Workin' the Hills

I went for a solo run in Aliso/Wood Canyon Park this morning for some hill work. Very few runners out this morning. I passed one woman running the opposite way on Wood Canyon Trail. There were some cyclists out. Some bunnies and one blue heron. I thought that a nice long warm-up through Wood Canyon would help some with the hills. I'm sure it did. But Cholla was dang hard. I began to feel anxious even approaching it. My run was slow and difficult up and down Westridge, especially toward the end when the climb simply mocked me.

Huge relief to reach Top of the World. I ran through the neighborhoods and about half way through them, passed that same woman I saw on Wood Canyon Trail -- we were doing opposite loops!

Meadows Trail had quite a bit of erosion, which made it difficult to fly down. Music turned to high, I ran down carefully and rather slowly, and even slower back through Aliso Creek Canyon into the ranger station.

Dead-dog tired, I hardly had a moment to rest the remainder of the day. But I was dang happy to have put in those excruciatingly difficult miles. That's what's it all about -- tasting that salt running down my face : )

Miles logged this morning: 11.64

Crystal Cove Xterra Training Run

A fitful night of sleep, I woke surprisingly rested at 5 AM, rain pounding down, wind whistling through trees with their branches swaying ferociously. (It was quite a scene -- I'll tell ya!) Gosh, I thought, and I'm going on a trail run. I bundled up good and hit Highway One under darkness. As soon as I made Laguna Beach, rain had ceased.

Thank goodness.

There were about 13 of us in the group today, some of us training for Xterra's 17K next month, others out just for the fun of it : ) Boy am I glad I got a look at that trail before attempting it in the race. It begins on a good mile and a half uphill, up El Moro Ridge to Bommer Ridge (which leveled out some, but was still ascending). Even going down "Pacific Ridge Trail" wasn't all downhill.

Quite a trail -- I've got to get my behind in gear for this one, less than two weeks away. (And I do have a game-plan, but I think I'll start it on Monday : )

Miles logged this morning: 10.6 (17 kilometers)

Despite the trail's difficulty -- it was a beautiful day indeed!

Me in the beanie and gripping a parking pass that I just paid FIFTEEN dollars for, Sheila lacing up for the run, Hank raring to go (photo courtesy Tom)


The climbing begins from step one (photo courtesy Tom)


Group Photo of some of our group (13 total ran today -- again, photo courtesy Tom)


"Mama always told me not to look into the Eyes of the Sun.

But Mama, that's where the fun is"


And I ran with a rain poncho tucked in my belt the whole way!


Heading back (& climbing again)


If I can see it, we're almost there -- see that blue there yonder?


"My Bonnie lies over the ocean . . . "

Some of the guys (I didn't catch everyone's name -- I was too far behind : )
(Tom's photo)


Tom provides cold drinks for all!


Sheila bids Farewell (photo courtesy Tom)

Happy Thanksgiving! 2009 Dana Point Turkey Trot

We began our Thanksgiving celebration the day prior with a BBQ at the beach. I brought my scooter along, with a “maybe” that I’d join my boys. Well, a mom can’t bring her scooter and not scoot along. So on a day that I promised myself physical relaxation I rode my scooter for a couple hours with my three boys along the ocean side. That’s worth giving thanks.

To bed early, I slept restlessly, finally waking at 5:45 for a race that I openly loathe – The Dana Point Turkey Trot. Why do I loathe this race? For one, it bores me practically to death, for two, it is way too crowded, and three, it is so poorly organized, which I won’t go into detail, because it is after all Thanksgiving, and to complain isn’t very thankful.

So why did I run this race that I so desperately loathe? Easy. I can’t not run a 10k race in my own backyard. I just can’t, can’t, can’t.

So, I ran to the race for a warm-up, and squeezed into the crowd. As I crossed the start line, I hit the timer on my wristwatch, aiming to break an hour. The crowd was thick, difficult to plow through, as walkers generally did not line up toward the back. I figured I’d just make up time in the last half.

