Wood Canyon in the Summertime

So far, I have stuck to my goal to run every other day. (I didn’t post this goal, but decided it last Thursday).  Things sure aren’t the same as they used to be. It’s difficult to get out there and run. It seems the longer I wait in the day, the more difficult it is. But I’m also really digging sleeping in lately (and that’s not really like me). Wednesday, I waited so long that I opted for an evening run, which is a good thing when it concerns trails in the summer (even if they are in the coastal hills). It starts to cool down noticeably around here at about 5:00 PM.

I set out at 5:15 PM into Wood Canyon for what I thought would be a 6 mile run. I didn’t take into account the trip to and from the canyon out of my truck. The run ended up totaling 7.07 miles, which is a-okay, though I do plan on keeping to my plan of taking it slow (that is upping my mileage slowly). 

The weather was warm and slightly humid in Wood Canyon. I felt grateful for the ample shade. An occasional cool breeze came my way as well. The canyon was also full of hikers, runners and cyclists. Often though, I found myself alone on the trail.  Even in the summertime, with all the heat and brown colors, Wood Canyon was beautiful. The climb was just gradual (mainly on the way back), with a gain of only 416 feet. I had a good workout. Wood Canyon is definitely not a place I’d run during a heat wave, but in the evening with fairly mild temperatures, it’s a wonderful summertime run.