Doing Time

Today, I did my time on the trails.  Wasn’t really in the mood.  Didn’t even have that much available time.  I neglected the laundry, dishes, vacuuming however, so I could get out there.  In the process of increasing my weekly mileage, some runs it’s just about the doing time.

I ran past the “Old Corral.”  This was a working corral when when this property was part of a gigantic ranch that the Moulton family owned. 

After 4.5 miles, I ran up out of Wood Canyon, via Cholla Trail.  I struggled a little with the climb, but took opportunity to STOP and take a picture looking back into the canyon.

At mile 7.5, I reached Top of the World, stopped for a quick self-portrait.

At about mile 9, I finally reached the top of Meadows Trail.  Nice and sweaty, I was ready for that windy switch-back trail.

I joyfully ran down Meadows, following some mountain bikers who quickly left me in the dust. 

A mile later, I was running the flat portion of Meadows back into Wood Canyon to close up the loop.

12.20 miles run doing time.

How I Roll

I am now spontaneous.  I used to call myself “The Planner.”  I planned everything.  I knew exactly which days I would run, how many miles and which trails.  I planned on which day I would get gasoline, what time I would do the dishes, precisely how many loads of laundry I needed to do daily, how many pages I would allow myself to read a day, how many pages I would write a day.  You could not throw ANYTHING on me “spur of the moment.”  I was not very spontaneous.  I don’t think that I learned my neurotic “planning abilities” from my parents.  Mom and Dad seem quite spontaneous to me.  I’ll get a phone call, “What are you doing today?  We’re on our way over. ”(They live an hour away!  : )  Perhaps they were more planners when they raised me.  Or perhaps that’s just the way my brain was “wired:” systematic, organized, compartmental.  Or perhaps, it’s an overcompensation for all the clutter up there (in my brain that is : )

Well!  Now that I’ve taken on substitute teaching during my days (which are open, because I work evenings), I don’t know whether I’m going to work until 6:30 in the morning.  So, I don’t plan my runs anymore.  I pretty much just run when I don’t work. 

By 7:30, I knew I wasn’t working this morning, which meant that after getting the boys off to school, I had until 2:30 when I needed to leave for my regular job.  After dropping off boy number three, I spontaneously drove back home to chat with my husband before taking off.  I changed my mind THREE times where I would run (that’s rather spontaneous don’t you think?).  I first decided to drive to Trabuco Canyon for a mountain run.  Then figuring the round trip would total about an hour and a half driving,  I decided on closer trails for a longer run time.  So with the coastal hills of Newport Beach/Irvine in mind, I packed my bags and got into the truck.  On the road I figured my round trip driving would total about a hour.  I still wanted more running time.  While driving, I changed my mind (more spontaneity) and drove off to Aliso/Wood Canyons, with only a half hour round trip driving time.  Now, I know you’re probably thinking, “That’s not spontaneous – you always run there.”  But it was indeed spontaneous.  Running today period was spontaneous, and how I decided upon these trails was as well.  I simply decided to run, and run, and run, and run until I didn’t feel like it anymore or until I ran out of time, with no particular path in mind, with my only goal to just have fun.  Fun.  Yup, that’s it.  Fun on the trails.  That’s the how I roll.

Who would guess that I’d visit my old friend Meadows Trail?

But I didn’t run all of Meadows.  I decided to kick up my heels on Mentally Sensitive.  Looked like it was lonely and hadn’t been run in a long time.  Look at Mentally Sensitive’s entry:

More fun running up Mentally Sensitive:

And still more fun going up Mentally Sensitive.  I’m inadvertently sliding down this railing as the camera clicks:

The prize at the top of Mentally Sensitive:

And then I turned left, spontaneously, and ran the trails to the city park down the way:

Where I had myself some swing time:

I could have swung for an hour.  But more so, I wanted to run.  So, I ran to Top of the World, because I LOVE TOP OF THE WORLD:

Then I ran up one hill, then down another hill, then up a hill, down another, again and again until I ended up in Wood Canyon which I ran all the way to the end (or rather beginning):

13.54 stress-free, thoughtless miles run today (21.8 km):

It’s All Relative

I felt much stronger on day 43 of Streaking into the New Year than I did for day 42.  Perhaps it’s because today is the official end of Streaking into the New Year.  I doubted that I could run every day until January 31.  Now, I’m so close to a 50 day streak, that I’m going to try to go on a little longer.

Today I sang on the way to the trails.  The weather was cool.  And I was so thrilled to hit the dirt again.  I took off in Aliso Canyon with a dozen or so plump squirrels scampering across the trail.  A gopher poked his head out of a hole as I hopped over it. 

