Uncle!

I remember climbing Holy Jim some years back during Old Goat 50, at about mile 37, when I didn’t think I could take it anymore.  Staggering and nearly defeated, I had a quick chat with who I thought was a running friend (actually, he was a stranger, but I was close to delirious and he looked just like my friend).  Downcast, I looked up from the ground, eeked out a smile and said to him, “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”  My friend (A.K.A. the stranger) said to me, “Just go until you cry uncle.” 

Uncle.

Uncle!

I spend most of my training hours in the gym nowadays, not because of the weather, as our summer on the coast is pretty dang mild. I’m spending most of time in the gym because my plantar fasciitis has become too much to bear.  I am so flipping sick of fighting against the pain, I am ready to rest. 

UNCLE. 

This past Tuesday before work, I took a quick 6 mile run down to the seashore, and though it was cool and breezy, I could not have suffered more had I been hit by a car!  I am here to report that plantar fasciitis does not do well on cement.  In fact, I think running on cement is about the worst thing you can do when you suffer from this condition. 

Aside from that freakish hell, I kept to my planned route (an out-and-back to where the sidewalk ends in Capo Beach).  The parking lots were surprisingly empty.  The campgrounds even had lots of empty spots.  The lawn at Doheny was unusually brown.  Most lawns are brown nowadays due to our drought and the mandatory reduction in watering.  I left my water bottle at home (as there’s a drinking fountain about every fifty feet) and carried with me my phone (which accounts for these pictures I snapped along the way – snapping pics helped to keep my focus outward rather than inward on the pain).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, I said “screw the foot,” and headed out to Aliso/Woods for an out-and-back up Cholla Trail to West Ridge which lead me to Top of the World in Laguna Beach.  Even at 2 o’ clock in the afternoon, the weather was breezy and cool.  And apparently, Canyon View Park has been watering their lawns more than Doheny State Beach. 

Canyon View Park off of Canyon Vistas Road, a back entrance into Aliso/Woods Wilderness:

I ran 6.5 miles on trails, and though my foot felt a lot better compared to running on cement, I fear the damage has been done.  Pain is immense, my ankle is swollen, I have a knot in my arch, and when I’m resting my arches are constantly taped. I used to pride myself on injury-free running.  Dang it. 

Uncle. 

UNCLE. 

I’m not sure when I will be back.  I am not registering for the Harding Hustle at the end of this month.  I have not registered either for Twin Peaks. 

And this makes me sad.

But this beauty does not:

Lessons Learned

Can someone please remind me that I need to run every single day.  It screws my head on tight.  Otherwise, I go around with a loosely screwed on head, and I don’t know what the heck I’m doing.

Seriously!

Being a school holiday, I left the house with the boys still sleeping and hit the trails in Wood Canyon today at 9:30AM.  It felt like summer with a slight breeze.  (By the way winter – please do not skip us completely).  

Wood Canyon was crowded with hikers (twenty plus!) and mountain bikers as I headed up Cholla Trail on my way to the ridge (known as West Ridge).  As I suffered up that short trail, I passed two struggling mountain bikers – one guy laughed and said “Vamos!!”  He walked his bike up a super steep portion, while the other stood by his and rested a bit.  I thought to myself, I know that spot – don’t worry, there is someone you can pass.  There is always someone you can pass.  (Anyway, I had translated “Vamos” as the command, “Let’s Go,” however but wasn’t sure, because I had always thought “Vamonos,” was the word that meant “let’s go.”   At home, I researched the two words and found that Vamos is not so much “let’s go,” but instead, “we are going.” That’s the new thing I learned today, besides the new thing that I learn all the time, which is that I really should run every day. )

Anyway, my run helped lift stress right off my shoulders.  Spring flowers littered the hillsides and the deep blue ocean stood out sharply against the pristine clear skies and the rocky outline of Catalina Island.  It felt like life was grand, and that all the things that weigh had vanished.

I made my way to Top of the World, recalling once when the two guys I met earlier on mountain bikes passed me.  I paused here and there for a photo, and delighted in the fact that I had my legs moving beneath me up and down rolling hills once again. 

On my return, I passed my two mountain “Vamos” bikers – this time I headed down Cholla as they headed back up.  They stopped me and laughed, stating that every time they’d see me, I was up ahead of them and they would remark – “she passed us again!”  I had no recollection of passing them again, and remarked that it must have been during the times I took the side trails off of West Ridge.  These guys, by the way, were out for a tough route today with three (3!) trips to Top of the World. 

