Too Much Data

Have you ever been talking on the cell phone, while at the same time looking for your cell phone?  I have. 

My sister told me that she once used the landline to call her cell because she couldn’t find it.  Then she ran and answered the cell, “Hello?  Hello?”

I was once telling my friend how I left my keys in the car ignition when I went grocery shopping.  The entire produce section was looking for my keys, because I WAS SURE that I had them in my hands while looking at apples.  My friend told me – that’s nothing!  Then he confessed that when he went golfing he had to go back to his car because he thought he left his keys in them.  Not only did he find his keys in the ignition.  But he car was still running!!!

Are we getting old?  Everyone gets old (and really we’re not THAT old).  Even if we were, I don’t think that’s the culprit here.  I think there’s just too much to think about.  Too much data. 

At least for my brain.

No, this blog is not going where you think it is.  I’m not going to talk about all the high tech shoes and running equipment, and how we have to keep track of our pace, elevation, etc. . .   I’m simply going to say that I took a nice thirteen mile run this morning.  My last run before the storm that’s supposed to come in tomorrow. 

Anyway, I dumped lots and lots of data running trails today.  It was beautiful. 

As I ran down “No-Name,” I felt extremely thirsty.  Lately, I’ve been running with handhelds, and with nothing in my hands this morning, I kind of felt to myself (I didn’t really think words, because I was in NO THINKING MODE this morning), “I can’t wait to get to the ranger station.”  (There’s a drinking fountain there.)  This is how it is in NO THINKING MODE.  I mean, didn’t it dawn on me that it was pretty odd that I didn’t carry water on a ten plus mile run?  Then some voice penetrated through the wall and said, “Ah . . . Lauren, you have 64 fluid ounces on your back.”  I laughed and laughed as I drank up.

And then I ran in the moment for the next thirteen miles.

And now for the pictures of a tranquil trail run in El Moro:

The route:

Running down No-Name Trail toward the Pacific Ocean:

Crossing bridge to run up El Moro Canyon:

El Moro Canyon:

Old Emerald Falls Trail:

About to ascend Old Emerald Trail:

A nice hearty climb on Old Emerald:

Approaching top of Old Emerald:

Running back to reality on Bommer Ridge:

Miles run:  13.61 (21.90 km)

Lackadaisical Run

We got rain in Southern California the past two days.  Enough rain to close local trails.  Of course I could have probably run mountain trails, but there’s no one to run with me on weekdays.  And I don’t run mountains alone.  Why? 

Mountain lions. 

And those two legged coyotes (as my husband calls them).

Rain was fine with me, though I’m not a big fan of rain.  I live in Southern California!  But I wanted to cut back on miles this week anyway.  I cross trained instead, and did my short speed workout on the treadmill. 

This morning, the sun shined brightly.  I checked local trail websites to find that they were all open.  Deciding on a venue change, I opted to drive many miles past my usual park to the Newport Coast to El Moro Ridge (which I believe the is part of Laguna Wilderness Park and the bottom is Crystal Cove State Park – I’m not sure on the boundaries.)  (For those of you who know this area, I ran down No-Name Ridge to No-Dogs, then past the ranger station and back up El Moro Canyon where I hopped onto a portion of Missing Link, then ran all of Fence Line to Bommer Ridge.)

I picked a lovely day to run  trails lackadaisically.  Having been wet for 2 days, then dried up today, the amount of animal tracks were astounding – lots of deer, bobcat and coyote, not to mention bird tracks and other miscellaneous tiny tracks that I didn’t stop to identify.   

With my speed training, I found that I took off at a quicker pace with little warm up needed this morning.  And when I found myself plodding along on the inclines, I thought to myself, “I can run faster than this.”  And I could.

But on to the pictures:

Running No-Name Ridge, I encountered lots of friendly hikers, all with walking sticks:

A quick pose on No-Name, I was so, so ready to rip off this long-sleeved shirt despite the cool breeze.  But I wanted to wait until the bottom where I would make a pit stop at the ranger station:

Running along No-Name:

Approaching the Crystal Cove ranger station, notice white water in the distance:

Heading up El Moro Canyon, this lovely shrub lines the trail.  I can’t i.d. it.  Do you know what this plant is?  Let me know!

