Running Against the Clock

Since I no longer possess a gym membership, my small attempts at speed training have gone by the wayside.  I don’t mind that because I hate speed training.  Still, I like to keep up with some runners once in a while.  But more so, I like to have fun on my runs, which means no speed training.

In spring 2011, I got on a kick of timing a particular loop in Aliso/Wood Canyons.  On my first timing, I ran it in 2:24:35.  On my last timing I ran it in 2 hours!  Since then, though I’ve run the loop plenty of times, I was afraid to time myself.  Two hours was dang difficult, and I didn’t want to come in with a slower time.

This morning, I took to running that loop against the clock once again.  Yes, I was fearful, but more curious.  My biggest fear was that I had backslid all the way back to 2:24 or worse.  So, I decided after a day of Meadows hill repeats with an aching arch, working til 6:30 PM, then sipping cheap wine with my hubby until midnight, that this morning would be an ideal day to time this loop again (And again, WHAT WAS I THINKING?  The story of my life.  LOL).

If you know Aliso/Wood, this is my 9.5 mile loop:  Enter the canyon via Canyon Vistas Park, run down Wood Canyon to the very end, passing Meadows along the way, then turning around and running back to Meadows up to the ridge, exiting the park to run the roads and re-entering the park at Alta Laguna where I run West Ridge’s rolling hills to Cholla, a nice downhill which leads to a climb back out through Canyon Vistas.  It’s a tough run for me, but it’s no mountain run.  Running it fast of course, makes it even tougher.  (I should note that I never pause or stop my garmin, even if I make a pit stop, take a picture or take something out of my pack, the reason being that in races, they don’t stop the clock when I do these things.)

I kicked it in through most of Wood Canyon, clicking my camera here and there without stopping.  I slowed a bit entering Meadows so that I could re-coop.  Then I pushed it up that horrible climb in the sun.  Yesterday that climb wasn’t so horrible.  And I even ran it three times.  But today, after running Wood Canyon at a 10k pace, Meadows about did me in.

By the time I climbed out of Meadows and made my way back into the park for a rolling hill run, I was darn near about to quit.  I really could have plopped myself down in the dirt and cuddled up into a ball for a nice nap.  But I just couldn’t quit.  Why?  Because I told myself that I was doing this!

I made it to the top of Meadows in 1:03, which I BELIEVE, is one minute slower than my record.  But then, I set foot on West Ridge about 5 or 6 minutes slower than my record, and proceeded to lose time after that.  As it ended, I finished this loop in 2:09, wanting to quit even up until the last quarter mile.  Though I was miserable for practically this entire run, I felt dang good and happy for the drive home.  Maybe, just maybe, I’ll do one or two more timed loops over the next 3 weeks.

Fresh & clean as I began this run into Wood Canyon:

Creek Crossing on Wood Canyon Trail:

A sweaty dog (me) as I stopped quickly to pose this picture before conquering Meadows:

Crossing over Meadows the land of the beautiful, to Meadows the land of evil trolls:

Running up Meadows (no the camera is not slanted, the ground is):

More of Meadows:

Running down Cholla Trail:

The end (& that’s quite ENOUGH of that!):

Elevation Profile:

GOAL!

We had a break in the rain today and my local trains opened up here in the coastal hills of Southern California.  Oddly, I decided on my timed loop.  This loop in Aliso/Wood Canyons:

I didn’t feel like running a time looped, besides the fact that I was a little paranoid about rattlers.  If you’ve been following, you might recall that my goal is to run this loop in two hours (also that I had a rattler encounter my last timed loop.)  My best time has been two hours, two minutes.  I made that time once.

I always felt in order to make 2 hours, I had to run to the top of Meadows (5 mile mark) in 1 hour.  Today, I made it in the same ole’ time 1:03.  With just one negative self-talk incident (I thought “I can’t” only once) I decided to attempt make-up time running the ridge through the neighborhoods at Top of the World.  I felt I could do it since it’s relatively “easy” running (compared to the trails I’ve been racing in 2011).

Top of Meadows

I made West Ridge with 35 minutes to spare (pretty good, but not the best I’ve done).  Then as I started running West Ridge (pictured below), I saw a runner that I usually see on the trails in this park.   I caught up with her, then on the downhill, flew past her.  I thought she was long gone, when on the next uphill, she was at my heels.  What the heck!

