I’m Not Proud (But I Didn’t Have A Choice)

After spending the morning with my family, I drove off to the coastal hills for a 1:00 PM trail run to finish off this “hard” week.  When I arrived the gates were closed, yet cars were parked in the lot and along the road.  People were also turning around their cars and driving back the way they came.  I pulled up next to the ranger who stood at the gates.  She told me the park was closed for everyone coming in.  There was a fire in Laguna Beach.  It wasn’t out of control.  But if it did get out of control and they had to evacuate the park, they didn’t want the trouble of evacuating too many people. 

As this kind woman spoke to me, my brain was elsewhere, thinking:  “Please stop talking.  I get it!  I just need to somehow sneak into the park, then I can stay.” 

“Okay, thank you.”  I smiled, turned around and drove off.  I thought of all the park entrances and decided that Top of the World would be my best bet.  So, I went on my way, taking about a half hour driving into Laguna Beach.  I could see smoke in the distance.  Then suddenly the traffic came to a near halt.  At this point I figured that the rangers could easily block entrance at Top of the World.  Then I remembered a way in that most people don’t think about.  There is a park in the neighborhood that Mentally Sensitive ends near.  So, off I was, driving approximately 5 miles an hour to my destination, hoping I could sneak into Aliso/Wood Canyons.  I had to run trails today, especially so close to The Taper.

I felt sneaky.  I felt selfish.  I didn’t really like what I was doing.  But I really wanted to get in this run.  And besides, I tried to justify, if anyone’s going to be safe and know what to do if trouble arises, it’s going to be me.

Before I continue, I should go into a little background for people who don’t live here.  October is fire season in California.  It has always been (Okay, it’s not exactly October, but it’s close).  Some Octobers we escape without fires.  Other Octobers we get clobbered.  A few years ago, my parents were evacuated in San Diego county from wildfires that burned down several neighborhoods.  Also, some years back in Orange County, we had some pretty bad fires, closing some mountain trails for a year or more. 

I remember as a child living near the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains (L.A. county), seeing those mountains ablaze again and again.  Ashes used to fall down like snowflakes in our backyard.  Our car windows were coated with ash.  I guess you probably got the point that October is fire season, and that we are a little paranoid about it around here.  But more so, we are paranoid about it in Laguna Beach.  In 1993, during my senior year in college, Laguna Beach had a firestorm like no other that I can remember.  Other areas got hit too.  But Laguna Beach only has 3 ways out – Highway 1 South, Highway 1 North, and Laguna Canyon Road. 

We lived pretty close to the Dana Point / Laguna Beach border at the time.  Standing outside our apartment, we could watch for hours, miles and miles of headlights trying to escape the city.  A bright orange glow shined at the tops of the hills.  Ashes rained down everywhere.  Entire neighborhoods burned to the ground, 366 homes total and 17,000 acres in Laguna Beach alone.

The local community has very good reason to be paranoid about fires.  This is why I’m not proud of circumventing this paranoia so that I could run. 

The hills were smoking as I drove on today toward the park near Mentally Sensitive.  Dozens of firemen, dressed in heavy gear climbed the hillsides in 90 F degree heat.  A helicopter occasionally flew by to drop fire repellant. 

I finally made it to the street I needed.  It was blocked by police.  So, I drove around to get to the other side of the smoldering hillside.  I parked along the street, happy to see no law enforcement or fire crews, and ran into the city park toward Mentally Sensitive.  Before I arrived to the trail, I spotted Meadows Trail in the distance.  Three fire trucks were parked at Meadows’ entrance.  So, I wouldn’t be running down Meadows.  Thing was, Mentally Sensitive’s trailhead is visible from Meadows.  And so, I bushwhacked my way down the hillside so that I could reach my trail unseen lower down the slope.  Thing was, when I came upon my trail, I could still see the firemen.  I don’t know if they could see me, or if they even cared.  But I ducked, yes, I’m not proud.  I ducked as I ran along the trail.  If only I wasn’t wearing my dang orange hat.  Eventually I had to stand erect, the trail was so steep.  When I did, I didn’t look back.  I ran down Mentally Sensitive and didn’t ease up until the trucks were no longer in my sight.

I was in!  And unless they evacuated the park, I was going to stay in.  But I didn’t see anyone for at least three miles, so of course I worried that they had indeed evacuated the park.  Finally, I came upon some mountain bikers.  Later I came upon small groups of hikers, so I felt confident the rangers had not evacuated.  Unless the same ranger who told me they were closed saw me, and remembered me (dang orange hat), I was home free!  Just to make sure, I took a single track as soon as I could.  I ran Coyote Run, feeling pretty good physically.  But the heat was tough. 