Fungi growing along the lush, wet parts of canyon:

Just plain ole’ beauty running up El Moro Canyon where a doe dashed out from the brush in front of me, then another and then one more.  They hopped (yes hopped!) across the trail so quickly and back into the brush on the other side, that though I fumbled for my camera, I was not quick enough to catch a picture:

More El Moro Canyon.  It was nice to run a trail where every tree is new to me:

Toward the end of the canyon, I had three options to the top – Nice-and-Easy (which isn’t exactly easy, but it is very runnable), Elevator and El Moro Canyon.  Here is the intersection of Elevator and El Moro.  I had not run either one before.  Guess which one is Elevator?  It’s not the trail on the right!  I took the trail on the right for a more direct route to Missing Link:

Oh my!  I don’t know why this trail wasn’t named “Elevator.”  I was actually slipping back down the hill as I went up.  But I was able to run some of it:

A look back.  Curious what Elevator was doing, I went to the edge, “and there I stood and looked down, you know I lost a lot of friends there baby, ain’t got no time to mess around.”  Not!  I haven’t lost a lot of friends there (but can you tell me the name of that song?  I’ll give a small prize for the first person who can.)  Anyway, I did go to the edge so that I could see Elevator, and saw a meandering trail going up – Nothing like this one:

Fence Line Trail:

Miles run this morning:  9.02:

Station-2-Station / Take Two

I didn’t have any takers to run the mountains this morning.  Oh how I love those mountain runs; they are oh so tough.  But I’m just too chicken to run them alone.  Actually, I think it’s relatively safe to run them alone.  It’s just that I have 3 youngish children, and I wouldn’t want a stupid mistake (& I make them Plenty, see “Rat Story,”) or something beyond my control to take me out of my most important job:  Mom.

So, I decided last night to allow (as if), my family to use our one and only car for church (oldest son is the acolyte this month – that is he lights the altar candles, puts them out, etc.), and I would take the bus to my run.

When my phone alarm rang out at 5:00 AM, I experienced a little panic – am I racing this morning, am I running with someone?  No.  I’m catching a 5:58 bus for my Station-to-Station run (Crystal Cove Ranger Station to Aliso Wood Ranger Station).  Oh! That’s why the alarm was ringing!!!

I SO didn’t want to go.  I wanted to sleep.  This was this first time, it seems in a long time, that I had to force myself out the door.  Odd, because, I bedded early, with a healthy diet this past week, including no sugar and no wine.  I opted to skip the coffee this morning, but did have a protein drink.  (By the way, I hear that protein before a run is NOT good – is that true?).  Then after checking on all the boys, including hubby, I snuck out the front door and walked down to the bus stop. 

Dreary-eyed waiting for the bus (yes, I do believe that I am crazy, just a bit)

Usually, I love riding the bus.  But this morning’s bus driver was boring (A bus driver once spoiled me with such great entertainment, that no one compares!).  In addition, I felt uncomfortable in my seat (that is my chair).  I wanted to sleep, oh HOW I WANTED TO SLEEP.  Several others rode the bus (ten plus) and three of us exited at the same stop.  I walked up to the Crystal Cove ranger station with a young, (so young!) man with interesting conversation.   I wish I would have snapped a picture of him.  He didn’t seem so thrilled about being awake at this early hour.  But I was an open ear and had plenty to say, so hopefully that woke him a bit.  He also seemed apologetic about his new job, “only cleaning” the campsites, he said, to which I replied, “Hey, it’s a job!”  Jobs are scarce in The O.C., both for the experienced and inexperienced.  

When I told this boy (“boy” not used in disrespect) my plans to run up the canyon through Crystal Cove Park, then Laguna Wilderness, across Laguna Canyon and into Aliso Wood Cyns he was visibly shocked that these three parks connected.  (Well, they sorta connect). 

Crossing Bridge into El Moro Canyon

A lonely, yet beautiful El Moro Canyon Trail

I ran El Moro Canyon in solitude, except for a few mountain bikers riding down.  One looked at me and said, “Boy, that looks like fun.”  Though it was difficult, it was FUN.  The best part was that as bikers rode down and saw me, they yelled out behind their shoulders, “runner!”  That meant it looked like I was running up the canyon!"

From El Moro Canyon, I took the longer route up “Nice and Easy,” (a steep “fire road”), where I came across two other runners coming down.  At the top of “Nice and Easy,” still beneath cloudy skies, I took a right and hoped onto a lovely single track named “Missing Link.”  Several mountain bikers road down this trail as I ran up it.  My clothing was already drench by this point.  Then at a circular, kind of meeting point, I met several mountain bikers, and I was a bit unsure where to go.  I asked them if I was still on “Missing Link.”  One of the guys responded, “Yes, just take this up a ways and you’ll hit the MAIN ROAD.”  Relieved, I ran on to “the main road.”

This is when I learned that my MAIN ROAD is not the same as another’s “main road.”  To me, the main road on these trails is Bommer Road. I should have asked!  Instead, I hit that “main road,” and ran it.  And I ran it.  Something seemed odd.  With extremely overcast skies, it still seemed like I was probably running in the wrong direction.  I was just hoping that I’d end up where I wanted, EVENTUALLY.  And then I passed an outhouse.  I’ve never seen an outhouse on Bommer road.  But I have seen one on Moro Ridge.  After using that outhouse, I took a good look around and it seemed that the ocean was in front of me (though I couldn’t see it) and I needed the ocean BEHIND me. 