If I didn’t know better, she didn’t like me catching her and passing so quickly on the downhill.  I left her in the dust again on the next downhill.  Then wouldn’t you know it!  As I topped the next hill SHE PASSED ME.  Well, IT. WAS. ON. 

Neither of us spoke, as we raced along West Ridge.  We actually ran side-by-side quite a few times.  Other times we ran single-file just a few feet separating us.  I’d pass her on the downhills.  She’d catch me on the uphills.  She got out a good distance at one point.  But at the end, when we parted ways (she continued on West Ridge, I ran down Cholla).  She was just a few feet in front.

I glanced at the garmin as I rounded the corner onto Cholla Trail.  NINE minutes.  I had nine minutes to make it to the finish line.  I had a chance, though slight it might have been.  Utterly fatigued, I took very small, quick steps as I sped down Cholla.  Rounding the next corner onto Wood Canyon, the rest of the trip was uphill.  I had five minutes.  And I wanted to collapse.  I could not let this chance pass.  I had to try.  I actually hiked, fast hiked a small portion of the uphill, and with two minutes to spare, I sprinted in.

Goal!  I made it.  I ran my loop in two hours.  It seemed like the world was spinning a little, and I wanted to vomit.  I stopped for a second, only to catch my breath, then turned the corner and walked a bit for a cool down. 

Thank you un-named runner.  You don’t know how much you helped me today.

After Picture (after my cool down and I’m still red-faced)

Last Run Before The BIG Run

Weather and weather reports have messed with my running schedule.  As such I haven’t run since last Thursday.  I’ve been cross training at the gym, continuing with strengthening.  But will it be enough to endure nearly 32 miles and 6,000 ft elevation gain this weekend?  I don’t know.  To tell you the truth, I don’t really care.  What I mean is, I’ve been working at getting stronger.  I don’t have all the time in the world to do it.  With 3 boys, a husband and a job, I’ve almost done the best I can.  Best of all, I’ve done it uninjured! 

Thus, I decided to run my 9.5 mile timed-loop as my last run before the BIG run.  The wind blew nice and cool, perfect running weather.  And even though my shoe (left shoe!) I again tied too tightly, I didn’t stop to re-tie. 

Applying the same rules running up Meadows Trail (don’t look forward, don’t look back, stay in the moment), I didn’t feel as anxious about the climb.  But I didn’t make it to the top of Meadows any faster.  I must say that the breeze running up that thing was heaven sent.  I also recovered pretty quickly.  But soon after, I began to peter-out and began to doubt my ability to pick up speed later.  I shouldn’t doubt, because after bringing the pace down on the climb up to Top of the World, I was back again.

But then, while running through Top of the World, my head started pounding.  I thought perhaps I was dehydrated, so I drank up, concentrating on my breathing as I tried to pick up my speed.  At one point, gardeners had their appliances scattered about the sidewalk.  Advancing, I calculated adding more seconds to my run by running out into the street, around the cars then back onto the sidewalk.  I declined those few seconds and ran right through the strewn about equipment, leaping over weed whackers and such.  One of the gardeners looked at me like I was crazy.  I was.  I mean, I am.

The headache did not cease even with an increase of liquids, so I took two ibuprofen on the run.  Then some time on West Ridge Trail, I either forgot about the headache, or it went away.  When I rounded Cholla Trail 6 minutes to spare before two hours, I knew in my heart chances were slim that I would break my record, much less make my record.  I changed my strategy running down Cholla Trail.  Rather than just powering down it with long strides, leaping from side to side at times, I took tiny steps, extremely fast tiny steps.  I made it to the bottom of Cholla in a little over two minutes!!

I crossed the finish line at 2:04:18, not exactly happy, but certainly not disappointed.  No matter what, it’s still quite a ride!

Before                                                    After

Running the Ridge after Meadows on my way to Top of the World

+1,351 / –1,357

Round Two: 2:02!!

With rain in the forecast for the next three days, I decided to go for round two on my timed loop this week.  I felt good, but slightly slower running through Wood Canyon. (And I had to stop and retie my shoe again – for some reason, I keep tying the left shoe too tight!).  Even so, I ran to the end of wood canyon about a minute faster than usual.

