A couple of motivating interviews from Paul Petersen...

I was catching up on Paul Petersen's blog, Of Marathons and Maps, today and came across these links to a couple of interviews he did with UtahRunning.com and Pike Athletics.  Very inspirational, motivating, and insightful.  Full of great advice.  Go here and here.

On a more personal note, knowing Paul and having been on a few runs with him (although it's been awhile) I can't say enough about the kind of guy he is, both in athletic prowess and in his personality.  This is an individual who can hang with nearly anyone in the U.S. marathon scene (he was the 3rd American across the finish line at Boston 2011 in 2:17), yet he will give up a win in the name of sportsmanship, and spends a lot of time helping and encouraging other, less experienced runners--myself included.  All of this while battling ankylosing spondylitis, not knowing if he will even be able to run 6 months from any given day.  If I can be half the runner and, more importantly, half the person he is, I will be quite satisfied.  Do check out his blog...he's got a lot of good things to say.

Race Report: Logan Peak Trail Run (28 miles...uh...make that 11 miles)

Distance:  11 miles (3500' vertical)
Time:  1:46:57
Place: 2

Finish photo of the photo finish (you can see Seth's hand), courtesy of my friend Ryn.

This race is hands down one of my favorite races of the year, and is easily the one that is the most fun.  On a normal year, the course begins at Gibbons Park in Logan, runs up Dry Canyon, then takes the South Syncline trail and Providence Canyon jeep trails to the backside of Logan Peak, making a run to the top of the peak (9710 feet), and then follows the North Syncline trail back around the peak and reconnects with Dry Canyon and back to the start for 28 miles and 7200 vertical feet of some of the most beautiful mountain country in the Bear River Range.  This was not a normal year.  With 200% (+/-) of the normal snowpack in the mountains, everything above about 8000 feet was under a minimum of 3 solid feet of icy snow--even at the end of June.  Due to safety concerns, the course was first reduced to 22 miles, and then after the RDs sent a runner up to recon, it was further reduced to an 11 mile out-and-back up Dry Canyon and a short portion of the North Syncline Trail.  This was an unfortunate development, and I was really bummed out about it, but it wasn't anyone's fault, and I completely understand the concerns of the RDs.  There was nothing but to run it and enjoy the race for what it was.