It was a beautiful day, blue skies, crisp, cool temperature – perfect running weather. There were runners dressed as elves and Santas. We were all knocking into each other that first couple miles, nothing too bad – but the road just thins too much through Doheny Beach, especially since it’s cut in half for the return trip. I reached the 5k mark in 30:29, which is not my best 5k time. Still, there was a chance, I thought to myself, I could break an hour, if I picked it up some. By the time I crossed over onto the island, I was just happy to be more than half way finished, and really didn’t care much anymore about breaking an hour.

At the five mile marker, I looked at my watch and thought to myself, “all I have to do is a ten minute mile to make it.” I didn’t push it too much, and I also didn’t account for the .22 of a mile remaining after mile six – which equals running faster than a ten minute mile!

All’s well that ends well, so they say – and it is true. I didn’t break an hour, coming in at 1 hour, 58 seconds (but I can say that I made it within an hour : ). Also! Today's time is my best 10k time to date – and I surely can’t complain about that.

Will I run this race next year?

Probably so.

My 2009 Turkey Trot Standings:
Results: 1:00:58 (2008 Turkey Trot 1:03:13)
Placed 2,122 out of 3,798 overall
Placed 857 out of 1,998 women
Placed 111 out of 257 women age 40-44 (yeah, next year I enter a new bracket!)

More Speed

It's getting cold out here in the morning. I know, not cold, cold, like say Michigan or Montana cold, but cold for our parts. I don't know for sure, but it had to be low forties (brrrr). Tom and my ears both froze as we made our way down into the canyon. All the more reason to run it fast -- fast for my taste, definately faster than I had run it before, I'm certain.

It was Tom's idea! I wouldn't have come up with such an plan -- more mileage, sure, more hills, why not? But more speed -- yikes! That's dang hard. Last time Tom ran that out-and-back along Aliso Creek Trail and Wood Canyon, he did it in an hour forty minutes. With those climbs toward the end of Wood Canyon, I doubted that I could do it. Flat road, sure (I mean maybe!), but on a trail, didn't think so.

I certainly wouldn't have done it without Tom running alongside me (and sometimes ahead of me). But we did it -- we made those 9 miles of trail in just under an hour forty minutes. Wow. And the IT band didn't even whisper a complaint : )

Up Rockit to The Top of the World.

On the road a little after 6 AM for a group run, I was hopeful for a good IT band day. Yesterday, I bought a foam roller. As soon as I got home, I tore open the packaging, layed on my side and rolled back and forth over the band. I would have never believed it, had someone told me that this would work (actually more than one person told me it would work). After only three painful rolls, I stood up with huge improvement. I could barely feel there was a problem. Wouldn't it be nice, I thought to myself as I rolled into Aliso Wood Canyons Park, if I could do these hills without burning pain in my hip?

We were pretty bundled up, all five of us -- myself, Sheila, Kelly, Tom and someone new to our runs, Hank. When I say new, I don't mean new runner, or even new trail runner. He seemed to take these hills with ease!

Anyway, what I thought might be a pretty dang cold descent into the canyon, turned out not to be so. Sure, it was cold, but definately not freezing. We took Aliso Canyon to Wood, saw a Blue Heron slowly walking through the brown grass. Then we ran up Mathis Trail just a bit to hop onto Coyote Run. We made our way along Coyote, weaving in and out of grove shade, up and down mildly hilly terrain, until we reached Rockit. And then the climbing began.

My hip felt great, but if there was anywhere it would start burning, it would be running up Rockit. What a huge relief it was to not feel pain -- and what a beautiful sight it was running up that rock trail in the early morning. Hank took up the lead with Tom, us three ladies coming up behind, we reached Westridge with gloves off, long-sleeves tied around our waists.

After a break over looking Laguna Beach at Top of the World, we made our way down to Mathis and took that lovely decline until the turnoff for Dripping Cave. There's a pretty good climb in the beginning of this trail, but nothing like we had already run. Plus some of it's beneath big old oaks, with their roots twisted above the surface. Running along a single-track ridge type trail for a bit, we climbed that final hill, and made our way back down into the shade. Of course we stopped in Dripping Cave, then left running for that final stretch back to the ranger station, passing that Blue Heron again along the way.

