Chimera Behind-The-Scenes 2017

Chimera 100 (one-hundred as in 100 mile & 100k) has come and gone, and I think that I have finally recovered (& I didn’t even run it!). The weekend hit me hard, and I didn’t do the real hard work of putting this thing together -- 76 volunteers did the really hard work (not including all the HAM operators, timing crew and EMTs).

The way an event like this works is this:

The race director gets all the ducks in a row -- purchases insurance, permits, shirts (& other swag), all gear and supplies, and sets up runner registration, creates course, race book, etc., and basically orchestrates the overall picture, and of course, forks over all the cash. Then there’s a HAM coordinator who recruits volunteer licensed radio operators, schedules them at one of the 13 aid stations, does lots of other technical stuff that I am not aware of, and writes up a communication plan. In addition, there is a timing crew, who basically monitors every single runner during the entire race (a lot more technical stuff here too, because remember we are in the mountains with no cell service, there’s no Wifi or cell service, but somehow they manage to create a hotspot). Add to the group, a small EMT staff who has a base down at the Start line, but mainly roams the course. And then finally, there’s my part, the volunteer coordinator. I recruit and schedule the volunteers -- the aid station workers, sweeps and 4wd support, and oversee their time during the duration of the race. This is a huge operation, and I don’t know how the other planners and coordinators feel, but I begin feeling anxious about mid-week before the race. It’s then that I’m zeroing in on gaps in coverage, and trying to fill the last minute cancellations.

It all began Friday night for my family (myself, my husband and 2 of my sons), and actually much earlier for the race director Steve Harvey and his wife Annie. I believe they set up in lower Blue Jay campgrounds around Wednesday. Anyway, I had to teach Friday, and my boys had school, so packing was left all up to my husband (who had job projects to finish as well). We finally headed up the mountain around 4:30 pm, and it was bumper-to-bumper practically the entire way. We set up camp in the dark, and had a fully operational campsite around 7 pm. My youngest son and I spent the remainder of our evening putting bins together for the aid stations.

Being that this is a 100 mile race, the aid stations need quite a bit of gear. Firstly, every station received a non-food bin which included things like: trash bags, knives, bowls, plates, cups, cutting board, can opener, paper towels, table cloth, toilet paper, first aid kit, sun screen, bug spray and nets, CarboPro, a lighter, stakes, ropes, race details/station instructions, clipboard and pen, etc. Every station also received a second bin that included salty snacks (like potato chips, pretzels, and/or crackers), nuts, candies, cookies, bread, peanut butter, grape jelly, energy shots, raisins and other fruits (bananas, watermelon or grapes). Some of the stations bins also included cheese, tortillas, soups and broth. As a side note, 4 of the aid station captains did their own shopping, so their food differed from the other bins.

Once my youngest son and I completed the bins, we walked back up to camp and settled around the campfire. I went to bed around 10 pm. Through the night, my mattress slowly leaked, and I was pretty dang cold, remembering then why I have “extra blankets” on my camping list. Didn’t pack them because I thought I wouldn’t need them. Ummm, there was a reason they were was on my list.

I was up by 5 am Saturday. The first volunteers had already come and gone -- the parking attendant, arriving at 4:15, and the first aid station, a hike-in water-only station with a two man crew. A volunteer from the first full aid station had also arrived, and we loaded her car with the bins and a table to head down to nearly the bottom of the mountain, the location of the Hot Springs Canyon station (mile 12.5 for the runners).

Runners were off at 6 am with a volunteer sweep taking up the rear. The sweeps’ duties in a nutshell is to make sure that no one gets left out on the trail. They stay behind the DFL (last place runner), and they pull ribbons to unmark the course on the return. A sweeps presence at an aid station indicates it’s safe for the aid station to clear out. But it’s not necessarily always the case. Sometimes runners step off the trail and sweeps run past them. In that case, there’s usually some back-tracking to do. (Every station by the way has a list of all runners, so they know precisely who is missing). 

After all runners were off, we all had some quiet time, non-pressure time to get things situated for the next set of aid stations which would be located up in the remotest parts of the course (miles 47 onward, mainly along The Main Divide). Actually, mile 55 had already been taken care of earlier in the week. One of the volunteers had picked up all the gear at my home because that aid station is located in Trabuco Canyon at the Holy Jim fire station, a great deal away from race headquarters. I worked the Holy Jim aid station for two years at Chimera before I became the volunteer coordinator. It’s a lovely spot to volunteer, and what’s especially nice is that you don’t need to depend on someone else to get you out of the location. Still, it’s a long hard shift.