Going into the race, I knew that my main competition would be Ty Draney and Seth Wold.  Ty is an accomplished ultrarunner, and Seth has made his mark as a USU cross country star, so the competition was very respectable.  I knew it was going to be a tough race regardless of the distance.  I figured at the shorter distance Seth would probably have a slight advantage over Ty and I.  I would have to run a smart race, as both of them would be difficult to beat, and for opposite reasons.  After a brief pre-race meeting, the race started.  Ty, Seth, Chris Cawley (4th place last year), one other guy I didn't know, and myself made up the initial lead pack.  The pace was certainly much faster than it would have been if we were running the full course, but I felt good.  Coming into the mouth of Dry Canyon from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, Seth took off.  Knowing the nature of the canyon, I chose to hang back with Ty and the others, thinking that Seth would be coming back.  I just put it in mountain climbing gear and led the charge for the pace pack.  After a few minutes I noticed that the guy I didn't know had dropped off after a bout of very heavy breathing, and it was just Ty, Chris and I.  I felt good, so I increased the pace a bit, and built a little bit of a gap.  Nearing the aid station I figured I had a 45 second plus lead on Ty.  With the aid station came the snow.  Easily 3 feet of it.  And it was icy.  I stopped and filled up with water before taking on the last mile before the turnaround.  It was pretty beastly.  The snow was quite slick, and made for very slow going.  Only a minute or so out of the aid I could hear Ty coming behind me.  He was making good ground on me, and so I increased the pace of my scramble and managed to keep something of a gap going.  Seth passed me going the other way with about 1/4 mile to go, so I figured he had a 4-5 minute lead.  He was looking strong.  I still stopped for a few seconds at the top to admire the view and catch my breath before heading back down.  Ty caught me with about half a mile to go before the aid station, and I went with him half skiing down the snow and trying not to fall down the mountain or run into any of the other runners coming up.  It was great fun!  We flew through the aid and finally got back on the dirt.  I was hanging right on Ty's tail and Chris was just a couple of seconds behind.  Near the bottom of the switchbacks Cody was there on his bike telling us that Seth had a 4-minute lead.  I figured he was going as fast as we were and that he was out of reach at this point, so I just concentrated on sticking to Ty like glue and hoped to pull something out in the last mile or so once the trail opened up.  Unfortunately, about halfway down the canyon I began to have some stomach issues.  My drink mix that I use for long runs apparently doesn't take kindly to my stomach at 6:00 pace and quickly dropping elevation, and I let Ty get a few seconds gap on me.  What I didn't know is that the whole time we had been gaining significant ground on Seth.  Cody passed me on his bike, but then stopped a minute or two later and yelled at me that Ty and Seth were only 15 seconds ahead!  I was grateful that he was there to pull me out of a funk and light a fire under me.  I put it in another gear despite my queasy stomach, and set out to chase them down.  Soon I could see Seth's bright yellow jersey and Ty's blue shirt mere seconds ahead.  I was about 50 meters behind when we came out of the mouth of the canyon.  Seth had put a small gap on Ty.  I made up my gap and passed Ty coming onto the Bonneville Shoreline.  Seeing them ahead of me had put some fire back in my legs, and I focused on running down Seth.  I expected that he would have a significant advantage over me in raw speed, so I was surprised to find that I was reeling him in very quickly.  He had about 75 meters on me when I passed Ty, but by the time we entered the Gibbons Park I had cut it down to just a few meters.  I put on a burst with everything I had, but was not quite able to catch him.  Second place again.  I really wanted to win this race, but I was unprepared mentally for the different dynamics of the shorter race.  Live and learn.  Another 30 feet of course would have given me the victory, but I should have won it in the previous 11 miles.  But I am still happy with the race.  Next year...third time's the charm, right?  I finished in 1:46:57, just 3 seconds behind Seth and a few more seconds ahead of Ty.

The best part of the race!

Enjoying a bacon burger, fries, and a blueberry shake at LaBeau's near Bear Lake after the race. Bliss!

I will be looking forward to running the full course again next time...and hopefully winning it!  Cody's course record is safe...for another year.  Also, many thanks to the race directors, Bruce Copeland and Scott Datwyler for all their hard work.  They really put on a great and very well-organized event, complete with a great spread of food at the end.  Kudos to them.

Wasatch Back Relay Race Report: "The Swag Pirate Odyssey"

Ok, now that I've had a little shuteye I will be able to compose a somewhat intelligible race report.  Two hours of sleep in two days doesn't bode well for decent writing.

Met my team Friday afternoon at Jon's (our team captain) house.  Van 1 consisted of Ivy, Leland, Amanda, Amy, Morgan, and Boyd.  Our van, Van 2, was Jon, Gina, Jen, Jamie, Dan, and me.  Van 1 started earlier in the day, and I was going to go watch them start, but for some reason I thought they were starting at 11:30 but they really started at 11.  I had only met most of my team once, and the remainder I hadn't met at all with the exception of Jen, who I recruited from home to run on our team.  I would be spending the next 35 hours with this team, and it turned out to be a really great 35 hours.  The whole team was just a joy to be around, and I think that making these new friends was one of the highlights of the Wasatch Back for me.

The Swag Pirates

Van 2 drove from Logan to Liberty via Ogden canyon, which was a beautiful drive that I'd never been on before.  In fact, most of the course was new territory to me, and it was absolutely gorgeous.  After a brief safety meeting, we waited around for a few minutes for Van 1 to show up.  They were running very well and were about half an hour ahead of schedule.  I had eaten half a Subway sandwich on the way, and ate the other half at the park where we met them.  Boyd was the anchor for Van 1, and he came in looking very strong.  Gina was our first runner, and took the handoff.  Gina was strong throughout the entire race, which was impressive because she had only been running for a couple of months prior to this race.  No "easing into things" for her.  I warmed up for a few minutes barefoot in the park before we drove to our next exchange.  Jen was our next leg, and would be handing off to me on the following exchange.  She also ran very well throughout the race, turning in very solid performances.

