Stomping Grounds

A lot of people head out first thing in the morning to hike, bike or run in the coastal hills. But with the weather as cool as it has been and the time change, if I’m going local, I really have no reason to get out at the crack of dawn. Saturday (March 30) I had plenty of time to wait until rush hour in the coastal hills ceased before I hit the trails. By the time I arrived to my regular stomping grounds, that is Wood Canyon, the crowds had gone home. There were a few stragglers out for an afternoon ride or stroll. Best thing was, the weather was still chilly and quite breezy too..

I could not possibly count the amount of times I’ve hiked or run Aliso and Wood Canyon Trails. Well, I suppose I could count my blog posts (but that would not include the lost MySpace posts plus I don’t want to do that). But I can approximate. I’ve been wandering these trails regularly for about 15 years, and to use an estimate of once per week, that would equal 52 times a year, and 52 multiplied by 15 equals 780. Now, I’ll knock of 280 just because and I come up with 500; I’ve wandered the trails in these canyons about 500 times. This is why I call Aliso/Wood Canyons my stomping grounds.

I didn’t plan where I’d hike on March 20. Nowadays, I decide as I go when I’m in my stomping grounds.  On Saturday, I set off into Aliso Canyon and turned off onto Wood Canyon, and waited to see where my feet would take me. They took me to Cave Rock Trail where I stopped by my favorite caves. Then they took me to Coyote Run where I hiked up Nature Loop and took a side trail to a fine lookout over two canyons. I was about to climb down and head off to one of my secret places when I heard the voices of 3 or 4 teenage boys hiking up the trail. Perched up above them between the crevice of two giant boulders, I had a perfect view of the boys though they could not see me. Not wanting to surprise the lads last minute, I decided to answer one of the boy’s when his question to the others about where this trail led went unanswered. After that we chatted a bit. It was a fun interaction. They knew a lot of secret trails in the park, which of course they do right? I bet these trails are probably their stomping grounds too. Anyway, I told them what I knew about this trail and they switched places with me in my perch to explore more while I headed off to my secret place.

Sometime later one of the boys met up with me at my spot, and he described what they had discovered past where I had been perched up in the crevice. And then he was off again. By the time I headed off to take RockIt to West Ridge, all four of the guys were at the spot, thanking me for showing it to them. But they would have found it no doubt without me.

The interaction with these teens brought back a memory that hit me as I hiked up RockIt. It’s funny how things seemingly forgotten suddenly come to mind so many years later. This memory was a flashback to the 80s, to my old stomping grounds, an equestrian wilderness area called Walnut Creek below Frank G. Bonelli Park. I probably didn’t hang out at Walnut Creek 500 times, but this place was definitely my stomping grounds for about 5 years through my late teens and early twenties. On the day that flashed into my memory I was dragging a big leaf plastic bag behind me as I filled it with trash strewn about an area that we called Dragon Lake (due to a boulder allegedly shaped like a dragon). Up hiked these young boys, teenagers, too young to drive. They hung with me for a while and I ended up giving them a ride to a grocery store nearby. I know that sounds odd, but those were the days when people hitch-hiked. I hitched hiked. I picked up hitch-hikers. This was not a regular habit but I thumbed rides enough to have several such experiences. I’m not excusing the behavior (because it definitely seems reckless now), just explaining it. So, the boys came out of the store with bags full of candy and I gave them a ride back to the park. After I dropped them, I drove on and parked in another part of the trails so that I could get back to solitude and picking up trash. After some time, and a trash bag nearly full, I finally made it back to Dragon Lake, which I had left clean a few hours earlier. But it wasn’t so clean anymore. The place was littered with trash. Candy trash. The same candy that the boys I had driven to the store had purchased earlier. Ha! I couldn’t help but laugh but was also annoyed. I remember feeling a little deflated as I hiked around the “lake” picking up their candy trash and shoving it into my bag. Looking back, I got a good chuckle over the replay in my mind of this long forgotten experience. 

After that delightful memory, I continued on my climb until I reached Mathis Trail. I took that back down into Wood Canyon trying to find evidence of a trail the boys I met earlier said they found. So engrossed in visually locating that trail (which I eventually did) I grew a little distracted and nearly stepped right out in front of a biker. When I heard him holler, I immediately jumped out of the way (embarrassed!). And then that’s when I heard my name – the guy that nearly hit me was my old trail buddy Michael! What a great surprise and an awesome way to wind down this fantastic hike. Boy do I have lots of great trail memories with Michael. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, a few years in fact, so I was very happy to “run” into him.