In all I ran a ten mile loop.  I was supposed to run 12 miles.  I goofed, because I forgot to look at “The Plan.”  Therefore, I came in about 2/3rd’s of a mile short of my 72 weekly miles.  (My oldest son said that I should just run around the block, I laughed at that notion – smart boy, but this Mama’s done running for the week!).

Shhhh (please).  Running down Mentally Sensitive:

Finishing up Meadows, headed into Wood Canyon:

Coyote Run Trail:

Running up Rock It Trail:

Headed back to my truck:

My Second-To-Last Long Run Before The Taper

Yesterday, I stressed somewhat over today’s long run.  Why?  Not so much the distance, though I knew 28 miles would be difficult in the Saddleback Mountains.  I stressed because weather forecasts reported 107 F (approximately 42 C).  And guess what!  It was 107 degrees according to reports this afternoon.  Thank God for some breezes.  And I was also very fortunate to have company on this blazing hot run.  Cody L.  woke at 2:30 AM to make the drive to meet me at 5:30 for this 6:00 AM training run.  He’s running Twin Peaks also, but being that he lives in another county, he hasn’t had the chance to train much in The Saddleback Mountains.

We ran 2 fourteen mile loops (A Holy Jim/Main Divide/West Horse Thief loop).  First we ran it clockwise back to the truck which we used as our aid station.  After fluid refills and a snack (or two) we headed off on the same loop, except this time counter-clockwise.  Climbing Horse Thief in the heat was brutal.  I was aiming for brutal.  I wanted to take Horse Thief on tired legs in the heat to see how long it might take me in the race.  (Today, we hit Horse Thief at about mile 17; Twin Peaks we’ll go up at mile 32!) Overall, the second loop was nearly unbearable for me because of the heat.  I took all precautions and didn’t suffer from heat exhaustion though.  I’m learning.    

We made it back, alive and kicking.  Well, maybe not exactly kicking.  I felt fine, just exhausted, driving Cody back to his car.  He was still smiling and even still looking forward to Twin Peaks.  “We need to run it faster,” he said to me as we chatted about today’s run. 

“You think?” I responded almost deliriously and then busted up laughing.  He’s a good guy (half my age by-the-way), it’s endearing to see someone so carefree and looking so dang forward to this race.  I’m on the other hand, pretty much scared to death!

LOL.  So why do I do it?  I guess I’m just crazy. 

And on to the pics, with some additional information . . .

Running The Main Divide (for the first time, before the heat really set in):

Group shot standing at the top of West Horse Thief before a rocky run down to finish up loop one:

Running down West Horse Thief:

Heading off for loop #2 with a drenched bandana on my head:

Trabuco Trail:

Cody headed toward Horse Thief with my San Juan 50k t-shirt wrapped around his head for sun protection (he forgot his hat : )

Running Main Divide, eager for the down hill / semi-shady trip on Holy Jim:

The crazy profile:

Ouch

The aftermath this morning from yesterday’s trail running “mishap” (fall) was greater than I expected.  Perhaps the heat exhaustion added to my overall sense of health.  Overly fatigued this morning when I woke at 6 AM, the entire right side of my body ached, especially my right butt cheek.  I found yet another pebble in my elbow, but overall, the wounds on my elbow and legs cleaned up well.  It doesn’t look nearly as bad as yesterday, but I ache.  My elbow aches, my knee aches.  So does my shin, and my entire right arm, and a tad bit of my left arm.  . 

I took two ibuprofen and went about my morning chores – making breakfasts, packing lunches, getting the boys off to school.  The weather was cool and the air wet, the skies gray.   I rushed back home to do some laundry and clean the kitchen.  Then I was off.  Off to the trails at Aliso/Wood Canyons.   I had ten miles on the agenda, and I wanted to get them done in this cool weather.  Only thing was, a few miles inland and the skies were blue and the sun beamed down pretty harshly. 

That’s okay.  I could deal.  I can deal with just about anything.  Dang it!

Well, I sweated profusely as I ran through Aliso Canyon, then into Wood Canyon.  I took Meadows Trail which is now completely brown with a few yellow flowers dotting the landscape.  On the way, I was oh so fortunate to come across a little red weasel as he poked his head out of his ground hole.  He seemed to look at me with curiosity.  We made eye contact and he darted back down beneath the ground.

I opted to climb the hardest trail in the park (Mentally Sensitive) because I only have two “hard” weeks remaining.  It was pretty hellish.  Perhaps I am too harsh.  I enjoyed the climb, really.  I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t enjoy something truly hellish.  It was rather good “hard fun.”  : )  Best of all, when I reached the top, I was back in the cool, wet clouds. 

