We still have a bit of non-summer, summer heat to muddle through here in Southern California. I’ve been hitting the gym more than the trails, which isn’t so much because of the heat, but more due to time constraints. Still, if I had all the time in the world, I don’t think I’d be out there running in the heat.
But I did get a little bit of the trail running world this past Saturday. Still coordinating volunteers for Old Goat Trail races, I got to spend the morning and afternoon in the Saddleback Mountains. Honestly, first thing that came to mind when I woke at 4AM was, “I’m sure glad I’m not running this race.”
I drove up with my friend Hank, who swept the marathon course with another friend, Dave. Always nervous to take that windy, fast-paced road in the dark, I couldn’t wait to get home to take a nap. And I thought for sure that when things quieted down up at race head quarters, I’d sneak off to my truck and nap. But I didn’t do that. The day was busy and active. I finally got out of there about 5PM for the one hour drive home.
The volunteers were fantastic, and thankfully because of them, the race really went great. We only had two drops, which is amazing due to the heat out there. Those poor runners looked miserable crossing the finish line, only reiterating the thought, “Thank God I wasn’t running it!” I have run this race twice, and DNF’d once. I’m good for now.
Highlights of the day: working with so many great volunteers who came out to spend the day on the mountain in this heat and asked nothing for it, and seeing a fox run across my path when I was out on a walk up Long Canyon Road.
See pics from behind the scenes:
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