Round Two: 2:02!!

With rain in the forecast for the next three days, I decided to go for round two on my timed loop this week.  I felt good, but slightly slower running through Wood Canyon. (And I had to stop and retie my shoe again – for some reason, I keep tying the left shoe too tight!).  Even so, I ran to the end of wood canyon about a minute faster than usual.

I had some strict rules today running up Meadows Trail.  1)  Don’t look back, 2) Don’t look at the top and 3) Stay in the exact moment of my step, just look to my feet.  I didn’t make up these rules, my running friend, Tom, told me about rules 2 & 3 long ago.  The rules helped out for a good portion of that steep switch-back someone thought they’d misleadingly name Meadows Trail  (sure you run through a meadow – but most of the trail is up, up, up).  Let me tell you, I found it quite difficult to follow the rules.  I felt like Lot’s wife, so, so tempted to look back on Sodom and Gomorrah.  She looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.  I stopped myself several times from looking back and was only crusted with salt.

Overall, Meadows wiped me out!  Still, I made it to the top in 1:03 (a minute faster than yesterday).  Also different from yesterday, I seemed to recuperate faster after Meadows.  And therefore, I picked up my pace some running through the neighborhoods.  I entered Aliso/Wood Canyons Park again a whole four minutes faster than usual.  That nearly made me giddy.  (I didn’t want to get too giddy, because that’s when I fall.)

At top of Meadows Trail, running the ridgeline overlooking Pacific Ocean (& Laguna Beach)

When I hit West Ridge, as already mentioned, a whole four minutes early, I blasted down the hill, and I pushed the uphills hard.  I held onto a tiny bit of hope that I could make two hours, and even a little more hope that I could at least beat yesterday’s time. 

I rounded the corner onto Cholla Trail with 8 minutes to spare before the two hour mark.  Man!  So close! 

“I’ll never . . . “ I thought to myself.  I was going to think “I’ll never do it!”  But I screamed inside my head, “Stop!  DON’T EVEN THINK IT.”  And I ran.  I ran right into a camera crew setting up their big flash screens amongst a cluster of pretty mountain bikers in brand new clothes.  I could have sworn one of the photographers took a picture of me (If so,  really wouldn’t want to see that picture).  Anyway, I literally plowed through the group, smiling of course, sweat pouring off my visor. 

Whew!  What a run!  What a ride. 

I made my best time since I began timing this loop:  2 hours 2 minutes (see below for complete times including seconds for this exhilarating 9.5 mile loop.)

I finally remembered to take an “After” photograph

The Loop (yesterday’s post has an elevation profile if you are so inclined)

I do not start or stop the garmin until I cross this line.

My times for this 9.5 loop (Canyon Vistas Park, Wood Canyon to the end, backtrack to Meadows, across Top of the World, through Alta Laguna Park, up and down West Ridge, down Cholla and back up through Canyon Vistas):

12/3/10    2:24:35

12/9/10    2:12:08

1/26/11    2:13:04

2/2/11      2:11:17

2/10/11    2:04:48

2/23/11    2:05:39

2/24/11    2:02:47 – almost, almost there!

Snake Run

Saturday, I needed to take care of a residual from my face plant a month ago (Big Baz WTRS 15k).  Whereas my eye actually improved a great deal initially, this week it took a turn for the worse.  It was red and painful.

Turns out, something went into my eye during the fall.  Though whatever it was is no longer there, my eye didn’t react well to the intrusion.  A cyst formed in response, which in turn began irritating blood vessels.  “Thank God you didn’t damage the cornea,” the optometrist said.  And then she went on to say, in not so many words, that women “our age” shouldn’t be taking falls like that.  In my defense, I told her, “Well, I normally don’t fall like that; I was trying to avoid the cliff, so I fell awkwardly.  Usually, I fall much better.”

I’m sure that convinced her that women “our age” are okay to take falls like that.  She sent me off with an eye-drop prescription.  And already, my eye has greatly improved.

Saturday night, I went to bed at 9PM.  I could still hear the boys roughing up the place and didn’t fall asleep until after 9:30.  Up at 5:20 AM, I sat on the couch fooling around on the computer, avoiding getting dressed.  Not that I didn’t want to run.  I greatly looked forward to my long run this morning.  I was just too dang cold (we are so spoiled weather-wise in California – I’m guessing it was 40/45 F).  6:30 AM I was finally out the door and in the car to drive to my local trails (why, Aliso/Wood Canyons, of course).  My plan today was to run every trail up to the ridge and every trail down.  In other words, I ran up the first one (Cholla), ran along the ridge to the next trail into the canyon (Lynx), ran down it, ran up the next one, etc., etc.  The last trip down was Meadows (the beast!) which after running I turned around and ran up it to make the trip back.  Technically, I suppose this 19+ mile run was an out-and-back, but not exactly.  I made a few alterations on the back trip.  It was more like a snake route, back and forth, back and forth.

