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):

Country Run / Heat Training Part 2

To begin, I would like to let it be known that I prefer “psycho” over “crazy.”

Having settled that, Friday I put in 2 hours at the gym in town.  It was delightful, though I couldn’t quite figure out some of the weight machines.  They are all drastically different than my gym’s back home.  The hamstring machine here felt just plain ole’ wrong to me (I’m sure I was using it incorrectly.) 

Saturday morning, I woke with terrible pain in my left knee (after much thought, I believe weight training day prior was the culprit.)  We drove all over town in search of a foam roller.  Even the sporting goods store had no idea what I was talking about, which surprised me, since Stephenville is a college town, and there’s lots of athletes here.  Well, I resorted to a canister of tennis balls and a knee brace.  Wore the brace all day, did all my floor exercises, ab work, then rolled on a tennis ball.  OUCH.  OUCH.  OUCH.  The knee pain almost instantly disappeared. 

I didn’t get out the door for my HEAT TRAINING TAKE 2 today until 7:30 AM, and it was already 85 F (29.4C).  Having filled my pack to the brim with half ice and half water, I carried with me two cold bottles of Gatorade, which after running the front pasture of the Miertschin ranch, set them down before the gate I would exit on my way off the ranch.  Then I commenced to put in a couple miles running the pastures and various trails on my in-laws’ property.  Hard miles.  The ice in my pack seemed to melt right away.

From the front pasture, I ran to my favorite cedar elm grove.  There in the shade stood the burro that our children have named Dunkus.  As soon as I got my camera out, he was gone.

Grasshoppers jumped all about me as I ran into the next pasture.  They mainly crashed into my legs.  But the bigger bizarre creatures, they sometimes smacked into my chest which was needless to say, alarming.  The worst of the grasshopper attack was when one would crash into my palm, and then flutter there for a second against my skin before flying away.

My concern wasn’t grasshoppers so much as rattlesnakes and ticks.  Wasps were a problem too, but I can take them pretty well.  Sure, I don’t want to get stung.  But I’ve been stung by a wasp before, and I can handle it.  Ticks – they just plain ole’ gross me out.  And rattlesnakes, well, I don’t consider them a problem at home, but here where the grass is tall and there is no trail, my fear was a rattler seeing me before I saw him!

Cedar elm grove

Some semi-trail running

Then the grass got to be waist high.  I couldn’t see the ground, which made for a difficult run, unable to see the ruts and rocks and such.  With that heat bearing down, I couldn’t wait to get off the ranch and out onto the country roads.  I noticed vultures flying above as I ran along the scorching-hot fence line.  By the time I made the bone-dry creek bed, I felt relief because of the shade it offered.  But the run was so difficult through this portion and I was growing warmer and warmer, that I began to grow nauseated.  Just calm down, I told myself, take it slowly and get the heck out of this hard stuff.  One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other . . .  

Running through tall grass

Creekbed

Finally, after an entire hour of running, I approached the gate to the front pasture.  I picked up my 2 bottles of Gatorade, put one in my backpack.  The other, I opened and began drinking as I ran along the pasture’s front fence line, grasshoppers slapping at my legs.  Even with the scorching heat I couldn’t have been happier to meet the country road, the land of little shade.  Once I hit that country road, a breeze came in.  I felt good.  So far, my body temperature had only fluctuated .5 degrees. 

The remainder of this run (about 9 miles / 14.48 km) was pure scorching heat.  When I’d see a cluster of trees in the distance, I ran toward it with the feeling that I was going to pick me up a pot of gold.  By now my body temperature had increased by one degree.  Drinking and running through the shade, quickly brought it down, but not down to normal, just about .2 to .5 above normal.

I draped the handkerchief over my head, but only wet it down once.  I just couldn’t waste my water after that.  I fought against the urge to conserve fluids and continued drinking little amounts frequently.  Believe it or not, for a good while during this HOT run I was having fun despite the torture.  It felt great to work against the heat AND CONQUER IT.

My feet felt particularly hot.  I felt an urge to tear off my socks.  But what felt hottest were my calves.  It felt like someone was holding torches just inches away from them as I ran.  Running in pants, I actually felt would have been better today. 

I wasn’t exactly sure on my water supply because my pack was heavy with the sports drink and a giant apple.  Ten miles, I told myself, when you reach ten miles, you can have the other Gatorade.  But at 9 1/2 miles, my body temperature had increased 1.5 over normal.  What’s a half a mile?  So I opened up the drink and ran it on in slowly, very slowly to the old cemetery where I could see its shady trees at least a mile away.