One of the side trails off of West Ridge on the way to Top of the World:

Top of the World:

I ended this run with slightly over 6.5 miles completed and about 1,000 feet of elevation gain.  I ended today’s run with this:  toward the bottom of Cholla I spotted a robust young lad (very young, as in elementary school) making his way up Cholla.  A man, who was probably his father, followed closely behind.  And then a little ways down, I ran past another young lad (about the same age as the first).  Red faced, and appearing like he might burst into tears, he struggled, trying to push down on those pedals in an attempt to traverse up the hill.  Passing I said to him, “this might be a good place to get off the bike and walk – it will be more worth your effort.”  It seemed like relief set in when he realized this was an option.  His face relaxed, his shoulders lowered.  Very quickly, he hopped off his bike and strained to push it up the toughest portion of Cholla.  Remember those times when you thought you had to run every second (or ride, in this case)?  It took me a long time to realize that when running was going to lay me out on the trail, it was wiser to go ahead and hike so that I could run later.   I hope this boy learned that lesson today. 

Lessons learned. 

Detours

With little time to spare Wednesday, I ran through Aliso Canyon for a 10+ mile loop. I tried something different this time. Different as in, I didn’t take the steepest route to the ridge, and different as in, my loop did not include running to The Top of the World. This time, I took a gradual incline up Wood Canyon where I crossed the meandering creek at least three times. The canyon was bursting with green. So lovely were the views, I took three detours on my Wood Canyon trip. First, I ran off onto Cave Rock Trail where the moss was a thick as carpet on the moist, shady side of the rock. Second, I stopped at the Old Corral and strolled through it. The wood is darkened from weathering and the grass is tall enough to cover my feet. I can’t believe that I have never walked through the corral. I cannot count how many times I have run past it. What was I thinking? And thirdly, I hopped onto Wood Creek Trail, which was so shady in some portions, the forest was dark. The trail’s two flights of stairs made this detour extra challenging

Cave Rock Trail:

Entering The Old Corral:

At the end of Wood Canyon I ran up Cholla trail. Cholla is a steep trail, but it’s the shortest route to West Ridge (only about one-third of a mile). From there I ran the rolling hills of West Ridge, coming upon other runners, hikers and mountain bikers a plenty.   Finally, I descended down Rockit back into Wood Canyon.  When I hit Coyote Run, I realized that time was running short.  I had only an hour remaining before picking my youngest son up from school, so I pushed myself a little harder, and ran a bit faster than I usually do, which is a good thing.

Route:  Aliso Creek Trail, Wood Canyon, Cave Rock Trail, Wood Canyon, Wood Creek, Wood Canyon, Cholla, West Ridge, Rockit, Coyote Run, Mathis, Wood Canyon, Aliso Creek Trail:

Caught out in the Dark (again)

Christmas day wiped me out.  I had hoped to hit the trails 7:00 AM the next day.  Not the case.  It took me all day, the next day to recuperate.  I didn’t hit the trails until 3:30 PM on the 26th, and as I headed into Wood Canyon, I realized it was much too cold out to venture onward without warm clothes.  Problem was, I’m not used to cold weather running, so I forgot my long sleeved shirt.  Fortunately, I have a truck full of junk and was able to scrounge up a beanie and pair of knit gloves from the backseat.  They did wonders keeping me comfy for my 6.4 mile run up to Top of the World and back.  I had to laugh to myself when once again, I got caught out in the dark.  Obviously, I’m also not used to running in the evening.  All’s well that ends well however  The night was beautiful, with birdies and bunnies scampering about as the sun made it’s final descent.  I found myself running back down Cholla Trail a bit cautiously because I could not make out the depth in the ground. And I made my way back up Wood Canyon and Canyon View Park in pitch-black darkness.   

Coming around the bend to Top of the World:Last ascent to Top of the Word (overlooking Laguna Beach, CA):Heading back on West Ridge with a view of Saddleback Mountains (Cleveland National Forest):Gazing at the moon on Cholla Trail:

An Evening on West Ridge

The weather feels like winter– crisp and cold.  It’s lovely.  LOVELY.  This evening I took off for a run into Wood Canyon and up Cholla to West Ridge (an evening run because today was the church Christmas pageant, and afterward I took a two hour nap – TWO HOURS).  

