Fitting in a good trail run is tough when you have a family that A. Demands your time; and B. With whom you really want to spend quality time.  The most obvious solution is to run at times when I would otherwise not be spending with family.  Or, when I would otherwise be sleeping.  I decided to try out waking up early and hitting a trail with a headlamp.  I am 100% an evening workout type of guy.  Waking up early to work out sounds miserable, and any time I have tried to institute such a policy, it usually doesn’t even make it to day 1.  The alarm goes off and I balk. But, I thought that going on a trail run might just be FUN enough to get me out of bed.

I was right.

I awoke early, and rather than running a local trail, coming home to shower, and then driving down to work in bad rush-hour traffic, I decided to drive down to City Creek Canyon, near where I work, doing a run in the pre-dawn morning and then showering at work.  I borrowed a headlamp from my neighbor, and hit the trail at 6:00 AM.  I went up the trail on the NW side of City Creek Canyon, looped it West and eventually around to Ensign Peak and back.

7.2 miles @ 13:01 min/mile with 1,584 ft. elevation.
It was one of the funnest runs I have done.

I’ll have to say it was smashing success!  I was showered and in my office by about 8:15 or so, feeling awake and energized.

Pre-Dawn Light over SLC

Awake!

Ensign Peak