Wiped out, but ready as I can be

Unexpected events threw Thursday’s scheduling a bit.  But I still fit in one last run, a short one, but hilly, before tomorrow’s 22k.  I powered up Cholla and then Westridge to Top of the World where I quickly stretched the hamstrings and rushed back to the car. 

Now the trip back has its ups and downs, it is a ridge route after all, and it seems no matter which direction I take on a ridge, it’s gonna be difficult.  The two toughest Westridge Trail hills are downhill, as is Cholla, for the return trip.  But there are some new up hills on the way back – still nothing like Cholla Trail or that tiny section leading up to the Mathis intersection.  So I could never understand why it takes me just a few minutes shorter to make the trip back.  It seems I should be able to run the return trip much quicker.  Pressed for time today, I told myself, “I’m gonna do the trip back ten minutes quicker than the trip in!”  So I set my watch to zero and I hauled a**.  I was surprised that I couldn’t do it.  But I was close.  The run from Canyon Vistas Park to Top of the World took me forty minutes.  The return trip took thirty-three minutes.

I was wiped out for the rest of the day.  I mean, it was like I ran a grueling twenty mile run.  And I only ran six miles. 

I was even still fatigued today. 

Got some errands in today – no workout, just some hip exercises.  I’m all packed, coffee in the coffee maker, I’m ready to head off for the race tomorrow.   No anxiety, mainly because I’ve done this loop twice before.  I know what to expect.  My goals:  No falling, no injuries, no cramping, and finish smiling (finishing in 3 hours would be nice too). 

Here’s what I’m looking at tomorrow.  I haven’t put in anything near this elevation gain in recent training.  This should be fun.

To all a good night.  Have a fun run tomorrow wherever you run.  Good luck to all Malibu Creek runners.  And good luck too to those brave souls running the PCT 50 Mile Trail run tomorrow as well! : )

Going a little crazy now that I learned how to use the video button on my camera.

I really had no business putting in a fourteen mile trail run this morning.  I was just too tired.  BUT I felt like I needed one more hilly, longish run before Malibu Creek.  Today was about the only day I could fit one in, being that I didn’t want to fit in a grueling run close up to the weekend. 

I took off sluggish on Aliso Canyon Trail, then ran Wood Canyon in its entirety, wishing, wishing, wishing for shade.  By the time that lovely shade hit me, I was overheated.  (Again, I over dressed, but thank goodness left the fleece at home!)

Giant sycamore on Wood Canyon Trail


Determined to make this run, I continued on up Cholla (my featured trail of the day – see video below).  It wasn’t until I ran along Westridge a good while before things began to look beautiful.  When I run everything is beautiful, I may have mentioned that before.  Sometimes it’s beautiful from the first step.  Other times I have to wait some miles.  But eventually, everything is beautiful (sometimes it even waits to hit me on my very last step!).

When “Everything is Beautiful,” I become trigger happy with the camera

At Top of the World, Laguna Beach and the Pacific Ocean was hidden by a thick marine layer that I wished would rise a little to shade me.   

Results:  No hip pain!  And though my left calve threatened to cramp toward the very end of this run, my legs did not cramp.  (If you haven’t guessed, my goal for Malibu Creek this weekend, besides finishing with a smile on my face, is NO CRAMPS). 

Total Miles logged:  14

Featured Trail of the Day:  Cholla Trail  (Another bumpy ride!)

Technorati Tags: Cholla Trail,Westridge,Top of the World,Aliso and Wood Canyons,Trail Running

Running Hills at Aliso/woods

Today's run (Sunday) was a hilly 11 miles at, you guessed it, Aliso Wood Canyons Park.  And I know that I've said this before, but it was GLORIOUS -- the park's filled with spring flowers, friendly people, blue skies.  Plus, I didn't see one Rattler.  Yes!

(For those of you who know the park, this was my out-and-back: Through Canyon Vistas park, up Cholla Trail, Westridge, then down Rock It, Coyote Run to Mathis, then up I went to Westridge all the way to Top of the World -- Return was the reverse.)

