Driven

Lately I have phased out of the mileage counting thing and just have gone wherever I want to go, not really knowing the mileage beforehand. I have been getting tons of climbing and going to new places, and places I haven't been to in years. I am enjoying this approach to my activities.

Tonight I went after work to Broad's fork and climbed the Twins. They are the prominent twin peaks above Salt Lake valley. I enjoyed the solitude and meditation afforded me while alone in the mountains. I am to the point in my fitness where I do not feel 5500 feet of vertical climbing on my legs.

Up Big Cottonwood Canyon again (third time in 3 days) for a run up Days Fork. I have never before been up Days Fork. It is typical of BCC: Cliffs, meadows, pine trees, remnants of old timey mining operations, rushing creek. At the top of the fork I climbed to the Cottonwood ridge and over to the lower Flagstaff Peak. Then I back-tracked the ridge and traversed to the head of Silver fork, the next drainage East of Days. I visited the open mine shafts and heavy, rusted equipment that is half-buried in the white, chalky dirt. Then I descended into Silver fork, visited a few other mine locations, and ran down to Bog Cottonwood road.

I had been part-way up both drainages before, but no more recent than ten years ago. I have been enjoying re-visiting long-neglected places in the canyon, and discovering new trails and forks. This is for me a summer of B-sides and rarities.

I ran up to Gobbler's Knob 'smorning, from Bulter Fork on BCC. I met Nick S. at the TH and we ran started together. I had a specific goal in mind: Break 60 minutes to the top. My prior PR to the top was 1:05:47. Mission accomplished: Top in 59:22.

 Woo Hoo!

RAGNAR:

 I ran 3 legs officially. Ran a 4th leg unnoficially.

My first leg was a 5K (3.3 miles), and I was so goosed up to run Friday afternoon that I set my personal record 5k time of 18:50.

Second leg was 11.5 miles in the middle of then night from Morgan. Ran it very well. i think it is funny how the RAGNAR culture is into counting how many people a runner passes, calling them "kills". I passed at least 55 people on this leg, and was passed by only one guy. He was moving very swiftly. He was the only runner that passed me the entire day.

When I got in to the exchange where my sister took the next leg, I had planned to run it with her. I told her to go ahead while I drank a cold Pepsi and went to the toilet. I started 10 minutes behind her, then ran hard to catch up. I never caught up to her. She finished the 7.5 miles about 5 minutes ahead of me. I was getting tired and sore. That was one 19 mile run for me.

My last (official) leg was from Homestead, and the climb up toward Guardsman. I ran every step, completing the 4.4 mile leg in about 43 minutes. I was the only runner running the entire hill and I must have passed 40 people. After that I was done. Spent. I t was hot and I was tired. But, I got back out and ran/hiked another 1.5 miles with my sister as she took the next leg to complete the climb up toward Guardsman.

I enjoyed the running part of RAGNAR, but not the hours and hours of downtime and sleep deprivation. I woud probably never do RAGNAR again.