Flora en route to Top of the World

DESPITE the joyful brutality of yesterday’s run, plus some red wine with dinner and after dinner, and waking at 6AM and getting breakfasts, lunches made, and  3 sons off to to school, I went for a trail run this morning.  I took my usual “shortish” run route, an out-and-back to Top of the World.  Perhaps I shall get “back  on track” (not the actual track, thank goodness), but my life, which means my mental and physical fitness.  I’m not saying that it’s trashed.  But it’s starting to slide.  It started to slide quite a few years ago when the U.S. economy took a tank.  But I kept going strong in the beginning, stronger than I would have imagined – that is until I went and registered for the 50k I just recently ran.  It was then during my pre-race freak-out that my diet (meaning the types of calories that I consumed as opposed to a calorie deficit plan) went out the window and my workout regimen started to fall down the mountain.  (No, that’s not fair.  It was the non-gym renewal that threw my workout regimen for a loop.  I feel like a spoiled child.  I mean, we can’t have everything we want.  I will have to do without a gym membership.  What’s important in life – NOT GYM MEMBERSHIPS! : )

And again, I digress.

The skies were blue and lovely and the weather nicely warm this morning around 10AM.  Perfect for a trip to Top of the World. I had a delightful time drenching my cotton t-shirt in salty sweat while snapping pictures of the flora along the way to Top of the World.  (Thanks Johann for your post on cotton-t’s – I was miserably chaffed after this past weekend.  Cotton was a welcomed relief today.)  Many of the flora photos didn’t all come out, mainly because I didn’t stand still to take snap the pictures.  Funny, though the hills are covered with a multitude of colors, mostly the yellowish flowered pictures turned out. 

Entering Wood Canyon before a climb up Cholla Trail to West Ridge:

My plan today was to take it nice and easy, put in some elevation gain and focus on breathing.  I also planned on, and did relish the heat.  I studied every runner that I came upon, and noticed they were all mouth breathing. How do you tell?  Open mouths.  And I daydreamed also.  I daydreamed about running the Transrockies Race one of these days – hopefully by age 50. (which is just a few short years away).  In other words, I lost the focus of the moment, the present.  But that’s okay.  I was still able to take in the beauty and notice the glorious spring flowers. 

I did spy a beautiful patch of purple flowers on Park Avenue Nature Trail.  I took a step in close to capture a photo and heard the rattles.  Did you know that rattlesnakes can’t hear well?  They feel your step vibrations in the earth.  I like that.  Makes me feel safer – like I don’t have to wear a cow bell to warn them.

When I heard the rattles, I stepped back, focused on my surroundings and stepped back in for a photo.  Rattle, rattle, rattle.  I backed away from the sound again quickly.  I couldn’t see the snake anywhere.  As such I decided I’d get a photo of those purple flowers another time.  (If I can’t see the snake, I’m not going to take my chances).

One more note before venturing on to the flora pictures.  I met my ex-marine, currently mixed-martial arts acquaintance on an obscure single track, exactly about the time I was thinking about his nasal breathing recommendation.  I smothered him with questions, which he had lots of answers.  Funny, I have military men in my family, and some of them runners.  They never mentioned nasal breathing to me.  Ultimate Fighter A-Rod answered lots of my questions, as he was visibly pleased that I felt improvement on the first try.  He said it would take at least a month to get nasal breathing down on the run.  And can you believe this?  The marines used to duct-tape his mouth shut because he had such a difficult time with nasal breathing.  Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going way off track – but I suppose that’s the nature of a trail runner.

Flora en route to Top of the World:

Glorious.  Simply glorious.

Recovery Run #2

Okay, I need two recovery runs.  Such is life with me.  Good thing is, I think I’m probably 90% back.  My legs did not feel extremely heavy (& unfortunately I didn’t lose any weight to explain that).  Not only that, I didn’t dread today’s warm-up, PLUS, I came in strong after a 11.5 mile hilly run. 

A new lollipop loop came to mind last night that I don’t think I’ve run in my regular wilderness park before.  I believe something new was good for my recovery.  Funny, I guessed this newly concocted lollipop loop was about 9 miles.  I was a little off. 

Some high (or rather low points in today’s run), I was nearly wiped out by two mountain bikers hauling a** down Rock It Trail.  They were for sure travelling more than the 10 mph speed limit.  I had to jump off the trail to avoid one mountain biker.  The other one, fortunately, I could hear her brakes before a possible collision.  Sorry, but I think it’s crazy to travel that quickly down these steep trails.  A wipe-out could mean death for the rider, for sure a SERIOUS injury.  I shiver to imagine what a collision with a runner would mean.

