Normal People

When I arrived home from this morning’s run my husband said, shaking his head jokingly, “When I saw your new [minimalist] shoes here, I knew you weren’t going for a short run.” 

“I only ran twelve miles.” 

He laughed.  So did my oldest son.  “Why can’t you be like a normal person and run a three mile short run?” 

“Ya!”  piped in sonny boy.  “Mom’s short run is ten to twenty miles!!”

Now, that’s NOT true.  Twenty miles is a long run.  And I CAN run three miles, but I’m not sure that makes me “normal.”  Just most of the time, I don’t want to run three miles.  If I’m going to get into the truck and drive twenty minutes to the closest trails, I’m not going to run three miles.  Sure, if I wanted to run out my door, which I do occasionally, I’d run three miles.  That would be just fine with me (assuming I already got in 25+ miles for the week). 

Maybe I’m not “normal.”

Does anyone recall that song with the line “If loving you is wrong, I don’t wanna be right . . .?”  I don’t remember who originally sang it, but in Junior High I bought Rod Stewart’s album, Footloose and Fancy Free, and I played that song again and again.   

Funny, those words are kind of how I feel about trails.

This morning, I ran the big loop at Aliso/Wood Canyons, but ran it counter-clockwise.  I rarely do that.  Usually I run up Meadows Trail in a clockwise loop,  which is much steeper climbing, but the major climbing is pretty much over after Meadows.  Counter-clockwise, I run a continuous gradual climb for quite some time (see elevation profile below) and then I get to fly (I mean run) down Meadows. 

The park was crowded with a multitude of people this cool August morning.  I was “Miss Chatty Cathy” chatting with anyone who would talk to me.  Talking with the ranger first, I learned that what I thought was a ferret a few weeks ago was actually a long-tailed weasel (which is related to the ferret).  I also talked to several hikers from a local hiking club making their way through Wood Creek Trail.  I said a few words to some of the Mater Dei High School cross country team as every single one of them ran past me.  And I even stopped on West Ridge for a bit to chat with an adult student that took, I believe two of the Photoshop classes that I teach. 

Normal people?  These teen cross country runners did at least a 9 mile out-and-back.

Wood Creek Trail entrance

A view on Wood Creek Trail that I seldom see since I almost always run it in the opposite direction.

Dainty flowers along West Ridge Trail

Looks like a party at Top of the World

Running Top of the World toward Meadows Trail (Looking down on Laguna Beach city and Pacific Ocean)

Ready to descend on Meadows Trail 

12.05 miles (19.39 km) run this morning

Elevation Profile: +1,702’/-1723’