Aid station locations for the last 50 miles of the course:

7 am, Shift 1 of the 4wd support team arrived. They drove the gear up on the mountain for the first two stations (bins, stoves, Ez ups, tables, water, jugs, fuel, heaters, etc). They also delivered gear to The Candy Store aid station (mile 35 for the runners) which is located out on Highway 74, across the street from The Ortega Oaks Candy Store. The first shift went smoothly. No rush, no issues, just good easy times. Volunteers arrived for those first two aid stations on The Main Divide (Trabuco Trailhead and West Horsethief Aid Stations). I believe those first two stations up on The Main Divide were completely taken care of by the end of the first 4wd shift. By then, the Hot Springs gear had already been returned, and I was pulling things out of their bins to use at the Start/Finish line (a location the runners returned to twice before heading up The Main Divide). The volunteer crew for the Bear Springs station had even arrived, fully self-sufficient with their own 4wd vehicles and much of their own gear and food. I believe we just threw in the Ez Ups, a table, and the non-food bin. And they were off like magic!

My house:

So, around 3 pm Saturday, I really had no idea what was going on with the runners, because I was focused in on the volunteers and making sure they had everything they needed and were at the aid station location in time to set up. A new shift of drivers had arrived to replace Shift I. While they all worked together driving those furthest aid stations to location (Modjeska Peak and Maple Springs), I went to town (El Cariso, the small mountain town on Hwy 74) to have sandwiches at the general store with my family. Right before this time, I began having some physical issues that I’ll leave out of this blog so as to avoid TMI (Too Much Information). I will say that this issue was taking its toll on me and the night had hardly begun.

After our late lunch/early dinner, we arrived back race headquarters around 5 pm. I learned that the HAM radio operator for the W. Horsethief aid station was a no-show. I guess I take this job too seriously, or too hard, but no radio operator at a station in the mountains stresses me a great deal.  What if there’s an emergency, what if someone is hurt, what if they need anything at all? I had to rationalize with myself: Okay, okay, West Horsethief can get by -- they’re tough right? The next aid station is only 2.5 miles away, and we have 4wd support out there on the mountain and a truck with EMTs making the rounds. It’s going to be okay . . . it’s going to be OKAY.  (Breathe!)

Scene driving back from El Cariso:

But then, and I don’t know when I learned this exactly, but Modjeska Peak aid station was without radio contact as well! Deja Fricken Vu! Modjeska aid station was without communication last year, and I believe, even the year before that. And last year, the volunteers were left out there on the mountain way, way past their time to return. Modjeska is one of Chimera’s most remote stations, and under darkness, it takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to drive. Anxiety build-up big time for me. I kept my anguish inside (because I don’t want to make a scene and all -- besides, who the hell am I? I’m just the volunteer coordinator), but still, I was blown away. We had 5 women manning that station with no radio contact. I don’t mean to sound sexist, but I suppose that I am sexist, but I was extremely uncomfortable with the idea of 5 women out on the mountain by themselves without radio support. Worry really began to dig in and coupled with my physical issues, I began to wear down.

Our volunteers on the other hand, I cannot praise them enough, the drivers especially, delivered what the volunteers needed -- extra lanterns, more fuel, more ice, missing EZ up sides, more sodas, more fruit, dinner for the volunteers. I would get requests via the HAM radio operators that a certain aid station needed something, and worked at making sure that it went up with a truck who was already on their way to do something else (drop off a volunteer, pick up a runner). Last thing I wanted is for a driver to leave camp with just one mission; we needed to double, triple up. When we said good-bye to a driver, we would not be seeing him (or her in 1 case) for another 2 to 3 hours, maybe even more. I carried a list of duties that drivers needed to attend to, and I was also careful to keep track of drivers’ locations and their final destinations, so that we could use them along the way, when and if needed on the mountain. Several of the drivers were also licensed HAMs too, which was an immense help in catching things that were needed along their routes.

Around midnight, we had only one driver show up for shift 3, and heaven-sent he was, as we sent him out on some long driving. Short on drivers now, I admit, I more than worried.  I had heard that one of the no-show drivers had indeed showed, and he was up on the mountain. But I sat with the HAM coordinator for quite some time, unable to locate this driver via the radio.  So, I supposed that was just mistaken information and we were indeed really low on drivers as I feared.

