The Adventures of a Mentally Sensitive-Mathis Loop

Aliso Cyn – Wood Cyn – Meadows – Mentally Sensitive – Moulton Meadows Park – Aswut – Top of the World – Alta Laguna Park – West Ridge – Mathis – Wood Cyn – Aliso Cyn

I got out before Friday for some more trails this week. I don't teach Thursday mornings this semester, which means I have the day until about 5:30 pm when I need to drive off to teach a math class. That leaves a lot of time for trails. I decided to spend some of that time putting in some long miles (11) sprinkled with the steepest incline in Aliso Canyon (Mentally Sensitive Trail!). 

The meadows were green. The creek was full. And the wildlife was out in abundance. Squirrels ran across my path. A bright blue bird swooped down in front of me. A road runner flitted across my path on Mentally Sensitive. And as soon as I turned the corner on Meadows heading toward Mentally Sensitive, I spotted a a rarity step out onto the trail from the meadow at my left. I mentioned in my last post that there is a delay in identifying animals when they are coming straight at me. The otherside of that is when the animal is not coming straight at me, there's instant recognition. This was the case on Thursday. I caught a glimpse of the cat from the side and immediately idenitified Bobby! (As in Bobcat). And what a beauty he was. 

Climbing Mentally Sensitive was a chore. Definitely  took my sweet old time. Half way up, I had grown so overheated, I needed to take off my long sleeves and tie them around my waist. The struggle was absolutely wonderful. And the green valleys and Saddleback Mountain views were very pleasing to these old eyes. Soon we will have fields of spring flowers. Hopefully we'll have a few more rains to keep the creeks flowing. Wet winters are a delight in California (not so much during the actual rain because we aren't used to it, and thus a lot of times unprepared and unpracticed). But the pay off from the rain sure is great.

Some Stats:

11.01 miles

Avg. Heart Rate (rpm) 122

Max. Heart Rate 165

1,522' Elevation Gain

1,480' Elevation Loss

Highest Altitude 1,168'

Lowest Altitude 150'

Slopes:

Uphill 35%

Flat 36%

Downhill 29%

Another One for the Summer (& in the Afternoon to Boot!)

Saturday morning (9/1), I slept in (as I do lately – I still have not recovered from my 17 days off from work). I believe that it was about 12:30 when I took off in my truck for Aliso/Woods Canyon.  Being that the weather was damn hot, there were plenty of parking spaces on the street outside of the ranger station. This meant that I did not need to pay for parking, and as I cannot afford yet to even repair my truck, that came as a welcome (despite the very small amount our county parks require for parking – it all adds up!). As I prepped outside my truck, a woman  sitting low in a car parked next to me hollered out to a passer-byer, “Is there a river in that park?” No, the passer-byer didn’t see a river. Hmmm.  A river? Oh Boy. that was it on the subject, the passer-byer didn’t mention the creeks (which I did mention to the two ladies in the car who were smoking hashish out of a glass pipe).

So, Aliso/Wood Canyons has two year round creeks running through the park. One creek is in Aliso Canyon and the other in Wood Canyon. The two creeks meet it seems at perpendicular angles. Wood Creek dumps into Aliso Creek, which runs all the way to the Pacific Ocean rat Aliso Beach in the city of Laguna Beach. In all the years that I have been visiting these canyons, I have never seen either of these creeks dry (though low they can go!). And though they can flow quite heavily, I would never call them rivers.

Aliso Creek Trail:

Like I have already mentioned, it was dang hot out there in Aliso Viejo on the first day of September.  Even so, there were your usual amount of warriors out trekking across the trails. One group that I saw off and on, was a group of 3 or so dads and ten or so little guys (probably about 10 years old) riding their way up Wood Canyon. I also got to check in with some of the burned area. There’s new growth already in some areas. The fire fortunately did not ravish Wood Canyon (but I have not seen Dripping Cave or Coyote Run trails yet because they are closed).