I ran through Canyon View park with the sun quickly sinking.  The playground was active with children at this late hour.  I stopped momentarily, sitting on the cement ground to tie my shoe before descending further into Wood Canyon.  A boy about ten or eleven years old slowed as he passed me, and he called to his father to wait.  And then he said to me, “I thought you . . . I thought you . . . “  He seemed nervous and astonished at seeing me, though we have never met before. I told him that I probably looked like someone he knew.  But he just shook his head in bewilderment.  “I thought you . . . ,” he uttered again and continued with something too quiet for me to comprehend.  “Who do you think she looks like?” the boy’s father asked.  Finally, he said clearly and with resolve, “I like your hat.”  I thanked the little guy, and ran further on into the canyon wondering if perhaps I looked like someone the boy knew who had died. 

I ran the ridge all the way to Top of the World, where I turned around and headed back for a 6.63 mile round trip run.  It got dark on me however.  And being that I could not tell depth very well in the dark, I gingerly ran down Cholla back into Wood Canyon.  The experience was peaceful, and also delightful with the Christmas lights surrounding me from the neighboring homes. 

So happy to get this run in.  So, so happy.

7.8 Mile Loop

Miles are hard to come by (as usual lately – but I am not complaining). Really.  I’m not.  I’m just so happy to hit the trails when I can.  Saturday, my feet finally hit dirt once again.  Yay!  I ran a 7.8 mile loop, which entailed running into Wood Canyon, then up Cholla Trail.  Cholla is a short, STEEP incline up to the ridge. It’s usually a pretty boring, and kinda tough stint.  But on Saturday, I saw two deer on Cholla – and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any deer on this trail. 

From West Ridge, I ran up and down those rolling hills, tiring easier than I did a few months ago.  At Top of The World, which overlooks Laguna Beach, I caught a giant glimpse of the grand Pacific, and was a-okay over my performance (mediocre as it was, it wasn’t my performance that mattered – it was the dirt beneath my feet!)

Top of the World:

It was on the back of my usual out-and-back that I decided to make this run a loop.  I ran down Mathis Canyon Trail into Wood Canyon, returning to my truck with plenty of daylight and time to get to the chores back at home.

View of Saddleback Mountains from Top of Mathis:

Wood Canyon, homeward bound:

Smack-In-The-Middle-Of-The-Afternoon Trail Miles

Still have not managed to get up at the crack of dawn – summer is turning me into a sleepy head.   I did manage to get in  some smack-in-the-middle-of-the-afternoon trail miles today however.  Yes, the weather was extremely hot.  But I’m getting used to that. I quickly exited the canyon (Wood Canyon, which tends to trap in heat for a furnace-like run) and headed for the ridge.  This decision proved to be the best choice with occasional ocean breezes blowing my way.  And go figure, I didn’t see one other runner out there on the trails this afternoon. 

A View from Top of the World:

Heat and Fire

We began this week with heat.  And it got hotter.  I subbed girls P.E. all day Monday and returned home wiped-out.  I practically had to crawl the minimum mile to keep up my Fitness Streak.

Tuesday, temperatures grew to three digits Fahrenheit.  I thought that I really didn’t have a choice but to run, being that this was the only morning I would have available during the week.  And so I headed out to Wood Canyon where I took Cholla to the ridge and ran to Top of the World in Laguna Beach.  I ran 6.64 miles and drank every single drop of my 70 fluid ounces of water.  Yikes.  I fared pretty well though, I’m sure because of my responsible fluid intake. 

I didn’t realize that the fires had started on Tuesday.  Wednesday, we all knew.  Wednesday came through, and the heat blazed down ever hotter.  Someone said 107 degrees, others 104.  Fueled by high winds, wildfires marched their way through San Diego County.   I live in Orange County, which borders San Diego County, where many of my family and friends reside.  I was kept constantly updated through Facebook or texting.  After another P.E. substitute teaching assignment, I was in no shape to get in a run Wednesday afternoon.  I cross-trained at the gym that night. 

Thursday I subbed P.E. again.  It got hotter, and I first began to see blackened skies from a fire in north county (north county being the northern cities of San Diego County).

Views from my parents’ backyard:

From Airport Park, up the road from their home: 

The nighttime heat was even too much for me to attempt a run on Thursday.  I didn’t even make it to the gym to cross-train.  Instead, I stumbled out my minimum mile. 

Today, we have some relief heat-wise, as the temperatures have dropped into the 90’s.  But the fires have reached my county.  Though I subbed P.E. (and home economics) today, all physical activity was called off at the schools.  We sat in air-conditioned rooms instead and watched movies.  Outside, the skies were gray and smoky.  Having not been out in the heat all day however, I was able to drag myself to the gym for some cross-training this afternoon. 

Hoping to run tomorrow.  Going to prepare like I am, but we shall see what the morning brings.  This fire has got to be gone before I run because I’d rather not run in the smoke (views from San Clemente, the city south of us):