One of the few places where I exclaimed, “Shade ahead!”

Posing on bridge over dry riverbed.

I rested in the cemetery, walking about sort of melancholy over the youth buried there.  Then I sat at the age of the Benson Family plot and ate my apple and finished off my sports drink.  While sitting there, I noticed the distinct smell of men’s cologne.  It was faint, but didn’t fade my entire stay.  I thought to myself the following scenarios to explain the cologne: 

1.  A nearby plant smells like men’s cologne.

2.  Someone wearing this cologne had just recently visited the cemetery.

3. Theodore Benson, the patriarch of this family plot who was buried in 1912, had come from beyond to see who was sitting on the edge of his family plot! (No disrespect intended). 

After relishing my apple, I walked up to Theodore’s grave and noticed a handful of change, mainly quarters, some newish, others old and tarnished in a pile on top of his gravestone.  He had also a wife buried next to him who outlived him by twenty-six years.  And they had 3 sons, 1 daughter all living into adulthood (but not old-age), except 1 son who lived only 11 months.. 

Pink Lady, my favorite apple.

Acknowledging one of the many children buried here, Bennett Sageser (7 years old)

My temperature returned to normal, I took off running again for the last 1.75 miles or so.  With very little shade, I was quite fatigued.  My body temperature though remained only about a 1/2 degree higher than normal.  With about .75 of a mile remaining, I ran out of all fluids.  At one point, I abruptly stopped beneath the sun that seemed to be concentrating on only me, and I walked half a dozen steps.  Then I picked it up again, and slowly ran it on in finishing off just under 12 miles (19.31 km). 

The temperature (in the shade) upon my return

Miles run today:  11.75

Elevation Profile:  +935/-969

Countryside Run

The thermometer read 20f degrees when I stepped outside this morning just as the sun began to cast its glow into dark skies.  I wrapped myself up pretty good (except for my legs), packed a breakfast of dried fruit and nuts, strapped on the water and headed out the door for a run.  Oh ya, I was wearing my road shoes too, for I wanted to venture off the ranch and into the countryside.

Actually, I planned on a ranch loop first thing, but with all those coyotes barking away, like they were running through the fields having a grand ole’ time, I decided to do a quick run on only well-defined ranch trails before hitting the road. 

The small stock pond was about half frozen over.  The wind blew cold.  My face took it pretty well because I brought a scarf to wrap and close everything off but my eyes, if need be.  My legs were the really cold parts.  But after about a quarter mile, I really didn’t mind the cold legs.

Bundled up for my countryside run

That’s not snow on the ground, it’s ice

A quick shot before I ran off the ranch

And so I continued my run along the lonely county roads of Erath County, Texas.  I waved at my mother and father-in-law as they drove in from town for their morning newspaper.  I hoped that I didn’t worry them running out on the road so early in the morning.  I came upon very few cars for the first several miles.  And every driver that I saw, waved, just like they were my in-laws.  I waved back. 

I ran simply taking it all in, snacking here and there on my breakfast.  I stayed in the now, I kept the past and present out of mind.  Good thing.  A fox crossed my path so quickly, I barely knew what to think of her graceful movement.  Her tail was long and fluffy, darker than her brown body.  She resembled a wild cat, but in no way carried itself in that sleek cat-like manner, not to mention her torso was much too low to the ground.  I knew she was no domesticated dog for sure, too delicate and as I mentioned above, graceful.

Cattle out to graze saw me as I ran those endless county roads and they began running – in the same direction I ran.  I had to laugh at that sight, me running along the road with fifty or so cattle running along on the other side of a fence.  I never saw another runner though.  That’s of course, not to say there weren’t people running this morning in Erath County.  The county is so immense and sparse at the same time, the chances of coming across another runner outside of town are just too slim.

Lonely county road of Erath County

Cattle ready to dart at the sight of me

I was surprised how thirsty I grew running in such cold weather.  I was surprised also that the water in my drinking tube was frozen (I quickly felt for the water in my pack, relieved that it was not frozen and worked on the tube until I finally got it flowing.)

Apprehensive over running past the junkyard that I ran by 2 years ago, I was greatly relieved that no junkyard dog roamed the premises threatening to take a chunk out of me.  I still carried that pepper spray, you can be sure.  And then, some time past the junkyard, I heard a little jingle, jingle, jingle.  I took an anxious look behind me to see a gorgeous brown Pointer running seemingly happily right along with me.  She was a beauty with those big brown floppy ears.  And just like that, she was off as I ran onward, curious to see where this county road lead.