Leg #9:  3.2 miles, -59' vert., 17:04 (5:25/mi.)

This leg was basically like a flat 5k.  It had been nearly a year since I had run a 5k, so I wanted to push this one fairly hard and see what I could do.  I was very anxious to get started and my legs felt great and ready to go at the exchange.  I was not too worried about burning out for the rest of my legs, because since I've started training for marathons I've found that although a 5k hurts, it doesn't take long at all for me to recover.  Jen came in looking very strong and I took the handoff.  I wanted to start out very fast and go from there just to see what I could do, so I treated it just as I would have a cross country race in high school.  I was feeling very good.  I quickly settled into a fast pace and turned my attention to catching a small pack of runners who had come through a bit ahead of Jen.  I soon caught and passed that pack, but I would have to chase down everyone else I passed one at a time from that point on.  Mile 1 was a 5:07, but probably the last half of it was at 5:15-5:20 pace, so I was really cruising at first.  Mile 2 was a little slower at 5:35, but it felt much more sustainable.  I did have 13+ more miles to run, after all.  I'm not completely bulletproof.  I was actually feeling very good though, even considering that my lungs were having to work much harder than I was used to.  Caught a few more people here and there.  It was great to always have people in front of me to chase down.  It really keeps you honest.  My goal was to catch everyone I could see.  Mile 3 was uphill, but it was slightly faster at 5:31.  Here one guy with no shirt challenged me for a little bit, but after a couple of hard surges I was able to gap him.  I pushed pretty hard into the finish (0:52 for 0.2 miles), but not at an all out sprint.  I would need my legs later.  Handed off to Dan, and was glad to be done, as my lungs were burning something fierce.  My legs were tired, but didn't feel too stressed.  After taking a couple of laps around the parking area I was ready to get in the van and wait another few hours for my next leg.  Dan did well in his leg, which was similar to mine but a little longer.  Jamie had a GIANT hill to run up, and absolutely killed it, and Jon continued the trend, finishing his leg at Snow Basin.  I had fun hollering out the window at the top of my very burned lungs at our runners, probably to their embarrassment.  :)  After Van 1 took over, we drove to Morgan to the home of an aunt (?) of Jon's to grab an hour or so of sleep.  They were very gracious and even had a big pot of potato soup ready for us, which was incredibly delicious.  If you ever run this race, I highly recommend crashing at the home of a good cook at least once.  I really needed that hot meal. 

Leg #21: "9.3" (but really 10.0) miles, 248' vert., 1:00:37 (6:05/mi.)