As I played everything forward in my head, I did not think we would have enough drivers to pick up our sweep on time at the furthest location (Maple Springs). He needed to be back at the Start Line at 7 am. With very few drivers at this point, there was no way that was going to happen. We did have a couple of drivers on standby who had been driving all day. But I had already secured their promise to head out at 3 am to go stay with the ladies at Modjeska Peak until their shift ended. Last thing I wanted was for these young women at Modjeska to be waiting for a ride back without radio contact. Those 2 drivers were taking a sleep break as I contemplated how to handle getting the through-the-dead-of-night sweep picked up on time. I was stumped. Discussing it with the HAM coordinator, he suggested that I end the guy’s sweep early at Bear Springs, that way he’d be closer for 4wd support to retrieve. The crucial part of the sweep (the technical single track) would be over, and the HAM coordinator and timing crew could monitor the rest of the runners on The Main Divide via radio. Okay good! So, before going to bed, I confirmed with the one driver at race headquarters that he leave now and arriving at the destination, pick up the sweep around 2 am, while checking on the well-being of stations along the way. (Turns out, he found a lost runner along the way, which is super cool that he was out there!)

Driver heading out for 2 am sweep pick-up:

1 am, I was so ready to go to bed. There were still these problems, but first I should state that it is EXTREMELY important to me that volunteers get shuttled back to the Start Line at the appropriate time, and that they are comfortable and safe during their stay on the mountain . . . anyway, these were the situations that were weighing on me at around 1am Sunday morning:

1. A 3:30 am shift change at Trabuco Aid Station (one of the volunteers absolutely had to be back due to personal obligations -- and we had left him at an aid station hours too late on another year!) The way I knew it, with 2 driver no-shows, pick-up at 3:30 am was impossible.

2. With the drivers we had, and how they were currently being utilized, there was no possible way to have a driver at the furthest location (Maple Springs) by the time their station closed around 5:40 am Sunday.

3. A 6 am shift change at West Horsethief Aid Station was also not feasible.

4. And lastly and most importantly, we had reports of a drunk and belligerent driver up on The Main Divide taunting volunteers and pulling down glow sticks that marked the course.

Back at the campfire with my family these things weighed heavily upon my mind. I was cold, I was tired, and I was pretty much miserable. With my coat zipped up past my mouth, I wept beside the campfire. I really didn’t know what to do. I know people will think that I took this too hard, and that I worried too much. And I guess I did worry too much. I have always taken my jobs seriously, whether it's been a paper route in the 5th grade, a waitress gig paid under the table in the 6th grade, putting together a marketing brochure in my late twenties, or teaching students high school Algebra so that they can pass their GED, I want to do it right! I don’t want volunteers to be afraid, or to worry, or to have any bad experience at all. I realize that is impossible to control, but still!

I want to say that my husband was a great help to me with my physical ailments at the time, and my family was very supportive. Though others down at the Start Line knew of my stress, I don’t think they really knew how hard I was taking it. I tried to hide it. I dried up my tears quickly, and came up with a few things.

First, I wrote out a note for the guys driving out to Modjeska Peak to hand to the non-radio contact station Horsthief. The note apologized for not being able to do a shift change as planned. We would be about 1 hour late (a new driving shift would make that possible). Secondly, I asked Net Control to radio Trabuco aid station to inform the shift who would change at 3:30 am, that we would not have a ride at that time. I advised that they get on the truck currently coming down the mountain that would arrive at around 1:30 am. I knew this would be okay, because the aid station (a wonderful volunteer, Whitney, had already mentioned that she could handle the station by herself during those hours because so very few runners would be coming through -- plus she had 2 HAM radio operators with her). I went to bed with a slightly heavy heart knowing that we could be a couple hours late picking up Maple Springs, but feeling much relieved that the Modjeska Peak ladies would have drivers by their side before I woke.

I did get some sleep that morning from 1:15 to about 4:30 am. My boys had pumped up my mattress again, and it had not fully leaked out as I slept. I heard a truck door slam around 4:30 am, so I knew it was time to get out and see what had entailed during my sleep hours.