I ran past orchards, a dairy farm, hay farms, ranches and farm houses.  I saw the Texan star displayed proudly, along with the American flag and signs that read, “Pray for America.”  And then at the bend in the road, I came upon another farm with a quaint white house and detached garage with a giant Texan star on top.  The unfenced yard had with no less than five big barking dogs who promptly ran off the property, crossed the road and charged right at me with vicious barks and teeth snarling. 

“Okay, okay,” I told myself.  “Remain calm.  Don’t do anything different.  Don’t race ahead.  Don’t stop.  Don’t even let your heart speed up.”  I smiled and said, “Good Girl!  Good Boy!”  and kept on running my same pace.  They left me in about a minute.  But that was a minute way, way too long.  I told myself that this would definitely not be an out-and-back run today.  Somehow, I needed to make this run a loop; I did not want to face those dogs again.

Soon after that, I hit a farm road.  Farm roads are much busier and faster than county roads out here.  They have lines painted down the middle to separate two lanes.  And they have nice big easements along them to run in.  I ran in this easement, against traffic, as an occasional car raced by at sixty plus miles a hour.  So determined to not meet those mean doggies again, I kept running along the icy grass easement.  My feet felt cold, while I hoped to eventually hit the main farm road that lead to the county road that the ranch is on, making this run a loop.

At the two hour mark and not seeing any sign of the farm road I needed, I turned back.  My feet were wet.  The wind blew strong and cold.  And worse yet, I had to pass those dang dogs again.  Perhaps they just needed to smell me the first time I ran past.  I hoped I wouldn’t be a stranger to them this time around.

Well, I was a stranger to them this time around.  They charged me again.  The biggest, pit-bull looking dog came up on me fast and furious, the others close behind.  I really thought the attack was on.  I desperately didn’t want to pepper spray them, so I continued my “Good Dog!” bit and ran on, smiling like a fool.  Then finally the owner of the house, a little white-haired lady stepped out the front door and called her dogs back to her.  They promptly left my side and surrounded the woman on her porch.  I waved to the lady, said good morning.  I almost wanted to apologize for disturbing her!!  If I was back home in The O.C., I would have been extremely angry at the owner for letting such scary dogs roam fenceless.  But this ain’t the city Sister!  This is the country, where there’s sometimes a mile between houses and coyotes roam the fields in enormous packs. 

The remainder of my countryside run was uneventful, though beautiful.  My Pointer friend even joined me again for a short portion (she was a doll!)  Uneventful, I say, except for the fact that a strong cold wind blew hard against me and my feet were by then sopping wet from melted ice.  It was lovely still, though I did cut my run short about 5 miles.

Returning “home” on my countryside run (county road below)

Miles logged:  15.15

+1,079 feet

Racing Against Time

With our three sons back in school, I’ve got 3 different school start times and 3 different pick-up times.  It’s crazy!  I leave the house just after 7 AM for the first drop off, come back and then leave again about 8:20 for the 2nd drop off, and finally leave the home once again to make a 9:30 start time for drop off #3.  And these are just the drop offs!  I’m not sure how I’m gonna get my groove with this schedule.  So I thought I’d get my groove with some running in between drop off #3 and pick-up #1.  I had this crazy notion that I could drive to Aliso/Wood Canyons (twenty minutes from the schools) and run the big outer loop and get back in time to pick up our kindergartner.  I have been cross training every day since my last run after all.  I should be stronger and more able, right?  Right? 

I figured if I made it to Top of the World by 11:30, I could make it back to the car by 12:30 – time enough to stretch and get back to school for pick up #1.  (That was kind of stretching it too, because I had never timed how long it takes me to run across Top of the World back down Meadows).

First problem was:  The sun finally showed up today and with vengeance.  When I exclaimed to drop off #2 as we drove to school, “Can you believe it, of all days, the sun comes out,” he looked at me like I was crazy.

“Wadja expect?”  he laughed.  I thought he was consoling me, then realized he simply thought I was a little off : ) 

“When’s the last time the sun came out?” I asked. 

He just chuckled and said, “Ah, like yesterday!”

Silly boy.  We’ve rarely seen the sun all summer around here (which is partly why I suffered so much during Bulldog).  Well, I laughed and laughed at his response, practically all the way to school.

