Slowly Getting Faster

Raining tonight so I stuck to the treadmill. 2.25 warm up between 10:00 minute mile and 9:30 mile. Then 6 x 1/4 mile repeats (hot and cold) @ 6:40 pace. I tried one at 6:00 pace but it was a bit too fast and I had to slow it back down to 6:40. After the repeats I upped the elevation to 7% for 1 mile and 8% for 1/2 mile @ 10:00 pace. Then 1/2 mile cool down. Total of 7 miles at 64:00.

I wanted to get closer to 7 miles tonight, but I also wanted to explore the Hornet Canyon trail.  I've heard that there is a connector trail that goes from Steed Creek/Hornet Canyon over to Flag Rock and I really wanted to find out if it was true.  Turns out it is, although the connector from Hornet Canyon to Flag Rock is not very well groomed at the moment.  It is clear that the Farmington trail crew has been putting in the work up there. All in all a good run.  Maybe something to tack on to the Farmington Crown run in some way. 

I found the Farmington Spine trail, so I took it up the mountain.  First, I went up and over Flag Rock from South to North. North side trail still has some snow on it but it's mostly clear now.  Then I planned on going up Farmington Canyon but discovered the trail head for the farmington Spine and took that up to the junction for the pipeline trail instead.  It's a decent trail, at least as far as I took it. The first .5 mile is pretty undefined, but after that it's pretty clear where it goes and it isn't even too steep. If I had time, I would have liked to take the pipeline trail for a while and see where it goes and how clear it is. Oh well, another day.   

I wanted to see how high up the mountain the spine trail went.  Turns out, not as far as I hoped. I made it up about 1.5 miles, to 6400 feet of elevation, and I lost the trail in some trees.  I saw a bunch of deer though.  on the way back down I figured I would take the Pipeline trail and see if it junctioned with the sunset trail up farmington canyon.  It doesn't.  In fact, it is a pretty rough trail at this point and ends at a cesspool of stagnant water. I don't recommend it. I may try the spine again when it gets warmer.  The point where I lost the trail still had snow on it so that may have been why I lost it. 

7 on the TM. First 5 @ 1% grade and between 6-7 mph. Mile 6 @ 7% grade and 6 mph. Mile 7 at 1% and 7 mph.

I wanted to run every day on vacation but when you're vacation is standing in line for 10 hours a day at Disneyland, running takes a back seat to preserving leg strength. I got in this one run on the first day while in St. George. 

Matt VH sent me a text asking me to come run with him up Farmington Canyon.  I was in my very first civil jury trial as an attorney at the time so I couldn't go.  But when I got home I decided I needed to get my lazy butt out there and get moving. I went up the BST from my house, over to F-town canyon and up the sunset trail to the campground, then up to the road and back down the road. I probably shouldn't have gone so far given that I haven't run much of anything in so long.  I better get my Sh*@! together soon, I've got a race coming up. 

 I'm a bit sore now but I'm going out again soon.  

not a lot of time tonight so I just went up the sunset trail about a mile past the campground and back.  A lot of people shooting guns up there now that the road is open.  I'm also not very fond of vehicles being on the road, though they have made it a bit smoother than it was previously. 

I'm going back in the AM.  Maybe I'll try to get up to the junction or bountiful campground. Time (and ability) will be the limiting factors I suppose. That single track is pretty fun though.  Not too steep, a couple of stream crossings, and lots of stuff to keep me on my toes.

11 up sunset trail past the campground, up to the maintenance sheds and back.  I didn't make a big deal about it yesterday, but after today, the people shooting guns up the canyon have to go. Last night, as I came out of the trail into the campground there were a group of people, looked like 2 adults (fathers?) and 3-4 kids (boys) in the campground.  They were shooting their BB gun at the trail head sign, which sits immediately in front of the trail. When they saw me they got an "oh crap!" look on their faces and put the BB guns away.  I figured they just didn't know the trail was there, and I wasn't hurt, so I let it go. 

Today, they were a sleep or something when I made it to the campground because I didn't see anyone there.  On my way back down, I could hear them about 15 to 20 feet off the side of the trail. One of them shot off a round, and the bullet whizzed through the trees just to my left. So it appears they were shooting their guns across the trial. I immediately yelled out "Hey, stop shooting I'm on the trail!" I didn't hear another gun shot after that, which is good because I passed about 12 people hiking up the trail on my way back down.  

I can understand the first incident, even though I imagine it's a violation of city ordinances to shoot guns in designated campsites.  The second incident is unforgiveable. There were no other cars or signs of people in the campground other than that same group.  To be shooting off guns in an area that you are aware has a hiking trail should be both civilly and criminaly punishable. I called the cops when I got back to my car.

Other than that incident it was a nice run.  I met a guy named Bill from Centerville running in Altra Instincts.  He ran from his house up almost to the towers on top.  Props to him.