I found Steve Harvey walking back to his truck, deliriously tired, for a quick nap. He staggered like a sober zombie. His wife, Annie, was asleep in a chair. The timing crew eyes were bloodshot. The HAM coordinator was down for a little sleep. Three runners had crossed the finish line for the 100 mile race, and several of the 100k runners had finished. The volunteers at Trabuco had taken heed to my message and took the ride out when it came by. I did not know much more at that point, except for the rumor I heard before I went to bed that one of our drivers had shown up and was up on the mountain was indeed true -- and so thankfully, there was one additional 4wd support out there during the graveyard shift as I slept.

At 5 am, the W. Horsethief shift change arrived. And then the 4th shift 4wd support arrived shortly after. We got the volunteers off to Horsethief, and my friend Hank a little bit later off to ITT (Indian Truck Trail) for his sweep portion. About that time, or a little later, things started to unwind to tell me the story of what occurred and how everything worked itself out. (Oh me of little faith!!) Suddenly, things began to look rosier.

To begin, that drunk driver, irate jerk, who was out on The Main Divide, well, he had been taunting the ladies out at Modjeska Peak -- the ladies that I worried about earlier. He even drove circles around their camp, hitting and demolishing one side of the Ez up. When one of our 4wd support, who was also a HAM, arrived and found out what was happening, he elected to stay the night there with them, ignoring the end of his shift and remaining with them until the end, and driving them and their gear back to race headquarters when it was over. Therefore, when the two trucks that I had sent out at 3 am arrived at Modjeska Peak, they saw they were not needed and drove further out to the Maple Springs aid station and provided transport for them. If you recall -- Maple Springs was the aid station that I was fearing would need to wait extra hours for a ride back. That additional driver that I did not know had arrived was busy on the mountain all night long, picking up a lot of the slack, making runs along the mountain all through the early morning hours.

We had one more shift change early Sunday morning, a long time volunteer and her husband went up to Trabuco to help out Whitney who had been “manning” the station alone since about 1:30 am. I have no idea how many runners had crossed the finish line by that time. I really had not been paying attention. I do know that Steve was there to greet each and everyone of them with a medal or buckle. Annie was awake now too, smiling and optimistic and lovely as always. It was time to take off my jacket, get out of my pajama pants and face the day optimistically like the graceful Annie.

With a couple of fresh drivers coming in, things were looking up. I saw Maple Springs and Modjeska Peak come down from the mountain. I heard the tales of the jerk driver, and just how worried they ladies were during his taunting. Next, the self-sufficient Bear Springs aid station returned, with lots of pictures to show of one of the best aid station ever! (They actually had rooms -- a kitchen, a living room/bedroom, etc). From then on out, it was a game of orchestrating drivers to get gear, dropped runners and volunteers at the remaining stations who were at that point still fully operational. Around noon or so, the irate/drunk driver was arrested in Santiago Canyon. Turns out, he crashed his car driving down Maple Springs Road, and two of our HAM radio operators helped him out of a ditch. Then they followed him, with the police eventually on the line.

4wd support:

Aid station volunteers after a night on the mountain (Maple Springs & Modjeska Peak AS):

About 2 pm on Sunday, I told my family that we could leave soon, so they started tearing down camp. I was wiped out. I mean really beaten up, and I truly wondered how I could ever do this again. I am not a good enough writer to relay just how much it tore me up to worrying about the volunteers. It was not fun. Not fun at all. And nothing bad happened, and everyone involved did their jobs perfectly. Still, I stressed.

On the way out, I finally got a taste of the race from the runner’s point of view when I saw a trail running friend coming in for a 100 mile finish. What a glorious sight. I teared up cheering him on – I believe this was his 3rd attempt at a finish, and just a half mile from the finish line it was his! And this is why all those volunteers sacrificed their time and comfort – they did it for him, and all the other starters of Chimera 2017.  I get a little emotional thinking about it. Like all the years before, I am in awe of all the people who did their part in seeing the runners make it to the Finish Line. They are the best! They really are. They are self-less, they are helpful, they are kind, they are optimistic, and they are wonderful.

The Facebook Behind-The-Scenes Photo Album

Post Dump

Chimera is just around the corner. My life is hectic, and stressful, and borderline chaotic. Haven’t even been able to run or make it the gym much, instead needing to rush home between classes to do lesson plans, write some Chimera emails, grade projects, or write a paper for an online class I’m taking. The entire back seat of my car is full of stacks of papers, notebooks, and more papers and more notebooks (not to mention two gym bags full of crap). To add to this chaos, my precious cat was killed last week (and she was so very precious to me), and that pretty much made me want to just stop everything. But I had to keep plugging on. It sucked. The only silver lining was that I felt so lucky that she was part of our lives for the short time she was. Best cat ever.  