I didn’t see any of the large animals (like coyotes or deer), but I saw plenty of rabbits, road runners and lizards. And on the topic of lizards, I saw several horned lizards, which are a new finding for me in these canyons. Then toward the end of The Big Loop at Aliso/Woods Canyons, I came up on a baby gopher snake. It was a beautiful little creature, which I’ve pictured further down below.

Wood Canyon regrowth:Some more Wood Canyon:

Anyway! The first 4.5 miles were delightful. They were hot, but much of Wood Canyon provides good shade. The 4.5 mile marks the end of Wood Canyon. After marching up Cholla Trail, I took the rolling hills of West Ridge to Top of the World in Laguna Beach. I do not recall the time that I arrived at Alta Laguna Park, but I do recall that the weather was beginning to change. The sun still shined brightly, but there was a cool onshore breeze coming in. What bliss! The onshore breeze is the most wonderful thing about living on the coast. So, that made the remainder of my hike just utterly pleasant (not to mention that fact that I had very few inclines to deal with after the half-way point.)

The weather changed at the 7 mile mark which is Top of the World, or rather Alta Laguna Park in Laguna Beach. The breeze got a littler cooler and each time lasted a little longer. And so, I trekked through the Laguna Beach Top of the World neighborhood to enter the park again over in Aliso Canyon. On the way, I passed a pasture of goats surrounded by a make-shift electrified fence. I fought against an urge to touch the fence to see just how much the jolt would be. On meadows, I met a gopher snake, and also stopped in more than one place to listen to the wind blowing through the trees.

It was almost like a different day when I arrived by at the truck. It was like a cool autumn and not a hot summer day like when I started.

12 miles, 1,319’ feet elevation gain

West Ridge:

Goats near Meadows Trail:

Wind Blowing through the trees on Meadows:

7.8 Mile Loop

Miles are hard to come by (as usual lately – but I am not complaining). Really.  I’m not.  I’m just so happy to hit the trails when I can.  Saturday, my feet finally hit dirt once again.  Yay!  I ran a 7.8 mile loop, which entailed running into Wood Canyon, then up Cholla Trail.  Cholla is a short, STEEP incline up to the ridge. It’s usually a pretty boring, and kinda tough stint.  But on Saturday, I saw two deer on Cholla – and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any deer on this trail. 

From West Ridge, I ran up and down those rolling hills, tiring easier than I did a few months ago.  At Top of The World, which overlooks Laguna Beach, I caught a giant glimpse of the grand Pacific, and was a-okay over my performance (mediocre as it was, it wasn’t my performance that mattered – it was the dirt beneath my feet!)

Top of the World:

It was on the back of my usual out-and-back that I decided to make this run a loop.  I ran down Mathis Canyon Trail into Wood Canyon, returning to my truck with plenty of daylight and time to get to the chores back at home.

View of Saddleback Mountains from Top of Mathis:

Wood Canyon, homeward bound:

No Perspective

I don’t know what’s the matter with me, except for the notion that I may have lost all, and I mean ALL perspective on strength and training.  When I run less than ten miles, I consider it a short run.  Nine miles:  short run.  If I put in less than 40 miles during a week, I feel like a failure.  I never feel strong in my training.  In fact, I feel like a complete weakling.  All. The. Time.  I go to the gym, spend an hour on the elliptical, a half hour on the treadmill for speed work, then an hour on the cycle.  I can top that off with thirty minutes of weights, another fifteen minutes of ab work, and I feel like I can’t do anything strength and endurance-wise, like I have no strength at all.

What is the matter with me?

I try and go with it and still plug through these workouts, enjoying the trails like I do.  But when it’s all said and done, I don’t get a sense of accomplishment.  I feel like I came up short, like I failed.  Like I don’t try hard enough.

Such is the truth concerning my training.

Still, I go out there and run those trails, not because they give me greater strength or endurance, but because they clear my mind and fill it with beauty. 