I focused on form while keeping my pace way up from yesterday.  After running into Wood Canyon Trail, I took a quick right onto Meadows Trail, lovely Meadows Trail:

I’ll tell you, the difficulty of hills is surely relative – pretty much like most everything (at least in physics anyway).  A bit off subject here, but there was a time when mankind thought that we would surely die travelling on a train.  It was simply too fast, we couldn’t take it.  Turned out, we when sit in a train or a car or a plane, though we’re travelling the same speed as the “vehicle”, it doesn’t feel like it.  It feels like our bodies aren’t even moving at all.  Similarly, there was a time when I thought I would surely die running up Meadows Trail.  LOL.  Even though I sweated running up it this morning, and the journey was hard, it was definitely easy, relative to some of the trails I’ve been putting myself through.  I force myself to “run” the toughest trails.  Now when I run up Meadows, I wear a wide smile like this:

The smile of course is also because of views like this:

And dried flowers like this:

When I hit the top, I kept on running.  I ran on through the neighborhoods until I reached Top of the World.  I stopped momentarily to fuel and took off so quickly that I forgot to snap a photo of Top of the World.  It’s my custom to take a photo of Top of the World.  The fact that I forgot shows how much I enjoyed the moment on this run, how I enjoyed feeling strength. 

I ran all the off-shoots on West Ridge Trail so that I could get more elevation.  Only one of those off-shots is named:  Park Avenue Nature Trail.  I came upon several cyclists, hikers and runners along the rolling ridge.  They were all mostly smiling.  And though it grew warm enough to take off my sleeves, the weather remained cool for the remainder of this spectacular trail run. 

Sometimes when I reach Cholla Trail (the trail at the end of West Ridge), I am exasperated.  Today I felt gleeful with views like this of Wood Canyon running down Cholla:

At the bottom of Cholla I decided to run the canyon all the way and not take the parallel trails like I usually do because I missed wide tranquil trails like this:

With creek views like this:

And I was nostalgic for Sycamore Grove now covered with the parasite Mistletoe.  Yes, those clumps of green in this deciduous tree are Mistletoe.  So be careful who you stand beneath these trees with:

I continued focusing on form, but more so on keeping the pace up.  I still needed to do some grocery shopping before returning home.  Though I kept an eye on these beautiful pastures, I kept the kick out the back quick and made it back to the truck exactly when I planned:

12.14 miles ran today (19.54 km):

A Day in the Life of my Easy Day

No work today, my “easy” day, my Friday.  I love “easy” days, mainly because I have more time to run. (Is that selfish?  Yup – a truth I have to accept.) 

I woke at 6 AM made a pot of coffee, let our puppy outside,  folded clothes, switched clothes to the dryer, put another load into the washer, fed our pup.  Then I poured myself a cup of coffee, checked e-mail, read a blog entry and commented.  I filled the dishwasher, washed down the counters.  After that came the fun part: waking three boys.  The oldest jumped right up because he goes to school last and has time to run off to the office and play Minecraft.  The middle boy jumped right up too, then went out to the couch and slept before the television.  It was boy number three that frustrated me.  He would not budge from bed and I finally had to rely on counting.  1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . He was up then too, asleep on the floor in front of the television. 

Middle boy had a stomach ache and didn’t want breakfast.  I made our youngest breakfast, then commenced to make three packed lunches, while at the same time filling my hydration pack with water and Nuun tablets.  By 7:30 AM I was out the door driving 2 boys to school.  After attending morning assembly, which consisted of the flag salute and announcements, I talked with middle boy’s teacher, then a girlfriend and drove back home for boy number three.  Thing is, I didn’t head off toward home.  I started driving to Aliso/Wood Canyons!

At home, our oldest had already made and ate his breakfast and was fully dressed when I arrived.  This is what he said to me, “Dang it!  I forgot to take a shower.”

Forgot? 

“You can’t be perfect,” I said.  “Put on some deodorant, take a shower tonight.” Some day he will appreciate my tolerance (right now, he thinks I’m probably the strictest mom in town).  Funny – he acted annoyed when I said I accidentally drove toward Aliso/Wood Canyons instead of home.

In a rush, I laced up my trail shoes, put on some running clothes while my son hollered for me from inside the truck.  So off I drove again, this time to our oldest boy’s school.  Drinking my breakfast along the way (a yogurt smoothie), I parked in the school lot, and we listened to a music cd – Pitbull.  Then he headed off with five minutes to spare. (I might add that he was angry with me for embarrassing him by “rocking out” in the car, though no one witnessed it.)

Then . . . FREEDOM.  OH FREEDOM!

In 90F+ weather, my feet hit the trails happily at Aliso/Wood Canyons. I felt a bit draggy, not exactly dragging my feet, but running slower than usual due to the heat.  Did this bother me?  No way!  I was running trails and that’s all I really wanted right then.  I decided on the “Big Loop”, that is a loop around the entire park.  I also chose a clock-wise loop because that goes UP Meadows and I like to torture myself in the heat.  

A View of Saddleback Mountains from the top of Meadows Trail (Ya!  I’ve been up there!)