With Chimera around the corner, and the fact that I finally bought a new camera, I thought I’d write post to dump out my past two very much needed trail adventures. Wait – yes, I finally bought a new digital camera. And being nostalgic, I opted for the Canon Elph, which is the same make and model of the very first digital camera I ever broke (I smashed it on the rocks while running the Calico Trail run for the first time). Camera phones are nifty and all, but I really missed having a digital camera separate from my phone. They feel better in my hand than a phone.

Anyway, it was this past weekend, Veteran’s Day weekend that I hit the trails twice. First, was Friday, I went for a West Ridge run (with some hiking). I haven’t even downloaded my garmin yet, but I know that it totaled a little over 6 miles, because I’ve probably run that same route a hundred times.

The second trip out to trails, with a little bit of running, and a lot more hiking, was the following Sunday along Santiago Truck Trail. I got a late start, which is perfectly fine now that the weather is so mild. The mileage totaled a little over 7 miles and was much needed for my soul.

Looking forward to returning to the trails with Elph in hand.

Have a great weekend.

Maple Springs in the Autumn

I have always loved Maple Springs Road, especially in the autumn. I think that I even have another blogpost named Maple Springs in the Autumn. Here’s what it looked like last weekend, on November 5:

Love for the Suffer is Gone

What is the matter with me? I just do not like to suffer anymore. I despise it. It used to be that there was some kind of perverse joy in suffering – trekking through the wilderness in 100+ degree weather, covered in gnats, dirty, exhausted, low on fluids – that kind of stuff, it was strangely fun. Re-telling the story of that time I almost died – those were the days! The defeats, the agonizing, those were things that put my life into perspective. They were my “chill pills.” It seems like now that love for the suffer, it’s gone. Suffering makes me angry, makes me feel inadequate. I hate it.

The day after my treadmill quest, I went out for a short, flat run in the evening. And it hurt. I was miserable. I am so out of shape that there was no “easy” in any of those 3 miles. I hated it all. And quite frankly, it made me angry. And so I have to ask, what happened to me? Why can’t I take even the slightest bit of suffering anymore? Is it because of my age? Is the the extra weight? Is it because I’m just too dang tired? Maybe it’s because I’ve lost my patience. I’m immature. My focus is gone.

I arrived home after that run, really just spitting mad -- mad as in angry, and mad as in a little bit insane too. It was my husband who said to me, “This is right up your alley. Take on the challenge.” But it sucks, was all I could manage to seethe in my anger.  

My husband really got me thinking (even though he just pissed me off at first). This getting back into shape really should be up my alley. I’ve always been for a challenge. Countless people have been in good shape, and then had to start it all over again. Why should I boo-hoo all the time about it. And then I remembered one of my students and the lesson demonstrated to me just recently.

I was teaching a semi-complex, multi-step algebra problem. And he just couldn’t get it. I saw the frustration in his body language. He left for frequent cigarette breaks. He threw his hands over his face. He slumped his shoulders in surrender. “I just don’t get it,” he said. I told him, that it was all right if he didn’t get it right now. I told him that he should keep working on it, even if he didn’t “get it.” I told him if he kept working on it, kept thinking about it, that he would eventually get it. He needed to have patience. It would come in time.

Some time went by in class, and the students were working independently now. And then suddenly this student exclaimed, “I get it! I totally get it!” How lucky can a teacher be that a frustrated student “gets it,” within the same class period? I was that lucky.  And this is what he said to me: “I just had to stop being angry and work the steps. Once I did that, I got the answer.”

OMG, I just wanted to hug the guy (but I didn’t because that would just be weird). I mean, how brilliant were his words? Super brilliant! If he could remember that lesson and fall back on it for the rest of his life, he would be set. He was with that math problem where I am with my running. I just need to stop being angry and work the steps! So, let’s see if I have the patience to do that.