I had a great run today (great group, as always) and put in 11.07 miles running to the Top of the World. My IT band felt great. There was no limp back to the car, no painful stretching, just a very dull sensation that the trouble wasn't completely gone. Marvelous.

Sheila on Rockit Trail headed for Top of the World


Kelly so gracefully making her way on Rockit


Top of the World, Overlooking Laguna Beach (Me, Kelly, Sheila, Tom, Hank)


Kelly, Tom and Hank in Dripping Cave (A.K.A. Robber's Cave)

Heading Back toward Wood Canyon

Why Run?

1. Why the hell NOT? You are just off a tad, right?

2. Because I have some inkling how the story will end. (This is quite important for a story teller.)

3. Because it's an opportune time to forget everything. (Forgetting is good, good, GOOD).

4. Because it's an opportune time to remember everything. (Remembering is good too -- perhaps, you think not, but THINK . . . running brings back those really odd times IN DETAIL -- like the time I ran right into a car when I was a child! Odd things like that come back suddenly and oddly when I run, some of them not too pleasant, they bring me back to gasping tears -- oddly, that's good too. Don't forget the flip-side though -- those old experiences way back when that you thought you long forgot, the fun childhood stuff : )

5. Because I can listen to music non-stop (glory), (that is if I run alone).

6. Because I can eat more calories than the average human being.

7. Because it helps me remember things long forgetten (Oops I already said this)

8. Because it allows me to beat up on myself,(without actually doing the deed. . . )

9. Because it gives me the opportunity to meet new people (QUALITY PEOPLE).

11. Because I can be alone (even admist those quality people).

12. Because it keeps me sane. (And insane, some might think)

13. Because it helps me to put things in perspective.

14. Because it gives me confidence.

15. Because I get to see deer, blue heron, snakes, bobcats, quail etc.

16. Because the "reality" of life and "reality" in general seem to co-exist.

17. Because I can get really dirty. : )

18. Because I never thought that I could do it.

19. Because it makes me proud because I can do it.

20. Because photographers take plenty goofy pictures of me (and GOOFY IS GOOD).

21. Because swimming then seems so much easier.

22. Because I get to see the sunrise.

23. Because I get to see the sunset.

24. Because I get to feel to glory of crazy.

25. Because to run is to ESCAPE without approval, well . . . let's see.

I know, I know, a lot of this doesn't make a whole of sense. Funny . . . It made perfect sense when I posted it at 2 AM : ))

Who Needs A Camera When You Have a Phone (And Who Needs Black Clouds When You Have Running)

I hadn't planned on running today. But this gal (that's me) who was crying the blues (literally), decided to take a break, and squeeze in a quick run anyway -- a flat run, right here at the edge of the Pacific. I wore a watch to keep track of time and carried only my phone (which turns out to take pretty dang decent pictures -- and I don't have one of those fancy new-fangled phones either).

I ran along the street and crossed over the island, running down the ramp to a shaded sidewalk that lines the parking lot. And when I came out at the other end, here is what greeted me and lifted that black cloud from my eyes:

Sure it's kind of a boring picture of a lonely road overlooking the harbor mouth. But I'll tell ya! It dazzled me this morning, kinda shoved me into my groove. As I continued along on this flat run, I passed another interesting camera-phone-worthy scene. I'm talking about meticulously stacked rocks. There's this guy out here who spends hours stacking these things. People stand about watching him in awe. Here's something I've never told anyone (except my husband) about the whole thing. I get this devilish thought every time I pass the scene to run through the rocks, kicking over the "artwork." But I would never do that; it would probably make someone cry. It's just this uncontrollable urge thing -- hopefully, you know the feeling, else you think I'm a complete jerk.

After running off the island, I turned around at the cliffs, making this a quick run with 3.61 miles gladly logged this morning.

My Turnaround: