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Month: October 2014

My Path to Ultrarunning – Part 26: Training Playground

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All ultrarunners have their favorite places to do regular training.  I wonder if I would have ever become an ultrarunner if I didn’t live at the foot of a high mountain which became my running playground.  I believe to truly keep a long-lasting love for running, your primary training area must be close to home, preferably right out your door and with miles of alternatives.  I’ve seen too many runners run the same routes over and over who have lost that interest and have difficulty getting out that door each morning.  I watch runners run on a pretty busy highway near my home with frowns on their faces as they run by noisy traffic on a pavement shoulder.  They do this morning after morning oblivious to the wonderful peaceful trails nearby.

Run around Saratoga Springs – 38.7 miles

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My favorite time to run is early on Saturday mornings when I have more time to run, can get up earlier and don’t have the time pressure to get into work.  Usually I have a general plan of where and how far I want to run.  At times this evolves into a somewhat random run where I explore new trails, new sights, but generally know where I am so getting lost is not possible.  Other times my long run on Saturday morning is carefully planned with an exact route and time allowed.  For me, to keep my interest in running, I rarely do the same routes over and over again.  I used to run up Mount Timpanogos multiple Saturdays in a row, but I just can’t anymore because I know the trail so well. This summer I didn’t reach the summit at all. I know every turn, almost every rock and unfortunately I now have feelings of boredom when I run up that trail. So, my quest on my long runs is usually to find something unique, challenging, perhaps something no one has accomplished before, and even better, something that no one has even considered doing.

Antelope Island 50K

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When Jim Skaggs moved to Utah about ten years ago, he introduced to the ultrarunning community the unique experience of running on Antelope Island.  He introduced the first ultra on the island in 2006 and now several thousand runners have had the experience running on the island.  The main running event is held in the spring, 25K, 50K, 50-mile, and 100-mile races.   But also in the fall Jim puts on a smaller 50K race with a more interesting and challenging course.