My first and only run thus far this week, came on late in the week – Thursday afternoon, 1 o’ clock in the afternoon, to be exact.  The heat was strong, and the air was heavy.  I didn’t feel like I could do it.  But I just started running, like I always do.  Sweat dripped down onto my face early on – it was so damn hot.  The hills were empty.  Really.  Empty.  I decided to run up Meadows Trail, a steep hot climb.  I didn’t fret going up, and I power-hiked most of it.  At the top of Meadows, I looked back at the Santa Ana Mountains and took in the view of my beloved Saddleback.

I continued on across Top of the World with no idea about my pace, as my garmin battery was dead (& I didn’t notice until I parked my truck).  Funny thing.  I really can’t tell how fast (or slow)  I’m running.  A 15 minute pace feels the same as a 10 minute pace to me.  Go figure.  The only difference I’ve noted on trails is that with the quicker pace, my steps are shorter.  And so I took shorter steps in a hopeful attempt to pick up my pace. 

Thursday’s heat run measured 9.4 miles.  And I only know that (because I wasn’t wearing a garmin) because I’ve run the route before.  My route:  Aliso Creek Canyon, Wood Canyon, Meadows Trail, Top of the World, West Ridge, Mathis, Wood Canyon, Aliso Creek Trail.

My swing break in Alta Laguna Park at Top of the World:

Short, Short, Short

This morning was Short #3 of Short, Short, Short on Easy Week.  The weather was the same as yesterday – dreary.  BUT, I am not complaining.  No siree.  I am fortunate that I can run trails.  And I am fortunate that even though I am pretty much dirt poor, I can still afford to run (and running ain’t cheap!). 

Three short runs back-to-back is so odd to me nowadays.  Before and after running, it seemed like I had all the time in the world to tend to other things like laundry, dishes, ab work, weights, etc., etc., and still have plenty of time to get to work.

I ran the same out-and-back today as Tuesday and Wednesday.  Entering Wood Canyon from an Aliso Viejo Neighborhood park, I ran up Cholla Trail and ran the rolling hills (in the end not so rolling) of Westridge to Top of the World.  I tried to beat yesterday’s time which was 13 minutes faster than Tuesday’s time.  But I was a minute slower today than yesterday (that’s still 12 minutes faster than Tuesday!).  All is good on the run.  I felt strong.  And according to my garmin, my fastest pace was 8.25 (that’s down from 9.17 yesterday and 10.39 on Tuesday.)  I’m getting faster on the downhills.  Oddly, it’s harder to increase my pace on the downhills than it is on the uphills.  With the downhills, especially technical downhills (that is rocky, rutted trails) there’s always the fear factor – the fear that I’m going to eat dirt.  And I don’t want to eat dirt. 

Running up Cholla Trail:

On Westridge, headed toward Top of the World:

Looking down on Laguna Canyon Road (take it all the way to Main Beach in Laguna Beach):

The Ups and Downs:

Short, Short

Today was Short, Short of Short, Short, Short.  That is 3 consecutive short runs, mid-week of my “easy” week.  If it sounds confusing, it isn’t.  I sometimes have the knack for making the straightforward sound confusing.

The skies were gray, the air heavy with water – so heavy, I needed to use my windshield wipers on the drive out to Aliso/Wood Canyons.  To top it off, with no sun in sight, the weather was a tad chilly.  If you’ve read my blog posts, you may have noticed, I DO NOT LIKE RUNNING IN COLD, DARK, WET WEATHER.  But, alas, I was ready and willing to run, and it was in the training plan.

I took off running into Wood Canyon about 10:00 this morning, and ran my semi-usual short run to Top of the World – a place in the coastal hills, named after an exclusive neighborhood up there that overlooks Laguna Beach and the Pacific Ocean.  Not many runners were out on this socked-in morning.  But as usual of late, I saw plenty of hikers and mountain bikers.  One of my neighbors rode up alongside me, and we chatted a bit before she rode off to join her husband.  It’s so fun to see people I know on the trails. 