“Before” (I had planned to take an “After” shot, but forgot), standing in Canyon Vistas Park, layered and ready to take off.

The weather remained cool my entire run, though I stripped those layers pretty quickly.  Running through spider webs on the single tracks, I found myself smiling instead letting out yelps like I used to.  My thought was, “Ahhh, I’m the first one on this trail this morning.”  I would wave my hand in front of my face when running through spider-like areas.  Once a web broke on my upper lip.  I didn’t utter a peep.

Later, I found myself semi-frequently dodging mountain bikers.  Guided groups of hikers also roamed the hillsides.  I ran past one such group struggling up Mathis.  They smiled and shook their heads in amusement as I snaked my way up the mini-beast.  I have avoided Mathis for a while now, because it is so painful.  Surprisingly and happily, I found Mathis Trail quite comfortable to run.  Not at all saying that it was easy.  Just that all those runs up Meadows Trail have miniaturized other trails like Mathis.

Hours later, after running back up Meadows Trail on my way to West Ridge, I met that same hiking group while I ran across Top of the World.  One of the guys exclaimed, “It’s you again, I can’t believe you’re still running!” 

“You’re still hiking!”  It was like meeting old friends.  Turns out I set off this morning at the same time as this hiking group (7 AM).

Running down Lynx Trail in the cool morning shade, spring flowers already dot the hillsides.  (Running back up this at about mile 18 was a bear – no shade!!)

Spring flowers Along Rock It Trail

Dodging Mountain Bikers on Rock It

Car Wreck Trail

Finishing Up Car Wreck

Posing with 2-Headed Dragon I Found on the Trail

Top of the World View of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island & Laguna Beach

A Little Detour on Park Avenue Trail (Trip Back)

19.29 Miles: +4,031/-4033 SUPER FUN SNAKE RUN!

So, SO, SO, SO Close (but yet so far)

Today I ran my 9.5 mile timed loop.  The race against myself.  To recap:  this is the loop --

To additionally recap, my goal is two hours.  My best time before today was 2 hours 11 minutes.  In order to make goal, I figure I gotta make it to the top of Meadows Trail in ONE hour.  That’s at about the 5 mile mark on the elevation graph above.   Last week, I made the top of Meadows in 1 hour, 7 minutes.

I wasn’t sure how to improve getting to the top of Meadows.  Do I run like heck to the base, therefore tiring myself beforehand? Or do I conserve energy a bit so that I have more energy running up the beast?

I decided, run my a** off and try to make time on the easy parts.  I will say, that I got off to a slow start.  Needed to make a pit stop.  Then I had to retie both shoes, since I tied them too tight originally. 

I made great time on Wood Canyon.  By the time I reached Meadows’ climb, I was dead-dog-tired, and about a quarter of the way up, I started with that nasty negative talk.  “I’ll never do it!  I can’t, I can’t, I can’t . . . “

With that kind of talk, I’m surprised that I made it to the top of Meadows Trail three minutes faster than last week!

I ran across the Top of the World (most of it paved) a little sluggish, speeding up on the flat and downhill portions.  When I entered the park again at West Ridge Trail, my motto was “Run like the Wind, Bullseye!”

To my utter surprise, I made the outhouse at the bottom of Canyon Vistas Park in two hours!  With one tiny little hill to go, I told myself, just do it in FIVE minutes.  You can do it in FIVE MINUTES!!!  Thing was, I felt like falling flat on my face.  I had really run myself into the ground this time. 

But I was so close to smashing my record by several minutes.  Ends up I made my best time in this race against myself with 2 hours, 4 minutes.  I really couldn’t hope for anything better than a 7 minute improvement from last week.  I’m shocked.

The pressure’s on . . .

Now to spice things up a bit – I had such a blast looking through old team pictures last week, that I thought I’d post another one (30+ years old – not me, the picture, I’m much older)

Another blast from the past.  This is one of the several softball teams that I played for in my youth.  The Flintstones from 1980, the Bobbi Sox league.  I played in two leagues, the other was Little Miss, where we wore those skirt-like shorts and no sliding allowed, stealing home, or even leading-off.  Bobbi Sox was tough – sliding allowed, leading off and stealing home too!  I slid maybe once.  And I don’t recall ever being asked to steal a base (I was too slow : )  My Dad is in the picture too, and I was so, so young, but I’m sure with that youth, I could have never run today’s loop anywhere close to 2 hours 4 minutes!