The Treadmill Gives Me a Bad Attitude

I slept in relatively late this morning (Saturday). 8:30 about. I was out the door around 9:30 am for a hike in the my local coastal hills. Around 10:00 am I was parked, had paid for my parking at Aliso Wood Canyons, and had already paid a visit to the outhouses where I noticed that my back was drenched from my pack. Originally, I thought that it was just condensation, as I had packed ice into my pack (I heard it was going to get to the mid 80s which is still way too hot for me). But then, when drips of water ran down my legs I knew that I had a problem.

So, let me begin with this. I hate, no . . . I despise and always have despised the Camelback bladder. It really sucks. It requires some kind of crazy engineering just to seal it correctly so it doesn’t leak in the first place. But I had already been through that ritual in the morning, so I knew that I had the seal right. What I had at Aliso/Woods was a genuine leak. And frankly, I was so glad. I wasn’t glad about wasting my money on parking, though minimal it was, and I wasn’t glad that I was going need to postpone my hike-run. I was glad to finally end this relationship with a crappy-ass bladder that Camelback produces. (Sorry to insult Camelback buyers)

I put the parking ticket that I had just paid for at the Kiosk, hoping that someone else could use it, and headed off to Road Runner Sports in Laguna Hills, hoping that they had something better than a Camelback bladder. Turns out they had an Ultimate Direction bladder, which is what I used for years. They leak too. And contrary to their claim that they replace leaky bladders, they do not (I submitted claims twice and followed-up with emails, to no avail). Still, the Ultimate Direction bladder is about 100% better than Camelback. So, I happily purchased the 70 oz. for approximately $33, knowing full-well that it would eventually leak, and that Ultimate Direction would do nothing about it. Still, my new bladder was not a Camelback, and that was worth something. I also threw in two tubes of Nuun tablets for another $12.

On my way home, my middle son texted me, asking if I wanted a breakfast burrito -- he was cooking. I said yes to that, which put off any further notion of a hike-run today. At that point, being close to noon and  because I’m such a wuss when it comes to heat, I decided to get my workout at the gym (though I prefer gym workouts during the week, when I cannot get to the trails).  I must say, the burrito was delightful. Afterwards, I took the extra time to do my husband’s billing, some laundry, and other chores. It was about 2pm when I finally made it out to the gym.

Because I had intended to run-hike today, I decided to first off, run an hour on the treadmill. I cannot tell you how painful this was for me. Within the first five minutes of the dreadmill, my thinking was, “Oh fuck man!” Well, being as old as I am, I have learned a few things that there is absolutely no denying. First and foremost is this: I cannot focus on how fucked something is, or how much I hate something, while trying to get through it. I HATE the treadmill. But there’s no way I’m gonna get through an hour of it focusing on how much I hate it. And so, I play the mind games because I’m not doing this because I enjoy it -- I’m doing it because I want to get into shape. So, I blasted my Ipod to loud. Not just a little loud, but LOUD. And I put on the hard stuff, the rough, I’m tough as nails music. And then I forced myself, FORCED myself not to look at the clock or any stats for an entire song. I was barely able to do that. Constantly did my eyes stray to the stats. It was terrible. Really. Just terrible.

Hitting the 30 minute mark was a huge relief. I only had to do again what I had already done up to that point. At the 45 minute point, I lied to myself (and I believed myself) that I could start walking at the 50 minute point. When that hit, I lied to myself again and said, “No, just five more minutes and you can knock it off five minutes early.” But then when 55 minutes hit, I just grossly chuckled and said, “No, I lied again. You HAVE to do five more minutes.” And five more minutes I did, allowing myself only to walk during the five minute cool down period.

Happy was I to have that hour completed. I spent the next 60 minutes on the stationary cycle, which was relatively easy, though not actually easy. I got a bit of reading done and some games played on my phone during this period.

And that was my day at the gym, which had I had originally planned to be a run-hike day.

Maple Springs in the Autumn

Went up Maple Springs Road to “Four Corners” last weekend. 8.77 miles travelled (of which I ran a good deal), and 1,623 feet of elevation gained. The weather was cold enough at first that I started off with a beanie and long sleeves. Those were promptly tucked away after about a mile. At the top (Four Corners) a cold wind blew, and it was lovely. Truly lovely. Then I was as was nearly spooked out of my shoes as I gazed off toward the San Gabriels when a deer mere inches away, jumped up and brashly hopped away. Her noise was so loud and tremendous, my mind immediately thought mountain lion, but in reality, a mountain lion is probably very quiet being a cat and all. Anyway, I think there were actually two deer, as I saw one very soon after that, but I can’t be sure if she wasn’t the same one who scared me so abruptly minutes before.