At this part of the race (between midnight and about 7 AM), my memory gets a little foggy.  Most of what I remember is green and orange reflectors, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin,'" courtesy of Dan, hearing that Van 1 had some sickness and falls, and running my leg.  I was very tired.  I remember Gina had a tougher than anticipated leg with lots of decent sized hills, but she handled it like a trooper.  Jen also did well on her leg, but I honestly don't remember much about it.  I was too busy trying to get my mind to focus on the task at hand.  It was a chilly night, so I donned my winter garb and was grateful that I had decided to bring it.  The 35 degree temps were good for a wakeup though, so I felt pretty good warming up.  I took the handoff from Jen with no one around, but I had seen a fast looking guy warming up, so I was determined to build an insurmountable gap on him.  I had to be careful on this leg though.  With Logan Peak a week away, I did not want to push too hard for too long, and jeopardize that key race.  I started out faster than I expected, and felt better than expected.  It's always a great thing to look down at your watch and see your pace is 5:35 when it feels a minute slower than that.  I cooled off to a pace in the ballpark of 6:00 for the long haul.  I felt really good and proceeded to pick off lots of other runners.  I also noted that this pace felt easier than it did at TOU last year.  I always run well in the dark, and this night was no exception even though it was 4:00 in the morning.  At about halfway, we crossed the highway, climbed a hill (pace slowed to about 6:20) and then jumped onto a dirt bike path.  I had forgotten that there would be dirt, and the first part of the trail was somewhat rutted, so the pace remained at 6:20 for another mile until I could get my rhythm back.  After that it was one of those superman runs where you feel like you can go forever as fast as you want.  At length, the trail became paved and I was really able to put the hammer down, dropping to 5:50 pace.  I was starting to feel some fatigue, but not too bad so I kept going.  Passed the one mile mark with about 1.5+ miles to go (this leg was about 0.7 miles longer than the book said, but oh well).  Made the turn into Coalville, then up the hill to North Summit HS where I sprinted to the exchange against a very fast older guy.  Unfortunately, the people radioing in what numbers were coming up were stationed only about 50 m from the exchange.  At a full sprint I cover that distance in 7 seconds, so I missed Dan at the exchange.  We found each other quickly though, and he was on his way in another 20 seconds. He and Jamie had some really spectacular legs, scenery wise, and also did very well running wise.  I don't remember much else.  Jon's leg completely slips my mind (but I know it was good, Jon).  I was pretty out of it mentally at this point.  I just wanted sleep.

Leg #33 "Ragnar Hill Part 1":  3.2 miles, 1470' vert., ~29:00

We drove to Heber to the next major exchange while we waited for Van 1 to get there.  I was able to roll out the sleeping bag on a lawn under some trees and doze off for about an hour and a half.  Some jerks set off their car alarm right next to us, which wasn't fun.  But I was able to get a little needed rest.  It was cool under the trees, but outside it was starting to get hot.  Gina's leg looked like an oven, and lots of people were walking.  Fatigue was starting to set in for all of us, and we just wanted to finish.  Jen ran her leg, again with very little shade.  I had been warming up, eating, and hydrating at every stop though, so I was not too worried.  I had my hand bottle as well and planned on taking it with me.  I was excited for this leg, as it is a very challenging leg with nearly 1500' of climbing in just over 5k--a great warmup for Logan Peak.  I was hoping I would get to race my friend Jamie's team.  Her brother Skyler, which I know is spelled differently, was running the same leg as I.  Unfortunately, they had passed us and he had about a 10-15 minute head start so I wouldn't see him.  I got the handoff and after a short downhill to get my speed up I hit the mountain.  I had forgotten to start my watch, so I'm unsure of my exact time.  I ballpark it at 29:00, though it could have been faster or slower.  The first mile with the watch was surprisingly fast at about 7:30 all uphill, but I soon felt the fatigue and put it into my mountain climbing all-day gear with a few 10 second race-walking breaks.  I motored right on up at a pretty consistent 9:00 pace, which was about what I had expected.  I was tired, but this was using different muscles that were more fresh and which are in good shape, given my recent training, so it went pretty well.  I passed lots of people on this section.   I finally reached the handoff point, and gladly gave up the wristband to a shirtless and very tough-looking Dan.  He would take on the second half of the hill.  Jamie got lucky on this leg, as after a short, steep, uphill, she had a long descent into Deer Valley.  We were all bone tired at this point, but we were beginning to smell the barn, so our pace was still good.  Reaching the final exchange, we were somewhat in a celebratory mood.  One leg left!  Jon would bring us home in fine style.  We bussed to the finish line, and after a few minutes wait (and dressing up as pirates we ran across the line with Jon, clocking a time of just under 30:00:00.