Thanks for reading.

Where I Love to Run (A Pictorial–Mainly)

Today, “The Planner”, that’s me, had planned speed training.  The idea of speed training stressed me out so much that I said forget that.  Just run.  And that is what I did.  I went exploring.  Exploring with no time requirements, no route really planned, just a plan to run.  I wanted to check out some of my trails that I haven’t been to since Aliso Wood Canyons reopened.  A ranger told me that the trails had changed.  I wanted to see.

(My route:  I ran through Canyon Vistas park then took Wood Canyon Trail down and then ran every detour off of Wood Canyon:  Wood Cyn to Wood Creek to Wood Cyn to Coyote Run to Mathis Trail to Dripping Cave to Wood Cyn to Cave Rock Trail, ending with Wood Canyon.  Then I ran Wood Canyon Trail all the way back.)

Wood Creek Trail

Wood Creek has plenty of ups and downs, including two staircases.  I ran through several spider webs, and I didn’t care.  I used to let out a little scream when I ran through webs.  Oddly, I didn’t today.

Going up . . .

Going down – look closely and you can see a flight of stairs (railroad ties, I think)

Going back up on Wood Creek to the shadiest, thickest part.

California Wood Fern

California Maiden’s Hair Fern

Coyote Run Trail

With the bridge wiped out from the rains, I can get close and personal with the creek as I cross over to Coyote Run Trail

Self portrait on Coyote Run.  This part used to be dark and shady – still is somewhat, but a massive chunk of trees are gone in the background (left).

If you are familiar with Coyote Run Trail, you’ll notice something terribly different below.  I have a complete view of Wood Canyon Trail (across the creek and field).  Never before did I have such a view, because a wall of trees on both sides of the creek blocked it.

Mathis Trail

Trail washed out, as this once dry creek, flowed abundantly during the December rains.

Dripping Cave Trail

Crossing over from Mathis to Dripping Cave Trail, the bridge gone and trail washed out by another previously (& again now) dry creek.

My favorite part of Dripping Cave Trail – going up, but oh beautiful!

Dripping Cave (A.K.A. Robbers Cave).  I had planned to dangle my legs off the edge during this photo.  But as soon as I sat, the edge started falling away.

Bye-bye Dripping Cave.

Cave Rock Trail

Running up to “The” Rock – a magical trail with rocks looking like they were laid out especially for the runner.

Attempting to pose on Cave rock, but it’s too steep and I’m slipping down during photo.

Leaving Cave Rock, headed back onto Wood Canyon Trail.

Wood Canyon Trail

Running Wood Canyon Trail, close to noon, with the sun beating down.  Most of this trail is exposed.

Finally!  Glorious shade on Wood Canyon Trail.

The last of shade on Wood Canyon Trail, approaching Canyon Vistas Park for one last incline to the car.

Elevation Profile:

Miles logged:  7.91

Meadows always kills me

I’m getting freaked-out reactions when I relay my fall from last Saturday’s race.  In reality, my fall is more bragging material than anything else (a fall with minor injuries is a fun story to tell).  As one blogger commented, “everyone loves a dirty girl.” : )

Before I write about today’s run, I’m here to show you that even a hit to the face can turn out okay.  My eye is hardly bloodshot now, nothing worth a photo.  But I still have a pretty nice bruise from the chin impact.  Face-to-face you can hardly notice the bruise.  I mainly notice the injury, because for the first time, I’ve noticed that when I’m reading or grading papers, I rest my chin on my fist – exactly the spot of impact.

Ready for today’s run, Canyon Vistas Park in background, bruise on chin from last Saturday’s trail race.

A closer, more personal look (gross) it’s kinda yellowish now (doesn’t show so much in picture.)

After taking these pictures, I set off on my timed 9 1/2 mile loop at Aliso/Wood Canyons park.  I hoped to beat 2:12, after two timed runs, my best time.  On the road or a flat trail I can make that time.  (My best half marathon about 2 years ago was 2:15 – that was route 66 in Barstow, and I’m pretty positive I could beat that time if I were to run that same race today).  But on a run that includes Meadows Trail . . . well, that’s a different story.  Meadows always kills me.  And I’m not sure how to handle that.