Most of the time, I make this “out-and-back,” more of a lollipop by taking a detour onto Park Avenue Nature Trail, which loops back to Westridge at Top of the World.  The green, rocky canyon views are awesome from Park Avenue Nature Trail.  Plus, I get more elevation on the detour.  Today however, I didn’t loop it at the end of this out-and-back to make that lollipop.  Instead, I ran a true out-and-back by turning around at Top of the World and taking the exact route back.  Extending this run .15 of a mile, I completed it 13 minutes faster than yesterday’s “Short” to Top of the World.  That makes this middle-aged Mom happy.

Making my way on a Westridge “off-shoot,” headed toward a little hill I’ve named “Good Girls Don’t.”

Yup, that’s what we call “socked-in.”

Greetings once again from Top of the World:

Miles logged:  6.32

Converted!

When you become a long distance runner (something I never in a million years would have thought I’d become, and I still have a hard time admitting to) you lose perspective on distance. 

Before continuing, I want to note that I consider myself more a trail runner than I do a long distance runner.  Many athletes run much longer distances than I.  Just so happens that I love trails so much, that I run and run and run.

Anyway, back to losing perspective.  I’ve forgotten how difficult it was to get my long run up to 4 miles.  And though I remember the joy of running ten miles for the first time, I’ve come to think of ten miles as a short run.  Four miles is really short.  That’s what I mean about losing perspective.  I know dang well that ONE mile is a long way.  It’s just hard for me to see now.  My family knows that I have no perspective on distance, and of course teases me about it.  My son says things like, “Mom thinks 20 miles is a short run,” which I don’t, or, “What’d you run, 100 miles today?”  (Of course, I have not done a 100 mile run).

Well, this morning, I think I finally converted my husband into losing distance perspective.  I told him that I was going to run to The Top of the World and back via Cholla Trail and West Ridge, a six mile run.  When I returned, he looked at me surprised to see me in the house so “quickly” and said, “Boy, six miles is short!”  Yes, he actually said that six miles was short.  LOL. 

Yes it was a “shortish” run, but by no means SHORT.  And I ran it in my usual stomping grounds, Aliso/Wood Canyons – it was a lovely, relaxing run.

Welcome to Wood Canyon:

Spring Bouquet:

My favorite running shoes:

Another Spring Bouquet:

A Look Down on Laguna Canyon from West Ridge:

Spring flowers Contrast Burnt Shrubbery at Top of the World:

Top of the World:

6.39 miles (10.28 miles) run this morning:

Double Loop Zombie Run

Waking at 5AM, I hoped to hit the dirt at 6AM.  I drank 2 cups of coffee with sugar substitute and sugar free vanilla creamer.  I put the Glide on thick, slipped on a running shirt with no side seams.  After lathering on the sunscreen, I took my pack which I put together last night and added a baggie of ice with a hankie.  Other things in my pack: 65 fluid ounces of water with 3 Nuun tablets dissolved,  a tube of Nuun tables, salt tablets, ibuprofen, antihistamines (in case of wasp or bee sting), lip balms (2), gels (5), Clifff bar (1), band aids (several), cleansing wipes (for possible wounds), camera, cell phone, a brand new hat, a cross crocheted by my father’s Aunt Consuelo (now deceased), car keys, a thermometer, sunglasses, coconut water, ipod and headphones.  Needless to say, the pack was a little heavy (as usual).

The sun showed its face nowhere when I finally hit the trails at 6:40AM.    I ran through the misty canyon listening to the sounds of nature, birds, crickets and a breeze breathing through the trees.  Bunnies scrambled about the trail.  Except for nature, I ran completely by myself.

Stream Crossing on Wood Canyon Trail (in the midst of summer, the creek still runs, as do I!)