Tomorrow, I rest.

Not really.  I’ve got tons of chores to do, especially with all the miles I’ve got stacked up for the weekend.  But I rest from running.

Overall, despite my “mishap,” today was a success on the trails.

Thanks for reading!

 Meadows Trail (I’m aiming for those clouds ahead):

Climbing Mentally Sensitive (with a cheerful heart & so much sweat that I thought my pack was leaking):

Top of Mentally Sensitive, notice Santiago Peak in distant background:

Greetings from Top of the World (once again):

Today’s profile:

With A Cheerful Heart

I knew that I had to get back to Santiago Peak before my big race just a month a way.  The last couple times I ran to the peak, I experienced great stress.  I threw a tantrum here and there, and just couldn’t beat the negative self-talk.  When I’m alone, the peak is a HUGE mental battle for me.  I could not let the last time before the race be an anxious, terrible trip up there. 

My main goal today:  run to Santiago Peak with a cheerful heart.  That’s right.  No anger.  No tantrums.  Just go up there, and accept it as it is.  If the trip was easy after all, there’d be trash all over the place, and tons of people and I probably wouldn’t do it.  So, why the heck have I been beating myself up for the struggle being so difficult?  Silly.

An empty Holy Jim Parking lot, prepping for this 16 mile run:

The weather did not cool down for me today.  In fact, it was HOT.  The gnats also had returned.  But they were little, baby-like gnats.  I wondered if a new group had hatched.  These little guys were not so bothersome, especially because their numbers weren’t huge.  One did get lodged in my nostril though, which made nasal breathing a little difficult.  Unsure what to do, it donned on me to attempt what I’ve seen many of my male friend runners do – blow a snot rocket.  What the heck.  With one attempt I blew that gnat out and was one my way up Holy Jim.  My first snot rocket ever!

I ran Holy Jim in its entirety.  I felt good.  I drank my fluids at a rate though that worried me.  I had only brought along 82 fluid ounces.

Me and my gnat friends:

Gorgeous views on the way up:

When I hit the Main Divide, I concentrated on a strong power-hike for about a mile.  I ran the flats, and the shady up hills.  No negative thoughts crossed my mind.  When it got really tough, I said to myself, “It is what it is,” and I prayed for strength.

I made it to the peak from the Holy Jim Parking in lot in 2 hours, 45 minutes.  This is going to be a time problem in Twin Peaks.  But . . . it is what it is.

A quick pose at Santiago Peak:

Running down from the peak, I felt stronger than usual.  I hit Upper Holy Jim with a cheerful heart.  It seemed that someone had done some work on this technical single track since I’d last run it.  Rotten wood was thrown to the sides.  And some of the ruts had been filled.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself taking this trail as quickly as possible.  And then wouldn’t you know it?  (It always happens when you think things are going good).  I took a hard, I mean HARD fall. 

When I hit the rocky terrain, my calves knotted into cramps.  As usual, it happened in slow motion, and I remember saying out loud, “Straighten your legs!  Straighten your legs!”  I was able to get out of the leg cramps, but in doing so somehow ended up on my back.  I sat up to notice a gash on my knee, and the drip, drip, drip of blood coming from my elbow.  I didn’t have enough fluids to rinse my elbow and see just how badly it was injured.  But the dripping slowed soon enough.  And after sitting there for a bit to take in the scenery, I stood up, with no anxiety or anger in my heart, and continued onward down toward the Main Divide.

Upper Holy Jim:

Where I fell:

Though I recovered from the fall well, things got even tougher.  I RAN OUT OF FLUIDS.  With three miles left to the spring, I kept my downhill run at a slow pace.  Heat exhaustion was beginning to take its toll when I finally made the spring which was barely a dribble.  I waited there in the shade filling my handheld again and again until I had about 40 fluid ounces in my pack.  I drenched my head, my face and washed my elbow, though it was too painful to dislodge all the pebbles from my skin.  I filled my handheld as well, and after a good twenty minutes in the shade, I finally made my way down Holy Jim, with a cheerful heart.

Running The Main Divide toward (lower) Holy Jim:

At the spring, finally refreshed and ready to finish up this run:

Nearing the final stretch of Holy Jim, ahhhhh, the lovely shade (& gnats too : )

The profile:

Going for the Final Push

Today’s run marks the first in the final push of my Twin Peaks training.  I’ve got 2 weeks of hard running (72 mile weeks) and then it’s time to take it easy for a couple weeks.  Of course, I’ve been struggling still over whether I even want to show up for the race.  For now, I’m pushing my fears to the back of my mind, and I’m going to do the best to get these 144 miles done before The Taper. 

