Why, Tell Me WHY, Would You Do Such A Thing?

I ran my favorite wilderness park between school drop offs and pick ups.  Ran 9.32 miles, up and down the following trails:  Aliso Creek, Wood Canyon, Meadows, to Top of the World, West Ridge, Mathis to Car Wreck, Oak Grove back to Mathis, Dripping Cave to Wood Canyon, Cave Rock back to Wood Canyon and Aliso Creek all the way in.  I felt fantastic afterward.  I was soaking wet and salty from sweat.  This is how I went to pick up our youngest boy from school.

While waiting to pick up my son, my non-running friend kinda joked with me, “How many miles did you run today?”  I told her and then answered that I ran more than sixteen on Sunday. 

Her smile turned to a concerned look.  She said something to the affect that I was amazing, and of course, I laughed.  Then she further inquired, “Why?”

I commenced to tell my friend the races I was training for, and mentioned a 50k.  She asked how many miles 50k equaled, and when I told her it was about 31 miles, her concerned look turned to more of a sad look.

“Lauren . . .  Lauren, WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RUN 31 MILES?”  She reached out, as to take my hands and shook her head with a frown.  It was as if she realized that I was a heroin addict, or perhaps insane and needed immediate psychiatric care.  She was truly concerned.

Silly me, I was dumbfounded.  How do I answer that question in about two seconds?  There are so, so many reasons why.  The first thing that came to my mind, and of course it travelled down to my lips as I ran off to the car with my boy was, “I do it for the out-of-body experience.”  That was stupid, I know.  An answer like that needs explanation.  But I didn’t have the time.

I haven’t been asked “Why?” in a long, long time.  My circle of family and friends either understand, or they think I’m crazy (or both).  A good friend, non-running friend, a writer friend actually, said to me about a year ago, “I get it Lauren. I mean I really get it.”  And I knew that she did.  I could tell by the conviction in her voice.  Perhaps she could explain to my other friend.   

Instead of answering today’s question “Why?” in a multitude of paragraphs.  I’ll answer it with these pictures from today’s glorious, glorious run.

Fresh and Clean / At Ranger Station, ready to take off on Aliso Creek Trail.

Running Meadows Trail before the treacherous, I mean beautiful and exhilarating climb begins (Notice Top of the World neighborhood covered by mist).

Running down Car Wreck Trail, careful, careful not to fall.

Goofy again.

Running end of Car Wreck Trail (not a single soul in sight)

Finishing up Car Wreck, surrounded by ferns, poison oak and a mesmerizing canopy of trees.

Oak Grove Trail.

Dripping Cave

Entering Cave Rock Trail

Running up Cave Rock Trail

Running off the big rock!

+1,465 / – 1,478

Snake Run

Saturday, I needed to take care of a residual from my face plant a month ago (Big Baz WTRS 15k).  Whereas my eye actually improved a great deal initially, this week it took a turn for the worse.  It was red and painful.

Turns out, something went into my eye during the fall.  Though whatever it was is no longer there, my eye didn’t react well to the intrusion.  A cyst formed in response, which in turn began irritating blood vessels.  “Thank God you didn’t damage the cornea,” the optometrist said.  And then she went on to say, in not so many words, that women “our age” shouldn’t be taking falls like that.  In my defense, I told her, “Well, I normally don’t fall like that; I was trying to avoid the cliff, so I fell awkwardly.  Usually, I fall much better.”

I’m sure that convinced her that women “our age” are okay to take falls like that.  She sent me off with an eye-drop prescription.  And already, my eye has greatly improved.