I finished up this lovely spring afternoon / early evening hike at precisely 6 pm. 10 miles, 2,229’ elevation gain.

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Walnut Creek, my old Stomping Grounds
(picture most likely taken between 1985 and 1987)

Closing Out September

The purpose of today’s blogpost is to close out September. Yes, summer has finally left our presence!) But I feel I cannot truly leave summer behind until I catch up on making a record of the trails I’ve traversed the last week or so of September.

September 21, it was a Friday, late morning, and officially the last day of summer.  I hit Arroyo Trabuco Trail from Las Flores, behind the water district on Antonio Parkway. Summer was taking full advantage that he was still in season. Yes, it was hot! I travelled 13.92 miles total (out-and-back to O’Neil Park which is at the base of the Santa Ana Mountains). Elevation gain was minimal (727’) and I was quite fine with that. Heat and elevation gain is a choice that I no longer make. In the video clips that I strung together below, it appears as if I had the trail all to myself. Not the case, though traffic was very sparse, I did see a few hikers, several cyclists, a runner or two, and even one guy kicking back beneath one of the many highway pillars. He was listening to music on a speaker while talking to a friend on speaker phone. (The future is here!)

Arroyo Trabuco Trail:
The video clips:

September 29, it was a Saturday, I hit the trails in Aliso/Wood Canyons Wilderness for a 12.09 mile hike. This one had quite a bit more elevation gain (1245’)  than my hike 8 days earlier. I decided to take Rock It up to the ridge line, which is quite tough, but certainly not the toughest route up. I took the ridge line (West Ridge) to Top of the World, then travelled across the neighborhoods up there to enter the park on the other side. I took Mentally Sensitive back down into the canyon, which was a mental challenge in itself. That trail is quite steep and slippery, and it took all my focus to stay upright. Though summer was officially over, it still felt like summer.I even used up every last drop of fluids that I packed along. Still, it felt great to put in a more elevation. I felt it in my legs that night. (Hurts so good! as John Cougar used to sing )

Rock It:

And then the very next day, with my legs still feeling it from above, I closed up September with a 6.94 hike in the very same coastal hills (880’ elevation gain). I forgot my camera on this hike. I shot small live video on Facebook. The weather was still summer warm, and top that with the fact that I didn’t even hit the trails until about 2 pm. Good riddance summer, that’s all I have to say. Still even with the heat, this hike was great, providing exactly what I needed: trails to blow off some steam!

My route: Wood Canyon (just a tiny bit from Canyon Vistas Park in Aliso Viejo)/ Cholla Trail / West Ridge / Top of the World and back

Almost Over

I feel like I’ve been running an ultra, the finish line is in sight, AND I JUST CANNOT TAKE ANOTHER STEP. I don’t feel this way from running though – I’m talking about the end of the school year, and I don’t feel like I have it in me to cross the finish line. The boys are ALMOST, ALMOST finished. My grade-schooler is as good as finished. But my middle-schooler and high-schooler have their noses to the grind, pumping out projects and studying for finals. My night job (adult education) is in its final week. And I’ve been taking more substitute teaching assignments than usual because it’s all coming to an end. But I AM SOOOOO TIRED. Just. A. Little. Bit. Longer. Take one more step. And then another. And then another.  This is what I tell myself when I’m running.  Hopefully it will work for this.

I have time to make quick stops at the gym. Very little time for the trails. I do have two trail runs to report this week. First, on Sunday, I took a practice run on twenty miles of the 50k race I’m running in four weeks. Though not a technical course, it’s a tough course. A LOT OF UPHILL (For that matter, a lot of downhill too, but the uphill is so relentless, that by the time it’s downhill time, I’m pooped).

On Sunday, I packed a great deal of water, as I’ve gotten myself in trouble on these very trails before. In all I carried 110 fluid ounces. Seventy of those were in my pack bladder, the remaining I carried mostly on my back. Thank goodness I don’t have to carry that extra water weight during the race. On Sunday, my back ached so much by the time I reached my turnaround point, I broke down and took two ibuprofen. I also cut open beneath the mouth of my plastic water bottles so that I could pour the still frozen water chunks into my bladder and carry the fluids in a centralized location. This made a huge difference comfort-wise on the downhill portion. On the bad side, it took me 6 hours to travel twenty miles. Granted, on race day, I will probably move faster. But as usual, I will need to move A LOT faster. On the good side, I came in on those twenty miles feeling strong. Back at home, I didn’t even take a nap.  Oh!  And I ran up on two snakes on Harding Truck Trail during this run – a ribbon snake (garter snake?) and a gopher snake.