Meadows/Rockit Loop

Well, it's taken me nearly a week to write this one up. It’s 8pm Friday night now, and the only reason I’m still awake and not in bed is because I’m waiting for laundry. The shirt I want to wear to work tomorrow was at the bottom of the hamper. So, awake I will stay for another good hour or so. :( Heck, now is a good a time as any to do up a quick blog post.

As I mentioned, it was nearly a week ago that I last hit the trails (9/30). I took on the Meadows/Rockit Loop at Aliso Wood Canyons. I wanted at most ten miles, but I miscalculated, or rather forgot that this loop comes in over eleven! Oh well. I ran some. I didn’t fall. All was good. The park was crowded with high school cross country teams in the canyons, and up on the ridge, lots of hikers and runners. But on the Meadows portion (a difficult climb) and the Rockit portion, I had the wilderness all to myself. Wait, I take that back -- there was one other person going up Meadows. It was a guy pushing his bike. Did not look fun. Coming in toward the final stretch, I met up with much needed shade, and also bunches of cyclists on Coyote Run Trail. As I pulled over into the brush to let one group pass, one of the cyclists said, “Thank you Sir,” and then when I came into full view said, “I mean ‘Mam.”  His friend riding closely behind him replied to the incident, “What a dick Chad!” I got a good chuck out of that.

After that day on the trails, all my runs have been on the treadmill at the gym. Starting out small, like I’m starting over. Cuz I am.

No Capris!

Though Thursday is my toughest workday (about 7 hours of lecture, compared to 0 - 3 on most days), I have the biggest break between classes on this day. I’m off at 12:20pm at one school, and am not due at my next until 6:00pm. As such, this day was a perfect day to hit the trails. A few weeks into my new regimen, I am aiming for 5 workouts each week. In preparation. I wore my running bra beneath my clothes, so there wasn’t any risqué changing parked in my truck in a residential neighborhood just outside a back way into Aliso/Woods Canyons. My Garmin, a handheld of water, and a belt for my keys and phone packed in the truck, I was ready to take on the trail. But first, a change into a pair of capris and off with the checkered ruffle blouse, and on with a new cotton t-shirt in the front seat of my truck.

The time was 1:30 pm when my feet finally got moving. I thought that the afternoon timing would be okay, because it is after all autumn. Our mornings have been rather cold, and the evenings brisk too. Our afternoons have been mild, so much so, that I don’t feel inclined to wear summer clothing lately to work. Anyway! Such was not the case on Thursday. The weather felt more than warm. It was HOT. And my “run” being along West Ridge, didn’t help much. West Ridge is 100% exposed -- that means no shade. (As a side note, run is in quotes because I hiked much of this trip, as I will be doing for awhile until I get more into shape).

I think now is a good time to insert a note about capris. First of all, what the hell was I thinking? For years, I only ever wore shorts on trails. I learned that the first time I ran trails in Peter’s Canyon about 11 years ago. But strangely for some reason, with all the extra weight I have put on, I feel the need for capris. It’s like, I’m too fat for shorts or something. I don’t know. I wear shorts to the gym (those mostly I wear capris). I wear shorts in my neighborhood. I wear shorts around town. So, precisely why I feel the need to slip into capris when I’m on the trails eludes me. (What are capris? They are spandex leggings that go past the knee, so they are nearly pant length).

Well, I am here to report now, I will never, ever wear flipping capris on the trail again -- I don’t care if it’s snowing. NO CAPRIS.

Other than that, the trip was beautiful. :)

Miles: 5.13

Elevation Gain: 593’

Gate to WestRidge Trail (in Aliso Viejo, which leads to Alta Laguna Park in Laguna Beach:Nearing the “top”:Heading back:

It’s Been A While

Saturday, September 16, I woke fairly early (for a Saturday anyway). I’ve been attempting to get back to a morning person schedule. I used to be a “morning person.” Once upon a time I awoke at 5am (sometimes earlier), and had conquered the world before anyone in the house had awakened. Those times aren’t these. I am back however, I am back to rising much earlier now that I’m back at work. So, as I was writing . . . up earlyish on Saturday (7am). But I sat around for a good half hour drinking coffee and surfing the internet. By 7:45, I was finally out the door with pack in hand.