Oops. 

I met another runner as I ran back UP, UP, UP Moro ridge, and she confirmed that I was not on Bommer.  Then I met yet another runner who was lost and we spotted yet another runner up ahead.  We stopped her short of her solo run and she set us straight on which direction to take.  We all three ran off in different directions.  That truly is one of the lovely aspects of trail running. 

Finally reaching Bommer Road

I used the aid of lots of hikers on my way off of Bommer.  One small family was particularly helpful in finding Laurel Canyon.  Glenn had once commented on this blog how Laurel Canyon was a beaut.  And I have to agree with him.  What came as a surprise was that Laurel Canyon emptied out right at the ranger station – a  delightful surprise, since I was in newish territory!  When I saw the rangers, I hollered out “Rangers!”  and I used their expertise to guide me to Stair Steps Trail across the canyon up into Aliso Wood Canyons Park.  The ranger told me he’d wave as I was “running” up, (maybe it’s just me, probably is, but I got the feeling that he didn’t believe that I’d be running up).

Laurel Canyon Trail

I crossed the crowded Laguna Canyon Road safely (Hwy 133) and ran in the brush to keep as far away from the speeding cars for about a 1/2 mile.  Then when I came upon the land markers that the ranger had told me about, I headed up the slope.  And what a slope it was!  Stair steps doesn’t begin for a while.  At first it’s a STRAIGHT UP paved road (very tough, that I hiked).  Believe me, I was quite relieved when I finally hit Stair Steps Trail.  It was a long (only .7 mile) steep, technical trail, but it was runnable in most places.  Not only that, I knew exactly where I would come out – on West Ridge, MY TRAIL.   Be sure that I made big waves when I could see the ranger station below.  I couldn’t see the ranger.  But I kinda hoped that he could see that I was running.

 

Running up Stair Steps – Almost There!

When I hit West Ridge, I felt rather fatigued.  But I was finally in familiar territory, which made the trek more mentally doable.  I plugged away and finally after several hours from when I began,  reached Top of the World.  For some reason, at that point, I began dreaming of a plain cold water (without electrolytes) and an APPLE.  An apple . . . an apple . . . apple.

Top of the World (THE LONG WAY)

The rest of this run was my regular run.  But instead of running UP Meadows, I got to run down it.  What a relief!

Running down Meadows

After taking a call from a friend while running down Meadows (and dang it, I forgot to call her back), I called my husband a bit later.  With about 1/2 mile remaining of this run, I called hubby for a ride.  My requests:  a Pink Lady apple and a bottle of cold water.  He delivered as requested when he picked me up at the Aliso/Wood Canyons ranger Station.  The lot was packed with cars.

Miles logged this morning:  16.32,  +2,917/-2,940 elevation

Station to Station

For a while now I’ve had this notion to do a run that connects 3 local trail systems:  Crystal Cove, Laguna Coast Wilderness and Aliso/Wood Canyons.  And so I woke early this morning and walked down to the bus stop in the dark and stood there waiting in the cold fog.  I was so happy to see the bus finally pull up that when the doors opened I said, “Ahhhhh, warmth!”  To which the bus driver replied, “Well, where’s your clothes???!!”  He started my morning with a good laugh, and when I told him I was going running, he looked out into the dark fog, laughed and said “You’re crazy.”  I put my dollar fifty into the slots, sat down and continued to crack up every single time he picked up or dropped off a passenger.  He had something funny to say to everyone.  (That man deserves a raise!)

Though it was no longer dark when I arrived to Crystal Cove, fog was thick.  Very few cars were parked in the lot as I walked up to it.  Off to the side, a lone coyote, plump and larger than usual (at Aliso/Wood they’re scrawny)stood looking over us.  He seemed so eerie standing there against the fog, like he was a werewolf about to change as soon as the fog cleared.  Coyotes roam in packs, so I had to wonder what the heck he doing all alone out in the open like that.  When I took out my camera to click a picture, a car drove by and the coyote was off.  Note:  sure way to get a wild animal to leave is to take out your camera and try to get a picture. 

At Crystal Cove Ranger Station ready to run 

I began running up El Moro Canyon with my ipod turned low and pepper spray strapped to my wrist.  I was a little worried running a desolate trail in dense fog that I’ve only run once before.  The fog though lifted quickly, probably just a couple hundred feet in elevation.  By then, I felt strong and happy to be on this running adventure. 