Afterwards, Leland (who had already been the financier of a good portion of this adventure), treated all of us to dinner at the Red-something Restaraunt (really, this memory thing will come back after I catch up on sleep).  What a great guy!  I had a burger in a pita pocket which really hit the spot.  Real food is always so delicious after a long endurance race.  After we all got back to our vehicles, we hopped in and drove home.  We were all so tired, but very glad to have had this experience, as most of us were first-timers.  It was a total blast!  I am very happy to have now done this race once, and more to have met my other team members.  It was a great time with them.  I am also very pleased with my running.  I didn't feel nearly as much running-related fatigue as I expected.  I was able to run fast and competitively on all of my legs regardless of distance or difficulty.  I feel like I am in great shape and that my recovery time is very good right now.  I was also mostly impressed with the race itself.  I have had kind of a bad taste in my mouth about Ragnar in the past, but after actually running a race, much of that has dissipated.  There are still some things I would definitely change if I was the race director, but overall it made for a very good time and a fun challenge.  I may do this race again sometime.  Perhaps someday even all by myself!


To Jon, Ivy, Leland, Gina, Morgan, Boyd, Dan, Jamie, Jen, Amy, and Amanda:  It was great to be able to spend 35 hours riding around in vans with you and watching you run.  You were all very supportive of everyone and always had a great attitude.  Some of you are new to running:  I hope you enjoyed the race and found something in running that you love.  You all did such a fantastic job of hanging tough even when the going was rough.  What a great accomplishment!  This is something anyone should be proud to hang their hat on.  I had a great time.  I hope you all did as well.  I am both proud and grateful to have been able to join your team.

Some thoughts on mental preparation for race day

People, especially beginning runners (I use that term loosely--I sometimes feel like a beginner myself), often ask me one of the following questions:  "How do you 'psych yourself out' to run that far?!"  "How can you put yourself through that?!"  "Don't you get bored?"  In other words, they are asking the very important question of how to prepare mentally for a race.  As one who doesn't do a lot of racing compared to many people on my level, most of my races a:e "key races," and as such are very important to me, which presents a potential risk of pre-race anxiety and the resulting reduction in performance.  So how do I approach the days, weeks, and months leading up to a "big" race?
A few months ago, I was browsing the Fast Running Blog discussion forum, and read a post from a runner who was having some real struggles with anxiety.  I responded with the following (slightly edited for the purposes of this post).  Hopefully you may find some use in it.

 [...]

1.  Enjoy running.  You need to enjoy the day to day training.  Train for races, but not exclusively.  Maybe write down all the reasons you enjoy a regular training run, and then make a conscious point to notice those things as you are out pounding the pavement or trails.  If daily runs become a joy to you, they will become more fulfilling in themselves, and you will feel less pressure to perform a certain way in races.   

2. Sufficient training.  If you are training for a specific race, set a goal, and develop a plan that will prepare you for that race.  Seek advice from others on how to train to maximize your performance.  Then stick to that plan.  Realize that you aren't going to be perfect and things are occasionally not going to go as planned, but in general make sure that if you stick to your training that there will be no question of your preparedness--nothing you can second guess yourself on during the race, or in the weeks leading up to it.  This takes practice, but in time good habits will be developed and it will become part of you.

3. Trust your training.  When race day comes, you should have no doubts that you are ready.  This takes experience and time, but there is no need to question whether you can accomplish your goals when you have prepared.  You need to know before that gun ever goes off that your body and mind are capable, and that you will accomplish your goals.  One way to help yourself do this is to use mental imagery.  I find it very useful to use mental imagery when I am training.  For example, when I am doing a marathon-specific workout, such as a long tempo run, I mentally put myself into the race, and treat the workout in my mind as if I were in the actual race.  Project yourself running the best race you can imagine, and let that bleed over into your workout (note: don't do this if it's your easy day, haha).  Never let a negative possibility penetrate your image.  You can run through challenging aspects of the race that are not dependent on you (such as a difficult section of the course), but never think "ok, what am I going to do if I pull my calf...What if I get tired...What if I can't hold this pace...?"  By the time you hit that start line, you should have already finished that race a hundred times--every one of them with positive results.  This is a very handy way to use your nervousness or excitement in a positive manner--when you start thinking or worrying about the race, just turn it into a positive mental run-through.