With the hip injury gone, I'm working on eliminating leg cramps.  Today's run was an experiment.  I didn't drink electrolytes on the run, only water.  Instead, I drank Pedialyte on the way to the park. Result:  No cramps.  But I usually don't experience cramps on runs of this mileage.  Then again, hills sometimes bring them on.  And today was filled with hills.  Speaking of which, my featured trail of the day is Rock It -- see video (sorry so long) below.

Pretty, pretty spring flowers at Aliso/Wood Cyns Park

FEATURED TRAIL OF THE DAY

Kids Run the O.C.

I just realized that I'm not running up Bulldog again in two weeks.  I'm running up Bulldog in ONE week.    O . . . M . . . G . . .

No time to train today.  This weekend is the OC Marathon.  No; I didn't run the marathon.  But my eight year old ran the "Kids Run the O.C."  And I ran with him -- 1 mile.  It was a blast, festive, a little crazy, overrun with, screaming, lunatic kids (& and don't mean baby goats : )

The idea was, the kids enrolled in a program at their elementary schools where they were to have run the equivilant of 25.2 miles of activities.  Today, they ran the last mile of the "marathon."  I was so proud of my little guy (who has been through a tough, tough time the past couple weeks).  The last quarter mile, even though he was so tired, he ran it on in across the finish line with a tremendous burst of speed.  Way to go my precious baby boy!

Miles logged this morning:  1

Someone Finally Said It

I am reluctant to tell people that I run, because I imagine they look me over and think "you're no runner!"  As if I should care -- I run for many reasons, none of which, so that I can "look" like a runner.

Runners know that runners come in all shapes and sizes.  A lot of non-runners don't seem to think that.  Case in point:  Crazy week, in so many ways, different work schedule, among other personal stresses.  There I was, working a site I've never been to.  I was eating my packed  lunch consisting of an apple, an orange, and a turkey sandwich on whole wheat.  I got to talking to another teacher, and commented how my current schedule was messing up things -- I can't run when I want to.

"Running?"  She looked puzzled.

"Ya, that's my hobby; I like to run long distances -- especially on trails," I said.

"Hmmmm?"  She gave me the once over.  "But you don't . . . [Yes, she actually said this] YOU DON'T LOOK SKINNY."

She wasn't exactly "skinny" either, nor was she slender.  Actually, chunky or plump comes to mind.  Not that I care one bit about her body shape -- I just couldn't believe that someone finally said it. 

"Well, I EAT," I said. 

Heck, she just said something a little stupid.   I thought it was funny nonetheless that someone finally said it.  (And it made me a little self-conscious too, promising to cut the "junk" from my diet.)

Back to running. I'm headed up Bulldog soon for the 3rd time, and as usual this year -- I'm not quite ready. Hills, hills, hills -- that's what I'm concentrating on. So, I hit Cholla Trail running, feeling no anxiety whatsoever as I approached it. And this woman (that is, me -- 45 five years old, with 3 children) who is NOWHERE NEAR skinny, ran up and down Westridge Trail to Top of the World.

Running Wood Cyn Trail toward Cholla -- there was only one single cloud in the sky.

Originally, I planned to make this an out-and-back, about six miles.  But I was having too much, sweaty fun.  And so I ran across the Top of the World, entering Aliso/Woods Canyon Park again about a mile later.  The wind blew rather strong, not terribly, but enough to notice the resistance.  I kept a lookout for Rattlers, saw none.  I felt a little devilish when I warned some out-of-towners I met at Top of the World, "Watch out for Rattle Snakes, they start coming out about spring."   The woman jumped away from the brush and hurried down into the landscaped park at Top of the World. 

The view from the top was unbeatable today.  The ocean was dark blue, speckled with whitecaps -- a sign of the winds' strength.  Pictures can't do the view justice.

I ran down Meadows for a nice size loop for today's run.  I took some video running down Meadows (clips below), but found 1) I haven't figured out how to keep the camera from rocking and 2) Decided I'd rather not fall and didn't film the best parts of the steep, switch-back portion.

In all this run totalled about 9.6 miles.  Time to increase the uphills.

Top of  the World @ Westridge

Running back into Aliso/Woods Cyn Park, approaching Meadows Trail

Heading back down to the Canyon, via Meadows Trail -- Where did those clouds come from?

