2011 Training Log – Week 47
Decent week for the start of 2012 training. Wanted 60-65 miles and got that. Will probably stay there for a couple of weeks before moving that up a little. Happy with the two workouts, but didn’t go as long on the weekend as I was hoping. Pretty tough conditions on that one.
Monday
Run – 10.7 miles
Merrell Trail Glove
Very good run. Actually felt like I was ‘training’. Don’t know what for, but that will come soon enough. Hit the boneyard for some hot laps on the twisting, climbing, lumpy and overgrown singletrack. It’s an ugly place to run, but effective for getting some dirt time while in the city. Kind of like a Crossfit gym in a rented storage unit.
Did an easy 3 mile warmup, followed by 5 hard laps with 2 min rest. Each lap is 1.2 miles. The first four were like an old-time duel. Controlled, gentlemanly. I pushed hard on the last one and hit 178 on the heart rate which is up there for me. That lap was more like a knife fight in a dark alley. Happy with the workout.
Tuesday
Run – 10.2 miles
New Balance Minimus
Easy but steady. Tired from yesterday, but not too jacked up. Saw 13 mallards in one little pond.
Wednesday
Run – 10.3 miles
Merrell Trail Glove
Warmed up easy for 3 miles, then cranked it up for 6 at a medium-hard effort with a 164 average heart rate.
Thursday
Run – 7.5 miles
La Sportiva Crosslite
Ran like a snail. A tired, frozen snail. Shuffled along through several inches of new powder.
Friday
Run – 9.2 miles
Merrell Trail Glove
Nice steady cruise. Felt a lot better than yesterday.
Saturday
Run – 12.2 miles
New Balance MT101
Out early in the dark and cold to shuffle through several inches of new snow again. Not the most pleasant run, but hopefully I’ll get some benefit out of it?
Sunday
Run – 4 miles
Nike Free, barefoot
Easy jog on the treadmill.
Total: 64 miles / 10:20 / 608 TSS
Pic of the week – I’ve always wanted to go to Pencilvania:
Moab Hike: Corona Arch
With a few hours to kill on the afternoon prior to running the Moab Trail Marathon, we decided to do a short hike to Corona Arch. It is a little off the beaten path, but a very worthwhile destination. Its location is unique, because if sits outside the boundaries of the more well-known parks. Corona is one of the most spectacular arches around Moab, but it doesn’t get much press because of its relative isolation.
While you make the drive down Potash Road, be sure to keep an eye out for the cool petroglyph panels.
It is a short hike of about a mile and a half to get to the arch. Long enough to make it feel like you’ve actually gone somewhere, but short enough that it doesn’t take a lot of time.
Be sure not to kick any of this.
Add a rock to the pile if you are so inclined.
There are two short sections that are a tiny bit technical, the rest is easy walking along a trail or a slickrock bench.
You can see Corona Arch from a long way off, but it blends in with the background for most of the hike making it somewhat difficult to spot early on. You will pass below Bowtie Arch as you make your way around the slickrock amphitheater.
And then it is just another minute or two to reach your destination.
And what a spectacular destination it is.
On the day of our visit, some guys had a rappel line set up and were getting shots for an upcoming commercial.
Make sure to go a little beyond the arch and check out the cool alien face on the wall.
I briefly considered trying to bum a trip down the ropes from the commercial guys, but then thought better of it. Maybe some other time.
If you have seen most of the sights around Moab and are looking for a different place to visit, I highly recommend Corona Arch!
I Was Barefoot, When Barefoot Wasn’t Cool
Here is the video I mentioned in an earlier post. My son and his friends wrote some new lyrics to the song “I Was Country, When Country Wasn’t Cool” in tribute to their cross country coach. Then they had the audience sing it along with them. You kind of have to be hip to the barefoot trend in the running world these days to get it, but if you are it’s good stuff!
The Scene Begins 