View of Pacific Ocean/Laguna Beach from top of Meadows:

Though these trails were heaven, the heat was hellish, and frankly I kind of liked it, in a suffering sort of way.  Thankfully I checked my hydration pack at Top of the World, because ends up, I was nearly empty.  I refilled and headed off again onto West Ridge.  I saw only one runner, and a few mountain bikers. 

Today’s run in itself was uneventful, and that was beautiful. Truly beautiful.  If you can appreciate uneventfulness, you probably will never say these words, “I am bored.”  My children and my students all say, “I am bored.”  At this point in my life, I really can’t understand those words.  Anyway, off subject!   I found a couple more bike reflectors to add to my collection.  I said hello to perfect strangers.  I witnessed countless squirrels and bunnies scamper across the trails and through the fields.  Delightful.

Running the Canyon, Wood Creek Trail, where it’s actually hotter than the ridge.  The heat seems to get trapped in the canyon.  I took this particular photo because at this point, my calves were burning up from the sun, the heat was tremendous.

Wood Creek Trail – the prize!  Top of the World isn’t the prize, it’s more the glory.  Trails like these, they are the prize.

I include this picture only because of the effort it took catching it.  I slid down a slope to get it, tried several times to run in front of the camera in the allotted time, until I finally decided to traipse through the creek and wet my feet (and you know I’m not vain, because I absolutely HATE the way the hydration pack makes me look, kinda squished with no figure at all).

Wood Canyon Trail / Conservation Corps still working on the trails.

I ran on in slowly to the truck.  Then I drove quickly home to shower as fast as I could.  My face was crusted with salt.  For lunch I made a turkey sandwich and washed it down with a diet coke while surfing the internet, answering e-mails, etc.  Then I was back in the truck to drive to the school once again.  I hung out with other moms until the children got out.  After that I took our youngest and middle boy and went along with a girlfriend and her son and step-mother to the school’s book faire.  After spending about a half hour in the book faire, I dropped the youngest boys at home, then headed off to grocery shop.  From there, I drove to oldest boy’s school to pick him up.

Back at home, I listened to the eldest practice violin, and then middle boy practice the guitar.  I did more laundry, downloaded my garmin, answered more e-mails, gathered paperwork for a meeting tomorrow, charged the ipod.  Then it was time to start dinner while the boys and FOUR additional neighborhood boys played in the backyard. 

We ate outside tonight beneath an oversized maroon umbrella, it was so dang hot in the house,  For dinner I served carne asada steak, ranch style beans, french fries and a romaine and spinach salad.  For those who didn’t want a green salad (youngest and middle boy), they got peaches.  I had something a little different:  macaroni and cheese, a romaine and spinach salad with light Caesar dressing and wine.  : )

Alas, the day was not finished.  I cleared the backyard table, emptied the dishwasher, filled the dishwasher, prompted homework.  Then there was more laundry to do.  After that – fast forward, with the children all in bed, I put the computer on my lap, answered e-mails and began this blog.  I’m sure there’s lots that I missed.  I just thought it would be fun to catalogue the day.  Stay tuned if this if your first read of my blog.  It isn’t usually this mundane.

Today’s run:

California Girl (Ah well, lady)

I’m back.  Back in California, that is.  My home.  Texas was a pleasure.  And there are a lot of wonderful things about the state.  But I am a California girl – born and raised.  This is where I’m gonna stay, even if the economy here wants to push me out. 

I planned on returning to the trails the day after we landed in California.  But surprisingly, with only 2 hours time difference, I had to deal with jet-lag.  That prevented my routine for just a day. This morning, I was pounding the dirt at 6:30 AM. 

Just a couple of observations to jot down about my first run back.  As a special delight, I came upon twelve (12!) bunnies in the first half mile.   Also, I learned that it’s much easier to heat train in really hot weather, as opposed to wearing warmer clothing.  The trails were rather humid this morning.  And I could only take wearing the long sleeves until about 2 miles in.  That’s when I flung off my shirt drenched in sweat and tied it around my waist.  The hills were tough, especially Meadows Trail (the steepest climb on the profile below).  Lastly, so happy I was to run my trails, I snapped, snapped, snapped the camera away.

This is just a little of what I experienced:

Climbing Meadows

Summer bouquet running ridge to Top of the World

The Pacific Ocean in background (a wonderful trail marker if needed)

Posing at Top of the World before running Westridge

Exotic bloom

Climbing Wood Creek Trail (Wood Canyon in background)

Fallen tree on Wood Creek Trail

Wood Creek Trail

Heading back on Wood Canyon Trail

Ferret sticks his head above ground

Miles run this morning:  12.10 (19.47km)

Elevation Profile:  (route:  Aliso Creek Trail, Wood Canyon, Meadows, Top of the World, Park Avenue Nature Trail,  Westridge, Cholla, Wood Canyon, Wood Creek, Wood Canyon, Aliso Creek)

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