I took off at a good pace, not “hauling butt” though, down into the park.  I ran Wood Canyon Trail for the first time since the park has re-opened.  I barely recognized it at some parts.  Huge trees were down, laying in the creek.  The bridges going over the creek to Coyote Run and Wood Creek Trails were washed out.  I was curious what that meant for my run later on, because there’s a bridge that I had to cross on Wood Canyon Trail.  If it wasn’t there, I was going to have to get my feet wet.

A new creek crossing on Wood Canyon Trail confused me for a second.  I grew disoriented not realizing at first where I was on a trail that I have run again and again.  So many trees were down that I could see across the creek and most of Coyote Run Trail, which used to be completely hidden from that trail.  But the bridge I needed to cross Wood Creek still stood.  My feet dry, I powered onward. 

A new creek crossing on Wood Canyon Trail

Trees down in Wood Creek (Coyote Run Trail visible on the other side)

I ran all of Wood Canyon Trail feeling good and at a good pace (for me).  The garmin never once told me to speed up : ).  At the end of Wood Canyon, I back-tracked and made my way onto Meadows Trail.  The meadow was green and I bet during the rains it was a swamp.  At the base of the climb, two mountain bikers took off ahead of me, and I thought “Good, I won’t have to worry about them breathing down my back.”

As the climb increased, I came upon four ladies and a teacup pup picnicking in the grass – a lovely picture.  But the girly-girl emerged within and I thought to myself, “Yuk – tics.”  I hate tics.  I think I’ve mentioned before, I’d rather come across a rattler than a tic.  I am serious.  When I see green grass in the wild, I think tics.  Sneaky tics.  They make no warning noises.  They just sneak onto you, latch on and suck blood.  

Sorry, I got off track.  I didn’t get off track on Meadows though.  I stayed on that terribly difficult switchback.  About a quarter of the way up I passed those bikers who were off to the side resting.  They looked at me like I was nuts.  Yes, I am nuts.  But Meadows still kills me.  I’m not sure it ever gets easier.  I told the bikers “The trick is to not look at the top!”  They laughed.  And that strategy worked for a while with me.  But then, especially when I realized there wasn’t a chance I was going to make the top within an hour, I really began to tire.  (I figured if I am going to make this loop in 2 hours, I have to make it to Top of the World within 1 hour.)

Well, that didn’t happen.  But I kept on running.  The sun shined down strong and the wind blew hard as I still had hope of beating 2:12.  I came upon West Ridge Trail with 30 minutes to spare.  I ran West Ridge like the devil, so much so, that by the time I reached the bottom of Cholla Trail I was dead-dog-tired. 

I could have beat 2:12.  That is if I hadn’t hiked that last incline through Canyon Vistas Park.  I reached Canyon Vistas Park in two hours ten minutes with a hill that would probably take me thirty seconds to run if I hadn’t already beat myself into the ground.  Ends up I made it in 2:13.  And I was glad.

Elevation Profile

Blame it on Meadows

Yesterday was back spasm day.  And I freaked out my son and husband by taking 6 or 7 ibuprofen.  I didn’t take them all at once.  Waited about an hour an a half between two doses.  My oldest son has the fear that I can die if I take that much ibuprofen.  (I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare him) I know that’s a lot of ibuprofen.  But back spasms, they can throw me to the ground, they are that painful.   I’m not in the mood to check to see how long it’s been since I’ve had a back spasm but let’s just say, I really thought that I was finished with them. 

So after the medication, I went to the gym for two hours – back spasms be damned.  I actually felt spasm twitches, but not the pain.  So, I had to wrack my brain, what did I do, what did I do?  It could be the sciatic nerve, however my piriformis muscles are doing about 95% better thanks to fellow blogger Stuart and his suggested youtube link.  The question I always ask with pain or injuries is, what did I do different the day before?  I didn’t think it was the speed work because that was a couple days before.  The next run, well there was nothing new about that one.  And then I remembered.  During class the night before back spasm day, like a fool, I showed a student how to do a plank.  He was just going on and on about his ab strength and the fact that he’s got stomach fat (the lad is 17, a bean pole with seemingly not an once of fat on his body!)  Anyway, I told him to start doing planks, and he didn’t have a clue what they were so I got down on the floor (I was wearing jeans by the way) and showed him.  His male peers gathered around him afterward to time his plank, and the boy collapsed after twenty seconds of his first plank. (I remember that, collapsing after 20 seconds on my first try, that is).  ANYWAY, I haven’t been doing planks since my recent problems (especially the pec and deltoid injuries which are now healed!).  So I am very suspicious that for some reason, my back can’t hack planks right now.  I’m not sure why, but I won’t be going back to planks any time very soon. 