Report 2, today (Thursday) I hit the trails for a 12.50 mile run that I had no business running.  I have absolutely no time for this!  I didn’t have a sub job though, so damn the laundry and damn the dishes.  They can wait until after I cross the finish line!  (Tell that to the boys who had to scrounge around for underwear this morning – because today I also had a small report to write for a six hour meeting I’m attending tomorrow, attendance to record and print for June, a timecard to complete, Vacation Bible School registration to complete, a son to coach in Spanish, and a three hour testing lab to run at the Adult School, etc., etc., etc.,).  And so I ran anyway!

A helicopter hovered close to the ground at the get-go in Aliso Canyon.  It had border patrol colors (green and white), so my guess was they were looking for someone.  Either that, or they were just running maneuvers.  The noise got a little annoying at times though – and it did seem they were looking for something or someone, as the helicopter flew so close I could see the passenger leaning out and looking toward the ground.  And as I gleefully ran along the dusty trail, I got to thinking about how stupid this was if the helicopter was Border Control, that the U.S. would leave the borders so easily crossable and then hunt people who cross illegally inside the borders as if they were animals or hardened criminals.  I mean, come on!  If it’s that important that you spend so much manpower and money to hunt people down, why not make it more difficult to cross?  Ah . . .  off subject, I guess.  Immigration is a huge and controversial subject here in California.  Regardless of my views on the matter, I hate this hunting down of people.  Hate. It.  And I had PLENTY of time to think about it as this helicopter swept down low into the valley for HOURS today.  Seriously, hours.  (Do note that it’s only my speculation over what they were doing – but we all know here that green and white is Border Control.  Just sayen).

SO!  I “ran” up Mentally Sensitive as the helicopter continued to hover about.  And I found time to smile despite that trail’s retched incline. 

And then I smiled tenfold as I ran along Top of the World and saw this baby goat.  I so wanted to hop the electrified fence and take him for my own.  But alas, I ran on because time was running short, and I still had so much to do.

And then, silly, crazy me, I decided to lengthen my loop (originally planned on 10.75 miles) for a 12.50 mile loop.  Why?  All because I wanted to run down RockIt which is a huge challenge, even on the downhill.  It’s steep in some parts, and so unevenly rocky, that I find it quite difficult to gain any speed.  Still I try.  And try I did.  And I didn’t even fall on RockIt.  I fell on Coyote Run Trail.  Flat on my butt.  Serves me right.    I really had no business putting in a 12+ mile trail run today anyway. 

An Autumn Run!

I’m fretting only slightly about Twin Peaks, which is about 3 weeks away.  Fortunately, I’m going for the 50k option (not even considering the 50 mile option).  The 50k will still be quite the task for me, but I will have lots and lots of time to get it done.  So I can walk, crawl or scramble and probably still make the trip (hopefully).  Still, I haven’t got in quite the mileage that I’ve wanted over the past months.  In fact, this summer’s training has probably been one of my worst summer trainings.  That’s ironic since I actually looked forward to summer runs this year.  I don’t ever recall looking forward to summer running before.

Thankfully I got in an autumn run today.  And boy, was it GLORIOUS!  I almost thought that it would rain.  I said, “Bring it on!”  But alas, no rain.  Cool breezes blew practically my entire run.  It felt heavenly.  Even as I “ran” up the big climb, Mentally Sensitive (see elevation chart below).

Climbing Mentally Sensitive:

I always wear my hat backward for a reason (in case you’re wondering from the picture above and the countless others).  One reason is that forward, the cap bill traps in the heat around my race.  And I hate that.  More importantly, the cap with bill forward blocks visibility.  I can quickly recall 4 instances when I ran head-on into a branch wearing the bill of my cap forward.  In one case, I hit so hard that I fell back onto the ground and actually worried about my well-being.  In another case, I hit head-on into a branch twice within 5 minutes of each other (different branches of course). 

So, why wear a cap at all?  Because it catches the sweat from my head.  That way I don’t have as much salt running into my eyes (which hurts like heck).  Anyway, back onto the track . . .