Also, two Sheriff helicopters hovered nearby for the first hour of my run.  I discussed the possibilities with another runner as we ran up Rock It trail.  We both agreed that the problem was probably on Lynx Trail, OR, as she said, “there was a killer loose.”  Her comment cracked me up because that’s exactly one of the scenarios that runs through my mind when there’s helicopters hovering above my trails.

Anyway, I heard later from another mountain biker that a cyclist was seriously hurt on Lynx Trail.  That’s another super steep, rocky terrain that mountain bikers generally take rather quickly.  I couldn’t help but wonder if the injured biker was travelling too fast. 

On my way back down from Top of the World, I passed the fire truck and paramedic that was presumably transporting the injured to the nearest hospital (which would have been South Coast in Laguna Beach).  The enormous trucks slowly made their way along West Ridge toward Top of the World.  And from far away, the fire truck actually honked several times, as if perhaps I didn’t see him.  Let me tell you, a big red fire truck travelling along the ridge of Aliso/Wood Canyons wilderness park is hard to miss.

I hope the best for the biker.  Really.  But I do wish some of the mountain bikers would slow down a bit travelling some of the steeper trails.  As a precaution, I always turn the music down very low when travelling these trails.   

And now to the photographs.  I gave myself lots of leeway to take pictures today.  Since I this was a recovery run, I figured quick stops to take a photo would do me good toward getting back to normal.

Entering Cave Rock Trail (not my usual route, a long neglected trail):

A Look Back onto Wood Canyon while Running up to THE rock:

Thar she blows – THE rock:

Flora along Wood Canyon Trail:

Creek Crossing on Mathis as I make my way to Coyote Run Trail:

Lovely Coyote Run:

Time to Climb:

Flora along Rock It Trail:

Why they call it Rock It:

Up, up and away (in my beautiful balloon) – can someone please remind me to wash the salt off those glasses?  LOL  I actually wash them quite frequently:

Running down Car Wreck Trail, a fun technical run:

A Stop at the Wreck:

Finishing up Car Wreck Trail to begin Oak Grove Trail:

Arriving to Dripping Cave (AKA Robbers’ Cave), First Thing, Check the Cave for Snakes:

Reach for the Sky, Cowboy! (Dripping AKA Robbers’ Cave):

11.5 miles (18.51 km) run today, the last day of my recovery :

Lollipop Loop from Above:

National Running Day? Who Knew!

Half Marathon on Monday, swimming and weight training Tuesday, today I thought I’d take the day off and not run.  I really had too much to do.  But then I got on the internet and found out that today is National Running Day.  Did you know about this? I didn’t.   Heck!  Well, I just had to run. 

I would be green with envy knowing all those people in the nation were running today, if I wasn’t.  Took me a while, but I was finally out there on the trails by 10AM.  The breeze was delightful, cool and crisp, not cold.  I felt strong, a little quicker.  My mountain running has dwarfed the hills of Aliso/Wood Canyons.  Mainly these coastal hills have become much easier mentally.  Cholla for example, is quite steep.  But it’s only a 1/2 mile (about .5 to 1.0 on profile above).  A half mile uphill is nothing compared to 5 miles uphill. 

Happy Girl (ya, that’s right a 46 year-old girl!) about to enter Wood Canyon

Prickly Pear on Cholla Trail

Running single-track off-shoot on West Ridge, looking toward Pacific Ocean

When I reached the top of the hill I’ve named “Good Girls Don’t” I waved at a man driving a utility truck, then realized I knew him.  In fact, it seemed we both at the same instant realized we knew each other – he’s my middle boy’s best friend’s father.  He knows that I run, but had no idea that I ran trails.  He was in disbelief that I could run these hills.  On the other side, I knew that he biked, but I had no idea that he rode these hills.  We both knew all the trails, and slipped in trail talk  between talking about teachers and the elementary school our sons attend. 

Our chat afforded me a nice little rest before heading up to Top of the World.  From there, I ran Park Avenue Nature Trail (Yes, again : ) and back along West Ridge, making it in time to stretch, grab lunch, get gas, pick up some groceries and order my oldest son’s birthday cake, all before making it in time to pick up my youngest from school.

“Good Girls Don’t”

Posing at Top of the World

6.12 miles logged