My, it sounds like I’m in a world of trouble.  But I’m really not.  Really.  I’m actually doing pretty good.  I slept through the night without waking until 5:30 AM!  I’d call that a pain-free night.

Therefore, I am. (lol)  And so I took a run in my usual park, this time, timing myself.  I took all of Wood Canyon at a pretty good pace.  Basically every time I looked at the garmin, I told myself improve pace and I ran a little faster.  It was Meadows Trail, that last mile of it that pretty much killed me.  Though I would have hiked most of it during a race, I ran it all.  By the time I reached the top, I was dead-dog-tired.  On the beauty side, flocks of quail fluttered from the brush several times on my way up (they make such a lovely gentle flapping noise) and the view of Saddleback Mountains was awe inspiring. 

Nearing Top of Meadows Trail (looking toward Saddleback)

I hoped to run this 9 1/2 mile loop in 2 hours, which would mean that I could probably do Calico’s 30k in 4 hours (my goal).  Today’s run however, took 2 hours and 20 minutes. 

I blame Meadows for the time delay.  I clicked a picture when I reached the top (shown on right), and I also made two pit stops (before Meadows)  to simulate a race as much as possible (they don’t stop the clock when you make pit stops in races).  I’m still over a month out, so I’m not disappointed that didn’t make this loop in two hours.  It’s a difficult loop.  And I shall improve, careful, careful to avoid injuries.   

Elevation Profile:  +1,400 feet (route Via Canyon Vistas Park:  Wood Canyon to Meadows, up Meadows, across Top of the World, West Ridge, Cholla Trail, Wood Canyon and back up Canyon Vistas Park)

9.57 Miles logged today

Shoot for the Stars

“We are all of us in the gutter,  but some of us are looking at the stars”  / The Pretenders (Message of Love), which basically quotes Oscar Wilde (Lady Windermere's Fan)

The forecast says rain, rain, rain.  So with little time to spare, I got the boys dropped off to school, ran one errand, got a ticket (yes, a traffic ticket!) and headed off for a trail run before the waters descended upon us (which by the way, they haven’t yet).

Altering my sleep positions have helped with the glute pain, so I changed my running plans this morning.  I ran through Canyon Vistas Park, a familiar route, but instead of starting the climb right away up Cholla Trail, I took a downhill route into Wood Canyon.

Today’s Elevation Profile 

A slight drizzle fell from gray skies.  Dozens of mountain bikers made their way on the trails as I made my way down Wood Canyon.   It was dark, cold and lovely.  Scouring the sidelines for acorns, I stopped here and there to collect them on special request from our youngest son.   About a mile and a quarter in, I took a right onto Coyote Run Trail.

Entry to Coyote Run Trail

I did not meet another soul on Coyote Run Trail.  Turning down the tunes to make sure I’d hear oncoming bikes (or other troubles), I concentrated on keeping my pace strong (remember my goal – Calico!)  I felt strong winding through that short stint, but a little anxious knowing what lay ahead – RockIt Trail. 

Rockit Trail

 

I felt amazingly well running up Rockit.  It is after all, only a mile and a quarter (yes, about 2.5 times longer than Cholla Trail, but much, much shorter than Holy Jim or say . . . BULLDOG).  I think . . . I don’t want to speak (rather, write)  prematurely, but I may be through my recovery period. (That is recovery from Saddleback).

I met one hiker just as I headed up Rockit.  Otherwise, I had that trail all to my (happily) lonely self.  What a joy!  I think it was Rockit that finally freed me today.  Though that freedom was short (I had to re-enter the “real” world eventually), it was well worth the sweat and not tears, but salt that ran down my face.

Rockit meets West Ridge which I ran up and down, mainly up, up, up to Top of the World.  After stretching my troubled glute muscles, I raced, I mean, raced back up and down West Ridge (mainly down, but there’s some good ups).  I concentrated on form, but mainly pace, amazing myself at times with an eight minute pace (that is a rarity on trails!).  Even more amazing, I conquered the twelve minute pace on the moderate hills.  (I still owe you Tom for the garmin!!).  Increasing my pace is the only way I’m going to meet my Calico goal.  To break through that bottom 25%, I’ve got to beat my Calico 30k time by about 30 minutes.  To place in my age group, I’ve got to beat my time by ONE HOUR.  My goal is the latter.  As the saying goes, “Aim for the stars, and maybe you’ll reach the sky.”

Miles logged this morning:  7.61

Acorns I collected (quite difficult to get a focused pic).  Baby boy was quite happy though : )  He really liked the yellow ones (who knew acorns were so colorful).