Even though the sun did pop in today, a cool breeze blew as I ran through Aliso and Wood Canyons.  I took my sweet time warming up, enjoyed myself and worked on a relaxed form.  I reached the end of Wood Canyon 8 minutes off schedule, which wasn’t good because I hadn’t even begun the real climbing.  I had forty minutes to make it to Top of the World, and though I never stopped, and consciously picked up my speed, I made Top of the World another 8 minutes shy.

With 16 minutes behind schedule, I thought (didn’t really know, just thought), I wouldn’t be able to make the big loop across the ridge, going down Meadows Trail in time.  And so I thought that I’d cut about two miles off the run by going down Mathis instead.  Surely, I’d be able to make the car in plenty of time to stretch and pick up #1.  I had to make pick up #1 – he’s my little guy!!

I turned around and headed back down West Ridge toward Mathis.  That sun beating down on me was no help at all.  I really pushed it, because it donned on me that I was running in the direction away from the car for much too long before hitting Mathis.  I pounded that downhill trail like I never had before.  Still, I wasn’t going to make it!

Okay, okay, calm down Lauren (though I was really quite annoyed with myself).  You see, I knew when I finally reached Wood Canyon that this supposed cutting 2 miles from the run was a fantasy.  This loop was going to equal just about the same as going down Meadows!

At the base of Mathis, a little over 2 1/2 miles remained.  And I had twenty minutes to run it and still have time to stretch.  Thing is, that dang sun was really beating me up again.  I was wiped out.  I wanted to drop to the trail and lay down and rest.  At the same time, I was more than a little perturbed at myself.  I mean, “You can’t run faster for your kindergartner Lauren!!!”

No, I couldn’t.  I could barely run.  Thankfully, I did have a hat, and I still had fluids.  I needed to power walk a few times.  Staring at the watch, I simply began counting my steps as I ran.  That’s the only way I could get through it.  At some point, I chucked the idea of stretching.  And I ran into that ranger station and straight out to my car.  I threw my gear in and raced back to the school.  I think I hit every single red light, but pulled into the lot about 3 minutes shy of the bell ringing.  When my son walked out, he gave me a big hug, and didn’t even notice the salt that crusted every inch of my body. He was soooo cute.

Miles logged this morning/afternoon:  11.64 (which is the EXACT mileage of the big outside loop that I decided against)

ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE!

My Race Against Time

Running with a Straight Pelvis : )

Physical therapy update:  First, I don’t think I ever really posted details of the car accident and how I got injured.  Father’s Day, I was at a dead stop, and heard the accident happening behind me.  I wasn’t sure if we had been hit, because everything happened slow motion and I was confused by the crash sounds.  Anyway, I twisted around to my right to check on my boys in the back seat.  At that moment we got slammed.  It was that twist that did me in.  My whole right side was sore pretty much immediately.  It seems that the impact realigned my pelvis, where one side was higher than the other.  Neck, shoulder and side pain went away in a matter of days.  But that lower back, pelvis/hip pain did not.  So, back to the update on the physical therapy.  When I went in yesterday, my PT said that my pelvis was perfectly straight.  How it is that all those stretches, massages and exercises made it straight again, I do not know.  So – good news!! (My boys by the way thankfully – no injuries!)

This morning I went for a single loop, clockwise at Aliso Wood Canyons park.  That meant running UP Meadows Trail.  Tom met me at the ranger station and we ran up Meadows together.  It was tough!  My hip felt it before we even made the climb (I think it probably wasn’t the best idea to run up Meadows the day after physical therapy).

The sun really shined down on us as made that seemingly never-ending switch-back climb.  Arriving at the top we could not even see the Pacific due to thick fog.  A rainbow-like arch  hovered about the fog and above that, blue skies.

Tom ran back down Meadows Trail for a six mile out and back.  I continued onward for a little less than twelve miles.  After a short downhill then uphill asphalt run, I hopped onto the trail that runs behind the houses at Top of the World.  The trail makes a “V” – first a steep down, then a steep up.  Two cyclists made their way down the other end of the “V” as I ran up it.  Then suddenly, one of the cyclists ate it.  His bike crashed to the rock trail, making such a noise, I thought his bike would be shattered to pieces for sure (but it did not appear so).  Even though it wasn’t my accident, it seemed to happen in slow motion, just about fifteen feet away.  The poor guy flew to the ground, I gasped, relieved that his face didn’t smash into the rock.  He jumped up quickly. 

“Oh my gosh!!!”  I said.  “Are you alright?”

