Wednesday night Fatso and I went on an 8.3 mile tempo run. It was a butt-kicker. It makes a big difference when you are running with someone. You push each other without even trying.
On Saturday I went on a long run with someone else. The Fatsos had to go help the Big Cheese and Co. at the shop. They couldn’t get away until about three or four and I had other plans. I have to get amp’d up for the long runs and waiting around all day makes it tougher. During the week Speedy asked me if I was interested in running up to Ben Lomand Peak and back. He was planning on leaving at about 7 am or so and the run is just under 16 miles. I thought that sounded just about right but didn’t want to commit until I knew what the Fatsos were going to do.
So I called Speedy early Saturday morning, hoping I would catch him before he left. I was nervous calling that early in the morning but he answered after the first ring. He was excited I could make it. We had to make quick work of things to get going before it got too hot. I quickly took care of business and decided I better bring along some back up supplies just in case.
I arrived at the North Ogden Pass trailhead at about 7:50 in a full sweat. I quickly identified the bathrooms and made a b-line. Locked. No big deal. I could wait another few minutes. Surely whoever was in there would be finished soon. After several minutes I began to wonder if someone was actually conducting any business. I made some quick calculations and decided I better find out. I tried the handle again. Still locked. “Anyone in there?” No answer. “Hello?”
Based on my previous calculations I knew I better act fast. I grabbed the back up supplies and headed for the trees. I’ll spare you the details. Suffice it to say, if your’e going on a long run make sure you have some back up. You never know what’s going to happen when the adrenaline starts pumping.
Speedy showed up a considerate two minutes after I wandered out of the trees. Just enough time to cool down and gather the necessary faculties required for a 16 mile run. We headed up the first set of switchbacks at a nice hiking pace - about a 12 minute mile. The first two or three miles are rocky and steep. We leveled out for about a mile and then hit some more switchbacks. These ones are less rocky and shaded by enormous pines. Finally we get to a stretch where we can get some running in. We are about four miles into things and it feels great to get a full stride in.
Soon we arrive at the saddle that joins the North Fork Park trail with the North Ogden Pass trail. So far we’ve passed two people and one deer - not too bad for such a popular trail. From this point the real climbing begins. The last mile or so is very steep and very rocky. We slow our pace to just under a 14 minute mile. During our final ascent we pass about a dozen hikers; most of which comment about our blistering pace. Odd? One of them points out the 18 or so mountain goats grazing on the west slope of the peak. Turns out we’ll see more wildlife on this hike than people.
The view at the peak is incredible. It’s my first time to the top of Ben Lomand Peak and it doesn’t disappoint. The view stretches hundreds of miles. You can see Idaho to the north, Salt Lake City to the south, beyond Willard Bay and the Great Salt Lake in the west, and far beyond Pine View reservoir and the Ogden Valley to the east. If your'e not already out of breath from the climb the views will do the rest of the work.
It’s not break time. We’re only half-way through this and we have work to do. I’m looking forward to pushing a good pace down the mountain. We start climbing down and are dancing through the rocks down the switchbacks. Speedy is more agile than me. It’s obvious he runs the trails more frequently. I’m running with caution; carefully eying every step so not to roll an ankle or take a spill. By the time we’re out of the switchbacks and headed toward the saddle Speedy can sense that I’m itching to speed things up. He encourages me to take the lead and get things moving.
It feels great to really run and I feel more and more confident. There are less rocks and hazards so I continue to increase the speed. Speedy wants to take it a little slower and encourages me to keep going. I’m having too much fun at this point to put up much resistance.
After the middle section of switchbacks the trail levels out and moves to the north slope of the mountain. It’s much greener on this side and the growth encroaches on the trail. Bushes and tree limbs whip me as i fly down the trail but I’m having too much fun to slow down. Hands up to deflect oncoming branches and limbs. The next one is too big to push out of the way so I duck. Clearing the branch is no problem but lifting my feet over the root crossing the trail is more than I can do. The root grabs my toe and launches me into a full superman. Gravity has its way and I hit the trail hard. I’m lucky. The trail is less rocky and more sandy. i’m covered in dust with little else to show for it. No blood. The only proof is the spike captured on the heart-rate monitor.
I’m running with a little more caution now. That’s probably a good thing because the trail has moved back to the south-west slope with switchbacks and way too many rocks. I make it to the car without any further excitement. It feels great to have another long one in the bank. As I ride my brake down the North Ogden Divide I remember the 7-Eleven just around the corner and can’t resist pulling in for an ice-soda.
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