Finding Time

Obviously, since the birth of our new baby I have had little time to get out and run. Top all of that off with the nasty inversion that plagues Salt Lake City through the winter months and it has made for a messy tangle of lack of running coupled with unhealthy running. That being said, I have been able to get out a few times this week and have thoroughly enjoyed each and every step.

Monday was a road loop of only six miles, but it was the first real run since the birth of William, so it was awesome all the same. Well, except for the fact that I had eaten a huge lunch minutes before heading out. If I want to run though, I have to be ready to jump out the front door the second my wife gives me the green light. Draper has a bunch of paved trails that cruise through neighborhoods, keeping you off of the busy roads.

Tuesday was a step in the right direction as I took advantage of a short gap of time and drove up to the Red Rock trailhead and hit an amazing loop that starts on the BST, then heads up Potato Hill, and then finishes by running almost all of Ann's trail around to the BST again. There is 1000 feet of vertical gain, but none of it feels challenging and you can really cruise. For much of the run I had fresh tracks, just floating through the fresh inch of new snow.

The next couple of days were a shamble. It was only today, now back at work, that I could take a long lunch and head back up to those same trails and run a longer version of that loop. This extended course is what I hope to be a killer unofficial half marathon I'll be holding in late January or early February. There is 2500 ft of elevation, you summit a great small peak, and every step of the trail is runnable terrain. The entire route is 13.63 miles long and will make for a great, challenging half marathon. I tacked on another 1.37 miles to cap a full 15 for the day. That was just what I needed to deal with the stress of the last week. Below are a few pictures from several of these trails. Most are in summer, but you get an idea of how awesome the trail system is around here.

Summiting View Benchmark with Mt Timpanogos behind.

Matt running the upper section of Ann's Trail.

Tomorrow I'll have the opportunity to do a group run with the Altra fellas at the Salt Lake Running Co. While it will be a short run, it will be nice to hang with friends again.