My New Favorite Place To Run

Monday, May 9th 2011: 3 miles, easy pace. Mel and I went out late at night and made some loops around the block. I walked most of the time but ran a few stretches with her. We haven't run together for a while and we had lots of fun.

Tuesday, May 10th 2011: Rest. (Hydration = snow cone.)

Wednesday, May 11th 2011: 4 miles @ 11:41 minutes per mile pace. This was my first visit to the Grapevine Trail in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve and I think it became my favorite trail ever. It more closely resembles a rugged dirt road than a trail, and I appreciated the absence of ankle-twisting rocks.


This is the most beautiful time of year when the wildflowers are blooming. I couldn't help but stop a ton of times to take pictures.


At one point a huge bird flew over my head. A hawk? An eagle? Possibly a pterodactyl? I heard it before I saw it. I wish I had my camera ready faster because that sucker was HUGE!




I had a blast. My only regret is that I was limited on time, otherwise I would have loved to go farther. If you're a trail runner or mountain biker, this trail is a MUST.


Thursday, May 12th 2011: 17.4 mile bike ride in 1 hour & 7 minutes (15.5 mph). I rode the back side to the top of Nemesis and back home. While I was riding, something large smacked into my chest. I didn't see what it was. A bumblebee? A grass hopper? Rack of lamb? Whatever it was, it was HUGE. I pulled out my phone for a picture while I was riding:


Friday, May 13th 2011: Rest.

Saturday, May 14th 2011: 6.5 miles, don't know the pace. I intentionally didn't take my Garmin and I'm considering leaving it at home for the Ogden Marathon next week.

I like to run and ride by myself and I enjoy the time alone. I really liked this group run though (aside from the 4:20am wake-up call). We went on a dirt road / paved trail in Washington but I'm not sure what it was called. Most of the run was with Mel and Braydon. It was beautiful and I'm anxious to go back again.


Here, my friends, is one of the coolest quotes I've come across. I will certainly try to remember it during the Ogden Marathon next week!

"It's a long, hard road and it's going to have its bumps; there are going to be times when you fall and times when you don't feel like going on anymore, times when you're just crazy tired but it takes focusing on that one step you're taking. That's what I'm trying to do with the marathon; I don't think about the miles that are coming down the road, I don't think about the mile I'm on right now, I don't think about the miles I've already covered. I think about what I'm doing right now, just being lost in the moment."
~ Ryan Hall on running a marathon