He didn’t answer, he didn’t even look at me.  Instead, I could tell he was pissed.  I knew that look – it’s how I have felt when I’ve fallen on the trail – like, damn it, I can’t believe I did that!

His friend behind him said, “Seriously, are you ok?”  No answer.  I continued running on past the two and didn’t say a word further. 

I got into my groove as I ran through the neighborhoods, arriving at Westridge a short time later.  I felt happy, relieved to have Meadows over with.  It was all basically down hill from here (except for minor climbs on Westridge).

About to descend upon Westridge

 

 Westridge, just after passing Mathis

Miles logged this morning: 11.65  Despite my hip, it seemed like a cinch compared to Saturday’s 21 mile run. 

Rain, Rain Go Away

Rain poured down upon us this week, not unlike the dental bills that slapped me as well. Thursday, the clouds parted, so I was able to squeeze in a nice beach/marina run, totalling 9.9 miles. I felt relief. That night we celebrated my oldest son receiving his second degree black belt with dinner at a scrumptious Italian restaurant. (Boy, was I glad about those ten miles!)

Friday, it was awards for the boys at their school. Then it was more rain and back to the dentist. Ouch, ouch, ouch. And then . . . and then, a gypsy woman snagged a twenty dollar bill right out of my hand in the Target parking lot. No lie.

I really needed the rain to LET UP. But that, it did not. Squeezed in the gym on Saturday. It just wasn't the same as getting out there and running.

Rain, rain, rain -- all day Saturday. Sunday's race cancelled (therefore, I won't make twenty races this year), I still laid out my gear for a run Sunday A.M. I was hopeful. So, so hopeful.

Up at 5:30 AM Sunday morning, the skies dark, but dry, I laced up my shoes, donned a pair of running PANTS and gloves, zipped up my hoodie, with the hood tied tight around my face and ran out the door at 6:30. It was cold, cold, cold, but that breeze was wonderful.

I headed south first -- the streets were wet and empty. The river that dumps into Doheny flowed with choppy waters. The campgrounds practically empty, I circled them twice before running until the sidewalk ended.

The hood came off quickly, as did the gloves. The sun peeked through the clouds for a bit. Then the black clouds rolled back in. Counting runners as I made my way through the beaches, I never really felt fatigued. I felt relaxed, tranquil. I ran out to the jetty -- thousands of birds flocked about the waters. I ran through the wharf, more and more runners showing up. And I wondered how much longer I'd be able to keep up this run before the rain came down upon us again.

I ran across to the island, a sea lion leisurely swam at the mouth of the harbor. I reached the cliffs, amazed how quickly the miles had sped by. And there at the base of the cliffs, a rescue boat floated just off shore, looking for a jumper who took a dive off the cliffs to end it all. As I ran up the grass park and alongside the cliff path, I could hear the search helicopter and sirens headed in that direction. And way over there on the cliff where the woman had jumped, I saw a person standing. (I heard later at the grocery store, that the poor jumper was with a friend when she decided it was better to die than anything else -- I wondered if that person I could see was the friend. What a terrible night she's having tonight). Terrible. Someone at the store said that the woman was the third jumper off those cliffs this month. Can you imagine?

I can't.

Miles logged this morning: 12.55

Number of other runners out there this morning: 44

Workin' the Hills

I went for a solo run in Aliso/Wood Canyon Park this morning for some hill work. Very few runners out this morning. I passed one woman running the opposite way on Wood Canyon Trail. There were some cyclists out. Some bunnies and one blue heron. I thought that a nice long warm-up through Wood Canyon would help some with the hills. I'm sure it did. But Cholla was dang hard. I began to feel anxious even approaching it. My run was slow and difficult up and down Westridge, especially toward the end when the climb simply mocked me.

Huge relief to reach Top of the World. I ran through the neighborhoods and about half way through them, passed that same woman I saw on Wood Canyon Trail -- we were doing opposite loops!

Meadows Trail had quite a bit of erosion, which made it difficult to fly down. Music turned to high, I ran down carefully and rather slowly, and even slower back through Aliso Creek Canyon into the ranger station.

Dead-dog tired, I hardly had a moment to rest the remainder of the day. But I was dang happy to have put in those excruciatingly difficult miles. That's what's it all about -- tasting that salt running down my face : )

Miles logged this morning: 11.64

Up Rockit to The Top of the World.