The sky was cloudy and gray, and I was oh so grateful for that because I cannot wait for summer to end. Another thing that has changed drastically with me -- I hate heat, and I used to quite enjoy it. Fortunately, it feels like fall is just around the corner. I’ve actually been throwing on long sleeved shirts in the morning it's been so chilly lately. Saturday was not long sleeved weather, but it was cool nonetheless.

It’s been awhile since I’ve  wandered about Arroyo Trabuco Trail. On Saturday I choose to park in one of my regular spots, at a park across the street from a Las Tijeras trailhead. My goal was a twelve mile hike, and I wasn’t a tenth of a mile in when I spotted a deer in the field just below my trail! She didn’t scoot of immediately, instead merely glanced up at me, taking a few steps here and there before finally trotting off.

La Tijeras Creek flowed quite well for a mid September day. Last winter’s storms had changed its course ever so slightly, starting my crossing thirty or so feet earlier than I recalled. I crossed easily, hopping from rock to rock. With now nearly eleven miles remaining of my hike, I wasn’t ready to get my feet wet. I save my water stomping for the end of hikes.

Arroyo Trabuco Trail was full of visitors. There were bikers, lots of bikers -- bikers in small groups, large groups, one was even a group of ten. I came upon several trail runners as well, and I didn’t feel that slight envy that I usually feel when I come upon trail runners. I was really that content just to be out there on the trails. I even recognize a trail runner that I am familiar with, Tom Barr. I called out his name, and we chatted for a short bit. I felt at home on the trail seeing someone that I recognized.

More hikers, more bikers, more runners. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people on the trail. But then again, Arroyo Trabuco had always been a week day trail for me. I ended up talking briefly with two women who had step aside to my side of the trail to make room for bikers. They questioned me about the Arroyo Trabuco, about particular distances. One of the women was a soccer player who couldn’t run anymore due to knee problems, so I felt akin to her. As the bikers passed, the ladies mainly ladies questioned me about trail distances, and ultimately wanted to know the distance from Doheny beach to O’Neill. I had to do some subtracting to come up with a figure. But then later, after leaving the ladies, realized I calculated incorrectly. The women out of sight, I knew it would bug me for hours giving incorrect trail information, so I ran off to find the two. First off, I was genuinely amazed that I could still run. When I haven’t run in a while, I get this looming feeling that I CAN’T run. Anyway, I found the two, gave them a new number, and then headed back toward O’Neill Park.

I think as I neared O’Neill, the crowd grew heavier. I overheard one woman in a pack of hikers say behind me, “No amount of beer is worth this shit!” After a chuckle, I picked up my pace some because I didn’t feel like hiking in a group. About that time, I realized that AGAIN, I had calculated incorrectly the trail mileage I gave the woman two miles back. Doh!

Still felt strong at the turnaround point. O’Neill is a great turnaround point. It’s civilized land with clean restrooms, and water fountains if you need it. I didn’t need the water fountains, as my pack was still quite full. And the weather, though not cold, was definitely not warm. Heading back with a little over 6 miles remaining, I ate a PowerBar for breakfast, and carried on as usual -- one foot in front of the other. About a mile out of O’Neill, I saw the two ladies again and gleefully told them my new number. “It’s 16 miles,” I said, “And that’s my final answer.” The trail by now had quieted down, and by the time I reached the mesa, it was virtually empty.

Coming in on the final stretch, I started to feel the fatigue. Up in the distance, off the trail, I noticed a man rustling about in the trees. Always cautious when passing someone on the trail (because I don’t want people behind me), I slowed to study the guy. What’s he doing? What’s in his hands? Upon closer view, I noticed a small pair of binoculars in his hands, and figuring that he was a bird watcher, probably posed little threat. And so then I moved on, still a bit cautious studying the dude. It was upon that study that I realized I knew him. It was Tom Fangrow. THE Tom Fangrow, my oldest trail running friend (and again, I don’t mean oldest as in age), that I have written about so many adventures with in this blog. What a great surprise that was! It’s been a long while since we’ve talked, which is probably why I chatted away much more than I usually do. (Usually I’m not a chatter, but sometimes I get the bug). Anyway, Tom and I walked the next mile or so, until I cut up the trail back to the asphalt bike path that I took back to the road to find my car.

Great hike. I felt like I belonged there. 12.27 miles.