Running Cave Rock Trail (off of Wood Cyn Trail) – a joyful run in cool mist!

Cave Rock Trail, a delightful trail that I neglected for a couple years – I ran it on my first loop this morning (pre-zombie).

Second Loop – sun out, still energized, I opted for some more climbing, taking Wood Creek Trail, then Coyote Run (below):

My running began to waiver when I hit the Meadows climb for a second time.  That’s when I finally pulled out my ice-cold handkerchief.  I poured the melted ice over my head, well, mainly my neck.  And then I began to really suffer running up Meadows.  I passed no one (bikers and hikers by this time were now out on the trails.)  A mountain biker even passed me on the way up Meadows.  This rarely happens.  I’m not saying that I run Meadows so fast that no bikers can pass me.  But it’s such a tough trail that bikers generally have a tougher time than even I.  They have a harder time, I believe because they have the bike’s extra weight to carry with them..

I reached the top of Meadows still running, but utterly fatigued.  The sun now shining down hard, I benefited from a cool breeze only occasionally.  Soon after reaching the top of Meadows I ran out of all fluids.  And I struggled running the neighborhoods on into Alta Laguna Park (What I refer to as “Top of the World”.)  There I refilled my water, spilled it all over the sidewalk and exclaimed a profanity, then refilled again.  Before running off I drank up heavily at the fountain, and felt nauseated.  With only about 3.5 miles remaining, I couldn’t take in any additional calories and even had to stay away from the fluids (for a good while) for fear of vomiting.

I basically just kind of leaned forward and let momentum take me the remainder of this run.  I ran most hills, but hiked 2 short ones on West Ridge, (unbelievably, still fully coherent with a body temperature less than one degree above normal.)  That doesn’t mean that I felt normal.  The nausea settled, and I ran onward, kind of outside of my body, just moving along, one foot in front of the other.

The sun beat down hard.  I heard a rattler in the brush and didn’t even stop to throw rocks into the bushes to try and locate it.  (That’s usually what I do).  Onward . . . onward.  Got to finish this run.  Hikers were out beneath this sun.  But I only came across one runner and also the martial arts guy, A-Rod.  I smiled, and good-morning’d both of them.  We were all sweating.  But I was a zombie.  Maybe they were also, but I couldn’t tell.

Even running down Cholla (a steep downhill) was not easy.  I tripped twice for no apparent reason, except for the fact that zombies apparently do that since they really have no control of their limbs.  I came sooooo close to eating dirt the second time I tripped.  And I really have to thank core-work for not tasting that dirt.  I was able to pull myself upright as my feet, it seemed in slow motion, slipped from beneath me.    

Not Zombie – Yet!  (but posing like one on Coyote Run Trail during second loop)

Second Time Running Up Meadows Trail.  Not Quite Zombie (but turning!)  Fluids will be gone within a 1/2 mile. (Not to worry, refill in 1 1/2 miles)

Total and COMPLETE Zombie (About 2 miles left!)

I believe I bit off a little too much in the midst of summer today.  On the other hand, I made it.  I survived, without heat exhaustion, without injury.  Still, this is not enough to give me confidence to register for Bulldog 50k.  At the end of today’s run, I was convinced for Bulldog 25k.  My plan after today’s 19 mile run, is to run this same route (the double loop) one more time, and then try a triple loop.  After the triple loop, I will decide.  Meanwhile, the clock is ticking . . .

Miles run today:    19 miles (30.58km)

Elevation Profile: +3,105 ft / – 3083 ft (route:  Canyon View Park, Wood Canyon Trail, Cave Rock Trail, Wood Canyon, Meadows Trail, Ridge to Top of the World, Park Avenue Nature View, West Ridge, Cholla, Wood Canyon, Wood Creek Trail, Wood Canyon, Coyote Run Trail, Wood Canyon, Meadows Trail, Ridge to Top of the World, West Ridge, Cholla, Wood Canyon, Canyon View Park.)