On the road a little after 6 AM for a group run, I was hopeful for a good IT band day. Yesterday, I bought a foam roller. As soon as I got home, I tore open the packaging, layed on my side and rolled back and forth over the band. I would have never believed it, had someone told me that this would work (actually more than one person told me it would work). After only three painful rolls, I stood up with huge improvement. I could barely feel there was a problem. Wouldn't it be nice, I thought to myself as I rolled into Aliso Wood Canyons Park, if I could do these hills without burning pain in my hip?

We were pretty bundled up, all five of us -- myself, Sheila, Kelly, Tom and someone new to our runs, Hank. When I say new, I don't mean new runner, or even new trail runner. He seemed to take these hills with ease!

Anyway, what I thought might be a pretty dang cold descent into the canyon, turned out not to be so. Sure, it was cold, but definately not freezing. We took Aliso Canyon to Wood, saw a Blue Heron slowly walking through the brown grass. Then we ran up Mathis Trail just a bit to hop onto Coyote Run. We made our way along Coyote, weaving in and out of grove shade, up and down mildly hilly terrain, until we reached Rockit. And then the climbing began.

My hip felt great, but if there was anywhere it would start burning, it would be running up Rockit. What a huge relief it was to not feel pain -- and what a beautiful sight it was running up that rock trail in the early morning. Hank took up the lead with Tom, us three ladies coming up behind, we reached Westridge with gloves off, long-sleeves tied around our waists.

After a break over looking Laguna Beach at Top of the World, we made our way down to Mathis and took that lovely decline until the turnoff for Dripping Cave. There's a pretty good climb in the beginning of this trail, but nothing like we had already run. Plus some of it's beneath big old oaks, with their roots twisted above the surface. Running along a single-track ridge type trail for a bit, we climbed that final hill, and made our way back down into the shade. Of course we stopped in Dripping Cave, then left running for that final stretch back to the ranger station, passing that Blue Heron again along the way.

I had a great run today (great group, as always) and put in 11.07 miles running to the Top of the World. My IT band felt great. There was no limp back to the car, no painful stretching, just a very dull sensation that the trouble wasn't completely gone. Marvelous.

Sheila on Rockit Trail headed for Top of the World


Kelly so gracefully making her way on Rockit


Top of the World, Overlooking Laguna Beach (Me, Kelly, Sheila, Tom, Hank)


Kelly, Tom and Hank in Dripping Cave (A.K.A. Robber's Cave)

Heading Back toward Wood Canyon

Top of the World on a Cool October Morning

Rain woke me all through the night Monday. When I phoned the ranger station Tuesday morning, I was surprised to find that Aliso Wood Canyons Park was open. In fact, it hadn’t rained there at all.

Let me tell ya! I did not feel like running one bit. I was so tired; I thought to myself, if no one shows, I’m driving straight home and going to bed. By the time my face hit that cool air and my eyes took in those blue skies however, I began to feel like I could do this.

Two club members, Tom and David, arrived to join me on this weekly run in my favorite wilderness park. We ran through Aliso Canyon and took a right onto Wood Canyon. It was quiet, cool, and we took it at a good pace. Tom commented that at “this pace we could run 100 miles in 16 hours.” At this rate, my warm-up was going pretty slowly – I wasn’t going to get my grove for at least that many miles!

So, it was the usual lovely Wood Canyon, shaded by sycamores and live oaks. We met dozens of crows mingling about in a group on the trail. I saw a bunny hop off here and there in the brush. At Cholla, Tom turned back for a 9 mile round trip. I tried to snap a group photo at the departure. The first one, I got the trash can lid in the picture, the second one sans the lid, I didn’t much like. (I ended up cropping out the trashcan for the group photo below).





David and I ran up that tough, tough exposed Cholla trail and continued on Westridge to Top of the World. What a run that is! I can’t help feel like I accomplished something great after that – even if I had walked it, which we didn’t. We ran all the way to the top. From there we ran through the Top of the World neighborhoods to enter the park on the other end. The goats had moved farther down the ridge. The skies were beautiful, blue with puffy clouds as we headed down Meadows Trail. David kept me on my toes, running this at a faster pace than I’m used to when I run this park solo. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was racing me. (kiddin’ -- but don’t you hate it when you’re in a race and don’t even know it? : )



Anyway, we ran on into the ranger station with a total of 11.64 miles logged for the morning. I was dead-dog tired, and had to replenish calories quickly, because weakness began to fall heavily upon me.

What a run! I loved it.