From the canyon I took a little detour up “Slow and Easy” which I ran at a slower pace but I wouldn’t exactly call it “easy.”  (On the other hand, it wasn’t hard – I still felt strong.)  At Bommer Ridge, I checked my maps and headed off in search of Old Emerald Falls Trail in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

El Moro Canyon

My map didn’t exactly show where Old Emerald Falls Trail connected.  I’ve run this trail before, always with someone else.  And we’ve always had a hard time finding it, since it is unmarked at the top.  I figured if I ran down Moro Ridge, I was bound to find it.  And that was what I did.

Well, I didn’t find my trail.  I studied my map again and again, asked a hiker passing by, and then another.  And then the trail was lonely again.  Except for a bobcat simply sitting in the middle of the road.  I stopped running, because I didn’t want to run past the cat.  As I walked the cat slowly turned and walked away from me, stopping to bask in the sun here and there.  She was toying with me.  As I got closer and closer walking at a moderate pace, she didn’t speed up one bit.  In fact, she actually took a step or two toward me.  I stopped, waved my arms and yelled, “Get going kitty!!”  That darn cat!  She wasn’t afraid of me.  So I stopped and simply stood there looking at her.  And then my camera malfunctioned and I couldn’t get even one picture.  After some minutes, I took out my phone to snap the one below.  Finally, the bobcat meandered off into the brush. 

After the cat was gone, I continued running the ridge when I realized there was no way, according to my map that I should have been running this far without finding my trail.  So, I turned around and ran back up the ridge.  Approaching Bommer Ridge again, I took a turn off onto a trail that didn’t really look like a trail.  Within minutes I recognized it all – that lovely single track that goes down, down, down into an immense wet meadow.  I was finally on my way!

View from Old Emerald Falls Trail

Approaching the bottom of Old Emerald Falls

I took another look at my maps at the end of Old Emerald Falls Trail and headed down Emerald Canyon Road for a bit to find Old Emerald Trail – another climb up to the ridge.  Somewhere on that trail, I lost my maps.  Duh! (My husband still can’t believe it.)

Old Emerald Trail

At Bommer Ridge again (mapless), I knew to turn right.  But I didn’t remember how to reach Laguna Bowl Road, I asked a biker, he didn’t know.  Then I saw a guy running Bommer Ridge barefoot.  I ran with him a bit, asking him how to get to my trail.  He was going down a different way and didn’t know about the bowl.  He asked where I was parked, thinking I was trying to get back to my car.  I told him I took a bus and was running Crystal Cove Ranger Station to Aliso/Wood Ranger Station.  That’s when he gave me a double look with a squint in his eyes like what the heck are you thinking???  I didn’t remind him that he was the one running barefoot : )))

After we parted ways, I came to Laguna Ridge Trail, I wasn’t sure what to do.  I thought perhaps I should run it, but it went off in the wrong direction.  So I called my husband.  He got onto the internet and guided me in the right direction.  I eventually came out of this park via Laguna Bowl Road landing myself on Laguna Canyon Road, not too far from the Sawdust Festival.

Bommer Ridge looking toward a socked-in coast

Some street running along Laguna Canyon Road to cross at a light on Canyon Acres Road

Finishing up two parks didn’t really do me in.  It was the climb to Top of the World that did it.  First off, I could see the climb I would be making from across as I ran Bommer.  I knew it was going to be a bear.  I psyched myself out.  Secondly, I didn’t have a trail map.  And most importantly, it’s one HELL OF A CLIMB.  I also took one turn on the way up that added more distance than I needed.  I actually took two phone calls on the way up too (the modern world!). 

The first thing I said upon reaching Top of the World was “Thank God.”  And then a young man repaid me for all my questioning of other runners and hikers across the canyon by peppering me with questions about the trails.  I answered them all, nearly breathless. 

The beginning of my hellish climb up to Top of the World

Very excited to reach Top of the World where I refilled on water

I ran across Top of the World utterly fatigued.  Plopping one foot in front of the other, I didn’t feel good about my run, despite the great fun I had through the first two parks.  In Aliso/Wood I felt weak, like all my training wasn’t helping, otherwise I wouldn’t be so beaten.  I had to remind myself that the climb up to Top of the World was extreme and Calico’s 30k doesn’t have anything like that. 

I didn’t “fly” down Meadows like I prefer.  But I did run it all the way to Wood Canyon.  I took a few hike breaks along the last trail (Aliso Creek, which I don’t really consider a trail since it’s paved).  I arrived to Aliso/Wood Ranger station more mentally beaten than physically.  Since my husband couldn’t pick me up right away, I had plenty of time to stretch and relish the breezy shade.  And soon there was a smile back on my face. 

Meadows Trail

Sitting outside Ranger Station in Aliso/Wood Canyons Park

  

Elevation Profile:  18.53 miles logged, +3,515 / –3,509