4.  Run the race in the proper frame of mind.  This especially applies to longer races, although it is also imperative for short ones.  You should feel relaxed and comfortable.  If you listen to music before a race, don't listen to something that will "pump you up" (read: make you anxious)  Instead, try listening to something relaxing.  Go through your race in your mind and how you plan to run it, talk to the other runners, anything that will help you reduce stress and start the race in a positive and relaxed frame of mind.  Remember, distance running is all about CONSERVING energy, not burning it all off as fast as you can with adrenaline or caffeine. I've had some very experienced runners tell me that the ideal situation is to be "nearly asleep" at the starting line of a marathon.  I don't know that I'd recommend waking up from a nap, taking a yawn, and then running a marathon (and obviously things would be very different for a shorter run like a 5k), but the point is taken:  Relax, conserve, and take a cerebral approach to the race.

And if all else fails in the race, remember why you are running--because you love doing it, no matter what happens in a particular race.  There will always be another race day.

These are just a few things that have helped me get over running-related anxiety.  Hopefully you might find something useful.

Go here to see the rest of the thread.  

Trail Review: Green Canyon Single Track

Distance:  9.0 miles
Vertical climb/descent:  1135'
Difficulty:  Easy

A typical section of single track.

This trail is another favorite of mine.  Green Canyon lives up to its name in the summertime, and is equally beautiful in the fall when the colors come on.  The trailhead is within easy running distance if you live in Logan, either by roads or the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from First Dam.  Or you can simply drive to the parking lot and start from there.  The trailhead is located at the mouth of Green Canyon at King Park.  To get here, you simply follow 18th North (which turns into 19th North) until you pass the North Logan power substation.  King Park is about 100 m further on your left, complete with bathrooms, drinking fountains, etc.  You can also proceed farther up the road to the second parking lot, but this cuts out a section of about 3/4 mile.  The Green Canyon trail is broken up into 6 sections by road crossings, and follows the Green Canyon Road fairly closely. The trail starts just to the right of the bathrooms at King Park, and the way I usually go I just always bear to the right through this section, staying on the trail.  You will come to the second parking lot after about 3/4 mile, and here you cross the road, head for the bathroom, and just to your left before you get to the bathroom you will see the second section of singletrack.  At the end of this section, you will cross the road again, and here you can either continue on the road for a bit, or take a the short section of singletrack you will see about 50 m away on your front left as you turn onto the road.  Either way will make a short climb and then end up back on the road for a little bit of flat.  You will then go up a fairly steep, rocky hill, and immediately on your left the third section of singletrack begins.  After this, the road crossings are fairly simple, and you will continue through the remaining sections with ease.  The trail is well traveled by runners, mountain bikers, horses, and hikers, so be aware of the traffic, especially on weekends.  Once you get to the end of the sixth section of singletrack, you will be at a turnaround point in the road.  In the wintertime, Utah State University maintains a yurt here which is available for rental, so I refer to this terminus as "the yurt" even in the summertime.  One of the nice things about this trail is that in the winter, the dirt road (which is under 3-4 feet of snow) is groomed for skiers and snowshoers, so it makes a great escape from the monotony of the roads at a time when most other trails are not in a runnable condition.  For those who can or wish to run further than the yurt, the trail restarts on the other side of the turnaround and heads up into the Mount Naomi Wilderness.  From the Green Canyon trail you can access the Wind Caves, Beirdneu Peak, Mount Elmer, Tony Grove, and other locations.  These are long, steep, and difficult runs, but for those who can handle these trails, the views and backcountry running experience are well worth it.

This photo of the road section was taken in early spring before the leaves were out.  Very shady in the summer, and brilliantly colorful in the fall.

Accessibility:  a few minutes by passenger car or a short run, depending on where in Logan you live.  5 Stars.

Runability:  Very smooth trail.  Used by mountain bikers a lot, so the trail is smooth with very few rocks.  The road is actually more technical than the trail.  Road is runnable in the winter.  The only downside is the traffic, especially mountain bikers.  Most are courteous, though.  4 Stars.

Scenic Value:  This is a beautiful run.  It perhaps doesn't have the striking vistas of some of the other trails, but you do get a few good glimpses of Cache Valley coming back, and the greenery in the summer and colors in the fall are amazing.  4 Stars.