Solo Run in Aliso and Wood Canyons

After dropping our sons off at school, I took off for my weekly posted run in Aliso / Wood Canyons, this time solo. While I miss the company and the encouragement of the group run, solitude is nice too. I can appreciate both. That's one of the nice things of youth finally being behind you -- it's easier to recognize the benefits in both sides of the coin. And it's easier to "make due" with whatcha got.

So, this morning, I got me a solo, beneath gorgeous blue skies, enormous puffy white clouds, long hilly run. Earphones plugged in, I thought to myself, now's a good time to work through that missing chapter from my novel that I need to write ASAP, else it never get written. But it's a disturbing chapter, and after working through it only a few minutes, my heart pained with sadness, and I decided that my brain couldn't dwell in the darkness on this beautiful trail run. (Though I did work it out enough to know where it was headed and finally wrote the chapter when I got home from work tonight).

The sun shined brightly and hot, as I expected at 8:30 in the morning. Those puffy clouds though, provided enough shade to comfort me, and an onshore breeze added even more delight to this morning's run. While still on Aliso Creek Trail, a large deer, with two stubby velvet antlers on each side, trotted down the path ahead of me. I was amazed -- first by it's size, and secondly by its lack of concern by my presence. Then this gorgeous creature turned into the brush and disappeared towards the creek.

There were bunnies out and about, hawks flying overhead, and black beetles robotically making their way across the trail. And there were lots of tracks -- deer tracks, coyote and bobcat, plus another, large birdlike track, that I haven't identified -- perhaps quail (because I see them often here), but these tracks seem a little big from what I figure Quails would make.

ANYWAY, I ran up Mathis this morning. It's been a long time, and I don't believe that the run up that steep, exposed climb has gotten any easier. But what a delight to do it! My mind didn't wander towards finances, or district budget cuts, or chapters that need to be written, running up that thing. No, I just thought about one foot in front of the other, and not stopping. Do not stop running. Do not stop!

From Mathis, I hit Westridge, which gives some relief at first with a minor down hill, possibly an 1/8th mile, probably less. Then it's uphill on rocky, mixed in with sandy dirt to the Top of the World.

Westridge on the way down was a delight with that ocean breeze and rolling hills. I didn't turn off on Mathis, but continued straight on until Rockit (with a slight delay to fix my camelback, which somehow managed to get air in it). I focused hard on Rockit, so as not to fall in a desolate area where I usually see no one. Then all of a sudden, a female cyclist emerged out of nowhere, spooking us both. We smiled, kinda chuckled.

At the bottom, I turned off onto that enchanted Coyote Run, thankful for the occassional breeze, and plentiful shade above the creek here and there. Upon reaching Mathis, my skin crusted with salt, I joyfully made my way back to Wood Canyon and ran on in all the way to the ranger station, beat, but not beaten.

Lovely run.

Miles logged this morning: 11.27

A Sad Freedom

Not one of us here got good sleep last night -- much on my mind, I'm pretty sure that I woke every hour. Just before waking for good, I dreamt that I rollerbladed along the asphalt Aliso Woods Trail. Then I daringly crossed over the "Closed" section, the one that intersects Wood Canyon Trail, and doesn't have a gate. It's just simply closed off to travelers. I breezed over that thing on blades, enjoying the freedom, until the trail took a turn toward the creek. Then after a sharp right I discovered a hidden treasure of a trail. It ran alongside the creek, beside secret homes for the privledged who had to access this heavenly trail.

Well, I scooted down a steep slope in my blades to access this dirt trail, when I found myself on a richly manicured lawn and before me, a gigantic wildcat. She was as tall as my shoulders, grayish-brown, and a cross between a cougar and a lion. Basically, it was a cougar with a mane. Well, I backed up slowly, moving my way up that incline. And just as I was about to hop back up onto that paved trail and skate away, the rangers drove by. Fearful that the cougar-lion might pounce, but more afraid of the rangers, I ducked and hid there until the rangers were good and gone. Then I hopped up on the trail and raced along the asphalt trying to make it back to the public road before the rangers caught me on a closed portion. But there was snow everywhere now, and hikers kept stopping me to ask the way. Frustration grew when I finally woke.

So what does that dream mean?

I have no idea. I'm sure in some way, it symbolically tells the story of sending my boys off to school today. Sure, I looked forward to this day. Today, I would gain my daytime freedom. No more nagging, no more 3 boys fighting. But it was very sad too. No more three boys lounging around the living room during breakfast, no more three boys laughing too loud in the morning. I missed them terribly, and ruminated over the fact that our guys are growing up so, so fast.

