Acceptance

Last Saturday (5/16) I was back out on the trails.  Not running them, but working them.  Worked an aid station for the OC Dirty Duathlon (Another one of Jessica’s races).  Lots of fun.  Participants came by our station 4 times!  Twice on bike, and twice on foot.  Rain began to fall as we packed up the station and hiked back out to my truck.  This added to a recent couple days of rain. 

Pictured:  Carlos (RD of Los Pinos), Jade, and Jimmy the Sweep:

I didn’t get back out on the trails until Monday (5/19).  The skies were still cloudy and dark, and the air was wet.  Last second, on my way to Los Flores for an Arroyo Trabuco run, I decided for an off-road trip so that I could really get up into those dark mountains. 

The canyon was empty.  The trails were spooky and misty.  So much so, I turned off the music and made that 5+ mile climb in quiet.  Actually, it wasn’t that quiet with critters scurrying back and forth and birds cawing and chirping above. One bird whistled so perfectly humanlike, it was eerie – kinda like an unseen stranger followed me up the mountain. 

The climb was tough up Holy Jim, and I hiked a great deal.  When I finally reached the top, a loud noise came booming through the mountains that I could not readily identify.  I thought at first perhaps it was the wind, but not a leaf stirred.  Focusing in, it seemed the noise was metallic, and approaching, and I imagined a giant robot making its way along The Main Divide.  Just about the time I finally pinpointed what the sound was, a big white work truck rambled around the bend.  I stepped off the road a bit, lowering myself back onto Holy Jim.  The driver waved as he passed.  I waved back.  It was all so surreal – the only two people on that spooky, scary mountain had just crossed paths! (Though I’m sure there were others on the mountain, it just didn’t seem like it).

Finally, I ran down all of Holy Jim.  And I totally blew out my foot in the process.  Back at home, my foot ached so terribly that I could barely walk.  The next day, things were not much better. 

I did not get out to the trails again until Thursday (5/21).  With a taped up foot, I managed to get in 4.5 miles in Wood Canyon.  Taking a detour, I made my way along Cave Rock Trail where I sat in these caves for a good half hour practicing acceptance – acceptance with lots of things, but as it pertains to running, acceptance of where I am right now, and acceptance with the fact that with my foot problem there is really no way that I am able to “compete” at Nanny Goat 24 this weekend.  Instead, I’m merely going out just to be there, to take it all in and be a part of the party.