
The hero of the second half of my journey Paul Olsen & yours truly in "shortest shorts on the trail"
One of my favorite thing about trail running is meeting people out in the middle of nowhere. Seeing fellow humans out of the natural habitat always gives me such a joy. Such interactions over the snow packed canyon road included helping a woman get up to her feet after taking a spill on her XC skis. I assured her that I'd done the same on my skate skis and it "builds character". I also received the "shortest shorts" comment from a skier coming down canyon; again I'll take that as a point of pride. Fellow humans appreciating nature!
Shorts, spandex, and sweat; a story of more than moving parts...
As ecstatic as I was to complete my first 20 mile run of 2014 I was even more proud of my friend Paul. You see Paul had never run ten miles and certainly had never done anything close in the mountains. He ran a significant portion of the climb and ran almost the entire descent. A fine accomplishment indeed. Hats off to you Paul!
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