Meadows Trail caught on video (beware of bumpy ride : )

One Week (Exactly) Hence

Exactly one week has passed since Camp Pendleton's Hard Corps Marathon.  And eventhough I was pretty bad off (cramp-wise), I am way better off (recovery-wise) than my first marathon  (SD Rock N' Roll Marathon).  I haven't looked it up, but if memory serves me correctly, two weeks passed before I fully recovered from my first marathon.  This time, aside from cramping the second day, I felt pretty much recovered right away.

I have been preoccupied with life over the past week; it has tired me so.  Still, I set my alarm for a run this morning, though I would have rather slept in.  Actually, so much as been going on, that though I yearned to run during it all, when it comes right down to it, I would rather lay in bed and zone-out.  Zone-out ALL DAY LONG.

But I'm old enough to know what's better for me -- even if I do have a chorizo burrito dinner. : ) (Bad Girl!)

Goal this morning: Hills. Just 2 short weeks from now, I heading up Bulldog (at Malibu Creek Park), and having lost a lot of my hill training during physical therapy, I figured today was a good day for hills. I couldn't make the trails though (not enough time with the stuff going on 'round here), so I ran out my front door, first on a down hill to the highway, which I took down even further for a nice flat run on Del Obispo. I forgot to focus on form, and I forgot my mantra, which probably explains why I never really got out of my slump.

I'm not talking about a terrible slump. It's just that, the euphoria never hit. Then again, I kept the mileage on the low side.

After running the flat portion, I began my climb up Stonehill. Waving at a neighbor who seemed to be shocked at seeing me running up this hill at 7:30 in the morning, I turned left on Selva to run a steady climb, for a good two-thirds of the entire length of Selva. Reaching the high point of the city, I barely noticed the Pacific Ocean (it was a gray day), instead focusing on the music of my ipod.

My mood began to lift some when I finally reached the stairway leading down to The Strands (a small beach that's usually pretty empty). My mood didn't lift because it was empty, but because it was like meeting an old friend.  I love The Strands. 

Running on down to The Strands

The Rock Stacker at it again


Quick Stop at the cliffs to greet my friends

Not much hills to run on the sand.  I ran The Stands (there and back), Salt Creek and Monarch Beach, then began my ascent up the windy trail toward the highway.  I ran under the highway, then up the staircase to the apartments my husband and I lived in for nearly ten years (before the children).  From there I ran up Stonehill, a pretty good climb that I would have never dreamt of running twenty years ago when we lived there. 

The morning was still young when I arrived home, happy to see all my boys awake, eating breakfast and not yet raising havoc.   Miles logged this morning:  8.2

In Retrospect

With a few days to look back, I believe my biggest mistake, a pretty major one that nearly took me down in the Hard Corps Marathon, is that I didn't pack the Nuun tablets. That is what I normally run with to replace electrolytes. Instead, I switched sports drinks and went with what the aid stations supplied (which was Gatorade). Secondly, (and from now on!) I must bring along salt packets -- that sucking pretzels thing has got to go. Salt is definately my problem; I sweat salt. Every bit of me was crusted with salt after Saturday's race -- my clothing, arms, legs, face. Sunday, by the way, my hands and feet were cramping. I neglected to continue replacing those electrolytes after the race.

It's all about learning lessons. My runs, especially races always are. And I like that.

I ran pretty quickly after the marathon -- just waited one day to hit the ground. But what I did differently this time (compared to my first marathon), was to get out for small, yet frequent recovery runs.

Monday, I dropped my car off in the shop and ran home, taking a little detour, for a total of 1.33 miles. I felt strong, yet a little tight in my left hamstring. I sweated an unbelievable amount. Even back at home while stretching, the sweat poured from my face.

Tuesday, after work, I ran 1.26 miles with my 8 year old in the cool evening air.

Today (Wednesday), time to pick up my car, I ran down to the beach first. I ran it at a leisurely pace. The ground still wet from a downpour earlier in the morning, enormous puffy clouds hovered over the ocean. The wind blew directly at me for half of the run, adding resistance, and hopefully strength to my muscles. Though I certainly didn't race up Golden Lantern to PCH, I ran it all with little difficulty, and ran on into the service station wishing I had more time to run. Alas, I had no more time. But that is fine, because as I mentioned above, "small, yet frequent recovery runs." (Miles logged today: 5.4)

"A Glorious Comeback"