Today, we were actually socked-in with cool, heavy-wet skies.  I took a straight shot up Cholla Trail to the ridge at Aliso/Wood Canyons, and ran to the Top of the World.  Looking down into the town of Laguna Beach, the ocean was no where to be seen beneath those low, fast moving clouds.  Though I didn’t make my fastest time for this route, I was only about 7 minutes shy.  And I hit the 8 minute pace level on several occasions on the trail’s down hills.  A fun, wet run indeed. 

Top of Cholla Trail @ West Ridge:

A eerily beautiful, lonely trail ahead:

Today’s out-and-back to Top of the World:

Twin Peaks Training Run #1

My training plan for today dictated ten miles.  But today was the first official Twin Peaks Training Run.  With all my negative self-talk, doubt and plain ole’ exhaustion from the heat, I had to make this run.  I wanted to meet some of the runners, and I wanted to run the one trail of this ultra that I have not trained on – Indian Truck Trail.  The trail is the first 6.5 miles of the race, and the last 6.5 miles of the race.  I have never run up it in its entirety, mainly because it begins in Corona (which is on the other side of the mountain from me). 

The runners who showed had the choice between 3 routes, each a part of the other.  I chose the shortest, as I mentioned above, the Indian Truck Trail out-and-back.  (We didn’t began at the actual start line, so it was a little over 7 miles each way).  I knew three of the runners and the race director, Jessica, but the others were new faces to me.  I always find it intriguing to meet others who want to attempt something that I think is more than crazy!  It doesn’t make me feel less crazy.  It makes me smile that they too are crazy.  We crazies come in all types.  One of the women chose to run the shorter 14 mile portion, and I was lucky that we are about the same pace.   It will be good to see her again on race day.

The first 6.5 mile climb has been worrying me about the race.  Today, it has put my mind at ease.  This is definitely not going to be a portion of the race that causes me problems – that is of course unless I go out too fast, or something unforeseen happens.  The trail is wide, nicely graded with very few rocks.  The views are green and grand.

Heading up:

Besides meeting friends and meeting trail runners I haven’t met before, one of the best parts of today was . . . wait for it . . . NO. GNATS.  Yes, that’s right.  Not a single one.  And I am oh, so hopeful that they are gone for good.  The heat though was still present in abundance.  I’m not sure, but I think it’s hotter on the Riverside side of the mountain compared to the side facing the ocean (“my side.”) 

On the way down Indian Truck Trail I got to really “open up” and run faster than I usually do because the trail has little or no hazards.  I’m used to working with boulders, roots, you name it.  Makes me wish I had put more training on this trail before now. 

Top of Indian Truck Trail at The Main Divide:

I had been feeling very weak and unconfident before today’s training run.  I still feel weak and lack confidence.  The thing that has changed is this:  It doesn’t matter.  I’m still gonna try.  And if I can’t finish, well, then, I’ll have that experience, which isn’t that terrible of an experience after all. 

Going down:

Indian Truck Trail’s Elevation Profile:

Guilt-Free Running

After dropping the boys off at school this morning (two different schools and times) I set off for Aliso/Wood Canyons for a mid-morning run.  I elected the “Big Loop” (up Mentally Sensitive, down Cholla) for a 13.5 mile run.  The place was practically empty.  Everything was as it should be:  day camp kids were gone, tennis players were out in limited numbers at Top of the World.  The few mountain bikers present were courteous and yielded to the runner (me).   Yes, the sun was still dang hot.  But I got a cool breeze in my face here and there.  Best thing of all – I ran this morning’s trails GUILT-FREE.  The boys didn’t even know I was running.  I was at home when they woke, which is important to them.  And I was going to be the first face they’d see when school was finished.  I didn’t hear things like, “You’re never here in the morning.”  I didn’t realize how badly I felt all summer, guilt-ridden over not being home when the boys woke.  I guess I have some guilt issues to deal with.

I felt so free during this morning’s run, that the heat barely bothered me.  That is until I got home, my energy zapped.  Overall, today’s run was fantastic.  I’m slower than usual, but I came in stronger than I have in a long, long time.  I even had lots of time to stretch in the shade.  Oh, the glory.

On Meadows Trail headed for Mentally Sensitive:

Running (yes, running – yay!) up Mentally Sensitive:

Running the ridge toward Top of the World:

Presenting the Pacific Ocean from Top of the World:

Wood Creek Trail – I love this stuff:

More Wood Creek Trail:

This morning’s elevation profile: