We enjoyed the nice sunny morning in our relatively open spot, then went further down Highway 313 for the Horsethief trail system. I ran Getaway trail - lots of pulling over to let bikers by, but to be expected on a Saturday! This was a relatively flat and easier trail, so a nice runnable outing for me. Rudy did more exploring than me, but was back early enough that we easily found another camping spot only a mile from trails. I got in a little ride while Rudy watched the final presidential nominee debates and did a little bike maintenance. We did simple bean burritos for dinner, then played a game of Trivial Pursuit (Leslie won!)
October 30
Breezy and overcast this morning. I managed to get up and out for a run without much dawdling! Rudy drove the van to another Navajo Rocks trailhead where I finished my run, mostly just reverse direction on some of the trails I biked earlier, getting to see some different views and Monitor and Merrimac again.
Despite the relatively easy route, my legs were certainly tired by the end, time for a rest day - planning some laundry etc. for tomorrow! Rudy had a good ride, getting in some more of the Horsethief trails, sadly I opted out of an afternoon ride - guess I'll be making the most of the rest day! I just lazed around and puzzled addictedly for a few hours until Rudy was back. We headed back to town, and hung out by the river while Rudy cleaned up my bike! I made up some red rice, lentils, and quinoa for dinner before we went to Moonflower Canyon to spend the breezy and relatively warm night. The campground was fairly empty for a Sunday night, surprising since it was so packed last Thursday. We closed out the day by watching half of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
October 31
We made this an 'off' day and did some town stuff, including lunch at a nice little park that had good grass for me to enjoy some easy yoga on. Rudy managed to volunteer to help someone from the bike shop do some work on their Volkswagen camper van after he got off work in the afternoon. They got a good start on removing the transmission and clutch for some seals and clutch to be replaced before it was time for bike shop guy's Halloween fun. I checked out the cool yard while they were working, apparently the prior owner of the house was quite the rock hound and left all kinds of fascinating things!
Before Halloween craziness could get underway, Rudy and I headed up to Willow Springs Road for a dispersed camping area - there were a lot more people here than we expected! The road is near Arches National Park, and quite a few bike trails, so really not too surprising. Dinner was veggie burgers and canned beets. Entertainment was finishing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
November 1
A new month! Woke up early as Rudy had an epic ride planned with biking himself to the top of the Magnificent Seven route and taking that down with Andy from Bellingham - guessed to be a 60 mile trip. He departed by 7:30 and I got out for a run on the nearby KlonZo bike trails early enough to not be in any bikers' way. I was happy to find nicely built trails through some cool landscape.
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| Thanks for the warning! |
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| Vertigo Trail! |
After my delightful 10+ mile run, it was nice enough for doing some strength/stretching activities outside. I did some pants stitching, then motivated to go ride the KlonZo trails - definately fun, with only a couple obstacles I didn't make. The only bummer for the day was clouds and wind and not a nice solar shower - still tolerable! Rudy returned before dark (he even tacked on some riding around in town - didn't need all the daylight as expected), and since he indulged in a burger and shake break (I don't think the guy he rode with had to twist his arm too hard!) we just cleaned up some lefovers for dinner. We finally got in the last Game of Thrones episode - pretty entertaining! I'm looking forward to the final books and season.
November 2
Had some relative sleeping in this morning. I got in an easy little jog and yoga while Rudy took care of some bike maintenance. A couple of hours chilling, then we went for a fairly easy ride down to the Moab Brand Trails - by the time we got there, we were somewhat tired and only did the 'Back 40' loop plus Maverick before heading back to camp. We did get to bike through a little corner of Arches National Park, along a pretty sweet little canyon. More hanging out - another laid back day I guess - then spaghetti for dinner and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1.
November 3
Cold this morning - almost down to 40 :) Rudy was meeting Andy for riding at Amasa trails so we headed there as soon as breakfast was done and the van ready to go - it was so great not driving anywhere for a couple days! I went on a longish run, and decided I'm still not interested in biking these trails - everything is rated 'advanced' and rightly so. I was hoping for a longer long run, but just managed three hours, my left arch has been a little angry, I'm afraid I may have to back off the running a bit more. A beautiful sunny day though!
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| I missed Pothole Arch the last time! |
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| Yet another lovely view of the Colorado River |
November 4
Another early morning to meet Andy for a final ride - back up to Navajo Rocks! The guys did the Chaco Loop in reverse, while I checked out a few trails I haven't been on, including some of the Horsethief system. I enjoyed my ride, but underestimated the distance (again!) and went a little longer than planned - all good though - I still beat the guys back as they had lots of BS breaks I guess. Farewell to Andy, then a stop in town for hot water, then on to the marathon start/finish where set up had commenced. We helped out a little getting some banners along the finish chute - a pretty windy afternoon though, so not much was fully set up. Two other couples stayed the night at the trailhead, so a little chatting with them before we all retreated from the wind for an uneventful night. Leftover veggie burgers and the rest of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Those movies definitely improved over time!
November 5
Another early morning to catch the 8am start of the Moab Trail Marathon (the USATF championship!) and half marathon, and get ready to sweep the half marathon course.
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| Elite trail runners going out strong |
After 6 starting waves and the Kids K, we met up with our co-sweeper Ian - an adventure racer from Salt Lake City. Despite the overcast and drizzly morning, we had plenty of fun seeing the course and trading stories with Ian.
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| A nice spot for a snack |
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| Ridiculous views |
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| Even some petroglyphs along the way (maybe not all 'historic') |
With the cooler temps, there were few drops, and the half was finished shortly after 1pm. Rudy and I continued on a little more of the marathon course - there are lots of interesting obstacles in the last few miles!
We ate quite a bit of aid station and finish line food during the day, so no formal dinner. After the trailhead was emptied, we chilled a while and started Gotham Season 2 - it has been awhile since we finished Season 1, but I'm sure we'll recall all the important stuff soon enough!
November 6
Overflow Moab Half Marathon this morning - fewer people and less competitive. It was extra nice to have the end of daylight savings since a section of flagging was found to be missing, and more time to check the rest of the course was great!
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| Reception is not great in canyons - Rudy enjoyed using the big satellite phone to relay that our section was still flagged |
Rudy and I helped out at Springs Aid Station at Mile 9.7, just after a pretty technical canyon descent - Rudy helped people through a sketchy part of that with Greg and Ian - I just did the standard aid station stuff. After the aid station was packed up, we headed back to start/finish where teardown was pretty well completed, but were still helped out with a bit of that. We also ended up with lots of treats and fruit - hate to see anything go to waste! Everything was wrapped up mid afternoon, and even though it seemed early for dinner, and we had been eating race food all day, we met Greg at Milt's - which was super busy, so plenty of time for chatting while we awaited scrumptious malts, burgers/sandwiches, and fries. A little sad to see it dark at 6, winter is coming! Rudy and I headed back to Willow Springs to camp and watch some more Gotham.
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