Top of Mentally Sensitive:

I decided on a quick run down Rockit Trail, which is rocky, bumpy and great training for my upcoming Calico Run in January which is rocky to the utmost.  From there, I turned off onto Coyote Run for some gorgeous single track stints through forests and more desert-like terrain.  I learned today that Coyote Run is a favorite weekday trail for mountain bikers.  They were ALL courteous and polite, I am glad to report.

In all I ran almost 12.5 miles.  Happily I ran those last miles in with fuel still in the tank.  I didn’t collapse at the truck!

Coyote run Trail:

Incidental Heat Training

Tuesday I made the mistake of driving home after work to change clothes for my run.  I never made it back out the door.  I was simply too tired, and felt badly the whole day over not following my training plan.  Another voice said into my ear, “You’re tired, that means rest!”  And so I napped. 

Today (Wednesday) I dressed for my run before leaving work.  My feet hit the dirt at 12:30 pm, possibly the hottest part of the day.  Unsure what route to run at Aliso/Wood Canyons I aimed for around ten miles.  That’s what my training plan said for today – ten miles. 

As I ran through Aliso Canyon I asked myself whether I wanted misery at the beginning or at the end of my run.  I decided for misery before pleasure.  LOL.  Therefore, I ran into Wood Canyon, where the heat gets trapped and it feels like running through an oven.  I saw a trail friend going in the opposite direction.  He told me it was so dang hot, he turned around at Top of the World and ran straight back, throwing out a longer plan.

I am here to testify that the run was pretty miserable running through Wood Canyon, and it didn’t get any better when I hopped onto Coyote Run Trail (though I got some shade running Coyote).  I also saw a deer racing down a slope halt in his tracks when he noticed me.  I stopped for a better look.  He stood in the forest like a statue, not moving an inch.  And so I ran on, suffering.  Actually, it was miserable running up Rockit Trail too.  Why?  IT WAS DANG HOT!

Coyote Run Trail:

Rockit Trail:

Running the ridgeline (West Ridge) I received the benefit of empty trails and an occasional, lovely breeze during this incidental heat training run.  Top of the World was empty also.  But in Alta Laguna  park I saw some hikers packing up their car after a heat-stroke kind of hike. 

I felt good running along Top of the World.  Though I worried a bit because I didn’t take the time to refill fluids at the park.  Today’s run was one of those that I grew stronger as the miles passed.  And I made the right choice not refilling.  I had plenty of fluids.  And I actually found another crazy person, a hiker going up Meadows as I ran down. 

I finished up Meadows at a much fast pace than I started.  And I finished off Aliso Creek Trail much, much stronger for the heat.  I heard a few rattlers in the brush as I ran by.  And I saw one garter snake.  It practically floated over the grass.  Amazing. 

About to descend upon Meadows: 

The Incidental Heat Training Profile:

All of the Above

Day 37 of Streaking into the New Year I had the notion of doing a scouting run.  I set out on the pavement headed toward a local bike trail to see if it would eventually lead to Aliso/Wood Canyons Park.  Oh, about 3 blocks into this run, I thought to myself, “That’s quite enough of that!”  I felt extremely fatigued, both mentally and physically.  I can usually handle physically because I often get over it.  But MENTALLY fatigued so early???  Nope.  I didn’t have the power to revive the mind, so I set out for the minimum required for this “streaking” game.  I ran the bluffs above the harbor, then down to the harbor (but not into the harbor), and back home, ending up running more than the minimum (3.08 miles/4.99 km) and feeling better for it

Day 38 of Streaking into the New Year I got myself a FULL TANK of gas.  I didn’t want to behave extremely wasteful, so I drove to the closest trails for some dirt.  Who am I kidding?  I would have chosen Aliso/Wood Canyons today regardless of my gas situation.   And keeping with my nature that I “don’t know when to stop,” and “like to torture myself” (though I don’t) and that I’m “a bit off, if not darn right crazy,” I was drawn again toward Mentally Sensitive.  Perhaps it was the day that one of the rangers chuckled and said, “No one’s running up that trail,” that set me off to run Mentally Sensitive as much as possible.  Maybe it’s that fact that this trail straightens out the brain in a jiffy.  Of course it could be the gorgeous views it supplies.  And it could be that the trail is EMPTY.  Maybe it’s because I like slipping backward occasionally.  Or perhaps it’s simply because I like to say that “I did it.” 

Actually I think . . . No, I know, it’s ALL OF THE ABOVE. 