And so what did I do when all the dropping off at schools was complete?

That's easy. I'm sure there's no guessing here. 9:20 AM, I clipped my ipod to my belt, and I ran. Beneath cloudy skies, I ran down to the state beach, then through the smoky campground, and out onto that long stretch that used to kill me nearly six years ago. The tide was high, and when the sun finally broke through the clouds, its shine created thousands of fluctuating silver glimmers across the sea.

The wind blew cool, the sun beared down hot, and I ran some more. I ran out to the rock jetty where old fishermen threw out lines into still waters. Across the way, hundreds of pelicans mulled about the filling station dock. Plenty of other runners made the rounds too -- perhaps they also had sent children off for their first day back to school.

And I ran some more, through the wharf, its restaurants practically empty of tourists, seaguls prancing along roof tops, flies swarming in their glory at back door entrances.

And I ran some more beneath the bridge in cool shade, then up and over it to my island. Squirrels with tummies bulging ran across my path. But it was the walkers who blocked my path. Drinking fountains quenched my thirst, all the while, I thought about nothing. Nothing.

And I ran some more.

I didn't stop until I reached the cliffs. Waves crashed upon the jetty, sending easy, routine splashes toward the trail. I stopped for a second here, noticing a burn in my arms from my shirt seams. After rubbing chapstick along my arms, I took off running again. And I took that big hill home as fast as I could, no hands on the hips, just looking to the ground, listening to my music, thinking about nothing.

Freedom is definately kinda sad.

Miles logged this morning: 11.36

# of other runners on my route: 19

Maple Springs / Main Divide / Silverado Motorway

Woke at 4:15 this morning, on the road at 4:45. It was still dark, and unable to read the unassuming street signs, I drove right past Silverado Canyon on the way in. I made a u-turn on that lonely mountain road to arrive at the Silverado / Black Star Canyon intersection a little before 5:30 AM.

The weather was wonderfully cool as six of us (I'll refrain from saying six of us lunatics, or six of us crazies!) headed up Maple Springs Road. There was no downhill, or even a flat warm-up. The climb, though very gradual, began right away. Hey, I'm not complaining -- a cool breeze can make up for a lot. The climb was constant up to the Main Divide, but not terrible. That's not to say that I wasn't tired -- that I was. But I still had plenty of energy and the heat had not begun to bear down upon us.

Heading Up On Maple Springs Road

Maple Springs


Main Divide Road / Looking Back From Whence We Came


When the pavement ended, we ran a switch-back dirt road to the Main Divide, totalling a little under ten miles (I think). Daniel was waiting for Tom, Kelly and me, David and Larry had gone on ahead. When after wondering whether they had taken the correct turn, we saw two tiny figures in the distance, and so we were off too, headed for the ridge and that glorious trip down.

Meeting up on the Ridge (Tom Pointing Out Where We're Headed)


And We're Off!


The last part of the Main Divide Road (along the ridge) got pretty crazy for me. I found myself conserving water, which was not too smart. And the two hundred calories thus far wasn't nearly enough to make some of the steep climbs. My energy drained from me quickly as the sun now beared down hard. I relished even the tiniest bits of shade. And it was only after two hundred more calories, thanks to Kelly and Tom, did my energy slowly return. I told myself then -- no more rationing water. In fact, "you're in big trouble girl if you have any water left at the car."

Looking over other side of Santa Ana Mountains
(215 Fwy below, Lake Matthews in distance)


Me and It's-Not-As-Steep-As-It-Seems-Tom : )

Our Last Ascent!!


Group Photo-Op before heading down
2,000 Ft in Two Miles (Silverado Motorway)
Kelly, Daniel, Me, David, Larry

The trip down was a blast. Though tired as I was, I focused hard. Do not fall. DO NOT FALL. I tripped about three times, but no falls. That Silverado Motorway was a steep, steep, rocky switch- back (about 2,000 ft. in 2 miles). And though it was oh so beautiful, it was OH SO HOT. Tom, Kelly and I all ran out of water before reaching the bottom of the canyon. That was okay, because downhill, knowing the end is just around the corner, well, nothing beats that! Even in the blazing sun.

What a run. I'll say it again. What a run.

Miles logged this morning: 16.4

The Final Stretch (Car Is Just Around The Corner!)

The Fast Ones Waiting For Us As We Arrive

Elevation Profile (courtesy Tom, as well as 3 of the pics above)