It’s just a matter now of putting the pieces together

Last night I pressed and rolled my foot down on a tennis ball as hard as I could.  No pain.  After icing, heating, rolling etc., FINALLY no pain.  I continued rolling through the night, even taped to go to sleep. 

This morning I felt REALLY optimistic about a trail run.  Then after dropping the last of my boys at school, he informed me that he forgot his clarinet. I drove all the way back home, grabbed his instrument, then rushed back to his school.  Then I RAN through campus to get the clarinet into the music room before the tardy bell rang.  I made it.  The bad news is, upon my first running step, my right foot hurt.  IT.  HURT.

Darn it.  I went for a trail run anyway.  And I’m especially glad because today I finally put together the last piece of my puzzle for the Tides to Towers run that I’m eventually going to do. (That is a run from the beach up to Santiago Peak, AKA Talking Towers Peak)  I’ve finally “punched” through Arroyo Trabuco and ran to the mouth of Trabuco Canyon.  I even had some spare time after that and ran up Rose Canyon because I heard a runner can get to Santiago Truck Trail from there.  If this is true, it will open up a whole new array of running for me.  Anyway.  First things first.  I’ve got the Tides to Towers route.  Put together, it’s 29 miles one way.  I still haven’t decided about the return trip, whether I’m going for the full 58 mile round trip.  I’m toying of taking the bus when I get off the mountain or having hubby pick me up.

I’m aiming to do this “Tides to Towers” run late winter, early spring.  Now, my job is to find one or more trail runners to do this with me.  Any takers?

Running Arroyo Trabuco:

Running through O’Neill campground with drinking fountains galore and sparkling bathrooms with running water sinks and flushable toilets!!:

Standing at the mouth of Trabuco Canyon:

Rose Canyon:

Time to turn around in Rose Canyon and head back.  The foot was aching by this point.  Bummer.  But it was still a good run, because any run is better than no run, especially in this pristine scenery.  (Today’s total: ten miles)