Overall Rating:  Close, runnable, shady, perfect for a good trail run before or after work/school, and with access to near unlimited backcountry trail running.  4.3 out of 5 Stars.

More on barefoot/minimalist running, and other links...

The Science of Sport Blog comes through again with a great post on barefoot/minimalist running.  This is quite possibly the most objective treatment of the subject I've ever seen.  If you're thinking about making the leap, you should definitely give this a read for many insights on how barefoot running works, and why it might work for you--or why it might not.  As always, read the comments as well for a very intelligent discussion on the subject.  Go here.

Also, I stumbled across a great trail-running blog here last night while looking up reviews on the new Brooks Cascadia 6, which I'm thinking of getting.  Posted it in my "favorite blogs" section.  Go here for the review of the Cascadias.

You know you're an ultrarunner when...

My friend posted this on his training blog:  You know you're an ultrarunner when...

I don't even consider myself a full-blown ultrarunner, but already I'm not sure I want to admit how many of these are true of me. 

Trail Review: Jardine Juniper

Distance:  10.0 Miles
Vertical climb/descent:  ~ 2050 feet
Difficulty:  Moderate

The 1500 year-old Jardine Juniper

This trail is one of my all-time favorites, and it is named for the 1500 year-old juniper tree at its termination, which is thought to be one of the oldest trees in Utah.  The trailhead begins near the Woodcamp campground, about 20 minutes drive from Logan up Logan Canyon.  After turning off the highway, it is about 100 yards up a dirt road to the parking area.  Bathrooms of the pit variety are provided at the trailhead.  The sign says that the Jardine Juniper is a 5.2 mile hike (or run, in my case) away, and is accurate.  The trail is a steady climb pretty much the entire way out.  Not steep, but enough to let you know that you are gaining elevation at a good clip.  There is one stream crossing in the early part of the summer, so be prepared to balance across a couple of fence posts.  The scenery is spectacular.  Once you ascend out of the meadowed valley where the trail begins, you climb the first ridge which gives you some great views of the valley below and the surrounding mountains.  You cross several small rivulets that sprout from springs right in the mountainside.  Once you reach the top of the first ridge, the trail takes you through another high meadow, at the head of which  the Cottonwood Canyon trail splits off.  I am not exactly sure where that goes...it will warrant further exploration.  Continuing around the meadow, you begin to ascend the second ridge.  Near the top, you come to a split in the trail.  Either route will take you to the tree, but I prefer the right hand side (dubbed "Scenic Route") going out.  Here you will see some spectacular views of Logan Canyon, Logan Peak, Right-hand Fork, and Temple Fork areas.  When you come to the point of the ridge, you are at the highest point of the trail.  After a bit you will come to a sign which directs you to nearly double back down a steep, somewhat rocky quarter mile of switchbacks to the tree.  It's well worth a few snapshots if you bring a camera or phone.  Leave your name on the trail register.  I also usually leave my time to the tree when running.  Once you climb back up to the main trail, it's worth your while to take the "Shady side" back.  This section is as good as trail running gets.  Shady, smooth, cool mountain feel...it's great.  You then complete the loop and come back the same way you came to that point.   I love this trail.  Map, elevation profile, photos, and rating below:

Due to limited technical capabilities, elevations (on right) are in meters, and are probably only generally accurate.  Working to improve this.  Total climbing of 2050' is pretty accurate.

Glorious singletrack!

Looking to the southwest from near the top of the second ridge.  Logan Peak in the distance.

The trailhead looking northwest.

Caution, slippery river crossing.  Risk of wet, squelchy feet.

Accessibility:  20 minute drive from Logan, passenger car. 3 Stars

Runnability:  Some mildly rocky portions, especially if descending at a fast pace, but overall very good singletrack and no serious hazards, minus the occasional mountain biker on a busy day. 4 Stars

Scenic Value:  Sweeping vistas, forests and meadows, Jardine Juniper tree.  5 Stars

Overall Rating:  4.0 out of 5 Stars.  Well worth running often.