Running trails.  LOVE IT.

My run today:

Back in one of my many favorite places – Entrance to Meadows Trail.  I had to think up a newish pose since I click so many pictures here (the more I look at this pose the more critical I am of it and think I won’t do it again – note to self, need to come up with better poses.)

Struggling up Mentally Sensitive (but loving it), though I was a little disappointed over the physical fatigue that hit very early on.  (I kinda look like an old lady here, limping along – just my initial thought.  Still I put the picture in.) ps.  I wasn’t actually limping.

Perhaps half way up Mentally Sensitive – See, I’m still smiling.  (Do you think maybe my favorite color is blue?  Blue shoes, blue shorts, blue shirt LOL).

Top of Mentally Sensitive, running toward top of Meadows and onward to Top of the World – of course, I must snap a picture of Saddleback Mountains (Modjeska Peak is the highest point on left, Santiago Peak is highest point on right):

Top of Meadows looking down onto Laguna Beach and Pacific Ocean (notice Catalina Island if you look closely):

Top of the World.  The PRIZE!

Running down Rockit with a view of Wood Canyon.  Three to four miles remain of this run:

Approaching “The Final Stretch.”  Running Coyote Run Trail, which hits Mathis for a creek crossing.  Then I was back onto Wood Canyon Trail for a little over 2 1/2 miles to the finish.    I was tired:

I ran a 12.01 mile loop today (19.33 km) with this elevation profile: 

The Slow Hand of the Training Clock

In my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have imagined that I be a runner.  And a long distance runner, running up hills?  Ha!  That’s truly funny.

Let me be a testament to the fact that you can do it.  Whatever it is that you’re trying to do, you can.  The biggest thing it will take to get wherever it is that you want, is patience.  That was something that I DID NOT HAVE.  Patience.  Somehow, and I’m not sure how, running seemed to give me patience.  (Oddly, the biggest compliment I get from my students is “You have so much patience.”) 

I had to work up to 3 mile long runs.  Heck, I had to work up to running a block!  And I was embarrassed, I felt foolish. And since I was first a road runner, in order to keep it up, I had to pretend the rest of the people whizzing by in their cars, on their bikes, etc., weren’t there.  I sobbed when I first ran ten miles.  I felt like vomiting when walked to the Start Line of my first half marathon.  And I was scared to death to run my first marathon.

All along it seemed like training wasn’t really helping.  Obviously it was helping.  I just had to have the patience to allow enough time to pass to see results.  It’s similar to staring at the clock; you rarely see its hands move, but they move!  And they move pretty dang fast. 

Yet I still continue to train.  I find new things to train for – greater distance, steeper hills, rocky terrain, and It it still continues to pay off.  Now I know that I won’t really see the results until I look back (though sometimes I see the results as they happen).  When I start a run now, I feel much stronger.  I used to need a good three miles to warm-up.  Now I don’t experience anxiety when I know a big descent approaches.  I used to feel that terrible anxiety on my drive to the park where I was going to run the hill. 

SO . . . I have another mountain marathon this weekend.  It’s got 6,000 feet of elevation gain.  And it’s on trails that I’ve never run, in mountains that I’ve never run (however, I have done a bit of hiking in them).  I’m not scared because I know that I can do it.  And I also know that anything can happen, good or bad (like a PR or a twisted ankle).  I also know that since this race only has a little over 30 runners, I have a pretty good chance at a DFL.  That doesn’t scare me much either.  The only thing that scares me is coming in thirty minutes to an hour after the last runner.  If I’m going to take that DFL honor, I want to come in minutes after the runner in front of me.  I’m also a little scared about not making the half cut-off.  But those things too, I can deal with. 

I know I ‘m supposed to taper before a big race.  But I hate The Taper.  In my defense, all my runs this week have been less than ten miles.

Scenes from today’s run:

I really enjoy looking up beneath trees:

Crazy for Cholla, a short descent up to the ridge trail (West Ridge):

Running West Ridge, up ahead, a little hill that I call “Good Girls Don’t” – a couple of years ago, I couldn’t run it.  Now I can (of course not very quickly ):

A new (for me) little single-track I found along West Ridge:

Where I crashed my head into this branch:

And came out and found this (not me, but these rocks overlooking the Pacific):

Top of the World once again:

Running down Rockit:

Rockit:

Running in for the final stretch along Coyote run toward Wood Canyon:

Miles run this morning:  8.08 (13 km)