Saturday night, I went to bed at 9PM.  I could still hear the boys roughing up the place and didn’t fall asleep until after 9:30.  Up at 5:20 AM, I sat on the couch fooling around on the computer, avoiding getting dressed.  Not that I didn’t want to run.  I greatly looked forward to my long run this morning.  I was just too dang cold (we are so spoiled weather-wise in California – I’m guessing it was 40/45 F).  6:30 AM I was finally out the door and in the car to drive to my local trails (why, Aliso/Wood Canyons, of course).  My plan today was to run every trail up to the ridge and every trail down.  In other words, I ran up the first one (Cholla), ran along the ridge to the next trail into the canyon (Lynx), ran down it, ran up the next one, etc., etc.  The last trip down was Meadows (the beast!) which after running I turned around and ran up it to make the trip back.  Technically, I suppose this 19+ mile run was an out-and-back, but not exactly.  I made a few alterations on the back trip.  It was more like a snake route, back and forth, back and forth.

“Before” (I had planned to take an “After” shot, but forgot), standing in Canyon Vistas Park, layered and ready to take off.

The weather remained cool my entire run, though I stripped those layers pretty quickly.  Running through spider webs on the single tracks, I found myself smiling instead letting out yelps like I used to.  My thought was, “Ahhh, I’m the first one on this trail this morning.”  I would wave my hand in front of my face when running through spider-like areas.  Once a web broke on my upper lip.  I didn’t utter a peep.

Later, I found myself semi-frequently dodging mountain bikers.  Guided groups of hikers also roamed the hillsides.  I ran past one such group struggling up Mathis.  They smiled and shook their heads in amusement as I snaked my way up the mini-beast.  I have avoided Mathis for a while now, because it is so painful.  Surprisingly and happily, I found Mathis Trail quite comfortable to run.  Not at all saying that it was easy.  Just that all those runs up Meadows Trail have miniaturized other trails like Mathis.

Hours later, after running back up Meadows Trail on my way to West Ridge, I met that same hiking group while I ran across Top of the World.  One of the guys exclaimed, “It’s you again, I can’t believe you’re still running!” 

“You’re still hiking!”  It was like meeting old friends.  Turns out I set off this morning at the same time as this hiking group (7 AM).

Running down Lynx Trail in the cool morning shade, spring flowers already dot the hillsides.  (Running back up this at about mile 18 was a bear – no shade!!)

Spring flowers Along Rock It Trail

Dodging Mountain Bikers on Rock It

Car Wreck Trail

Finishing Up Car Wreck

Posing with 2-Headed Dragon I Found on the Trail

Top of the World View of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island & Laguna Beach

A Little Detour on Park Avenue Trail (Trip Back)

19.29 Miles: +4,031/-4033 SUPER FUN SNAKE RUN!

Loop Girl

Today was one of those days that I didn’t feel like running.  The skies were cool and gray.  It even drizzled here and there in the morning.  But I forced myself to the trails.  I forced myself because I want to be able to run when I feel like running.  Do you know what I mean?

Lately, I’ve changed my runs to include: 1) what I call my lackadaisical run, where I can run where I want, as fast as I want (or as slow as I want), take as many pictures as I want and just kind of escape into dreamland while running 2) a fast timed loop (9.5 miles), and 3) my long run.  Three days I reserve for cross and weight training.  And one day I rest.  (That’s the plan anyway.  Sometimes two days I rest.)

Today was my lackadaisical run.  I had planned for an out-and-back through Wood Canyon.  But you know what?  I hate out-and-backs.  There.  I said it!They bore me.  I’m a loop girl.   I love running loops (not track and field loops), but trail loops.  They don’t have to be elliptical in shape.  Simply start and beginning in the same location, a trail loop only has a different route out than it does back.

So I switched gears this morning.  I didn’t plan any route, except for the fact that I wanted some kind of loop.  Instead, I just ran one magical loop in dreamland, including some of my favorite lower trails in Aliso/Wood Canyons, like Cave Rock, Dripping Cave, Oak Grove and Mathis.  Then I sped it up just a bit, because I felt strong to return via Wood Canyon Trail. 

Miles logged:  7.15

Cave Rock Trail (on my way to THE rock)

Posing on Cave Rock (THE rock.)

Inside Dripping Cave (AKA Robbers Cave)

Some Scenery Along Dripping Cave Trail

Finishing Up Dripping Cave Trail

Poison Oak (it’s so pretty and green – trickery!)

Moss Covered Boulders on Oak Grove Trail