I had some strict rules today running up Meadows Trail.  1)  Don’t look back, 2) Don’t look at the top and 3) Stay in the exact moment of my step, just look to my feet.  I didn’t make up these rules, my running friend, Tom, told me about rules 2 & 3 long ago.  The rules helped out for a good portion of that steep switch-back someone thought they’d misleadingly name Meadows Trail  (sure you run through a meadow – but most of the trail is up, up, up).  Let me tell you, I found it quite difficult to follow the rules.  I felt like Lot’s wife, so, so tempted to look back on Sodom and Gomorrah.  She looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.  I stopped myself several times from looking back and was only crusted with salt.

Overall, Meadows wiped me out!  Still, I made it to the top in 1:03 (a minute faster than yesterday).  Also different from yesterday, I seemed to recuperate faster after Meadows.  And therefore, I picked up my pace some running through the neighborhoods.  I entered Aliso/Wood Canyons Park again a whole four minutes faster than usual.  That nearly made me giddy.  (I didn’t want to get too giddy, because that’s when I fall.)

At top of Meadows Trail, running the ridgeline overlooking Pacific Ocean (& Laguna Beach)

When I hit West Ridge, as already mentioned, a whole four minutes early, I blasted down the hill, and I pushed the uphills hard.  I held onto a tiny bit of hope that I could make two hours, and even a little more hope that I could at least beat yesterday’s time. 

I rounded the corner onto Cholla Trail with 8 minutes to spare before the two hour mark.  Man!  So close! 

“I’ll never . . . “ I thought to myself.  I was going to think “I’ll never do it!”  But I screamed inside my head, “Stop!  DON’T EVEN THINK IT.”  And I ran.  I ran right into a camera crew setting up their big flash screens amongst a cluster of pretty mountain bikers in brand new clothes.  I could have sworn one of the photographers took a picture of me (If so,  really wouldn’t want to see that picture).  Anyway, I literally plowed through the group, smiling of course, sweat pouring off my visor. 

Whew!  What a run!  What a ride. 

I made my best time since I began timing this loop:  2 hours 2 minutes (see below for complete times including seconds for this exhilarating 9.5 mile loop.)

I finally remembered to take an “After” photograph

The Loop (yesterday’s post has an elevation profile if you are so inclined)

I do not start or stop the garmin until I cross this line.

My times for this 9.5 loop (Canyon Vistas Park, Wood Canyon to the end, backtrack to Meadows, across Top of the World, through Alta Laguna Park, up and down West Ridge, down Cholla and back up through Canyon Vistas):

12/3/10    2:24:35

12/9/10    2:12:08

1/26/11    2:13:04

2/2/11      2:11:17

2/10/11    2:04:48

2/23/11    2:05:39

2/24/11    2:02:47 – almost, almost there!

2:05

Time for another timed loop of this:

Goal:  2 hours.  Best Time: 2:04

Rain lightly fell as I ran down Wood Canyon.  I don’t know if that was to my advantage or disadvantage.  I dressed warmly (though wore shorts), so the rain kept me cool.  My goal (besides the two hour thingy) was to not think, just remain in the present and to make the top of Meadows Trail in 1 hour (about five mile mark). 

Well, I did pretty good on the not thinking part, and I did pretty well at pushing myself to run faster through Wood Canyon.  Running Meadows was tough, tough, tough.  Though the trail starts off relatively flat, I began stressing over the upcoming climb.  And then I saw this:

A Blue Heron (much prettier and seemingly closer in real life)

Ends up I made the top of Meadows Trail in 1 hour 3 minutes (a minute better than last time).  But let me tell you!  I was spent.  I really wanted to quit this game today.  Thing was, I was 4.5 miles away from the car.  I had to get back somehow.

Time for a Nap

I told myself to take it down a notch until I arrived to the Top of The World neighborhoods, then pick it up.  I was drop-dead tired, and found it very difficult to push myself.  But when I finally reached West Ridge Trail (homeward bound!), I gained some new legs after realizing that I still had time to make my record.

I flew on the downhills on West Ridge and ran as hard as I could on the uphills.  I did my best time on the flats though, surprisingly.  I found myself yearning for flat trail. 

I did not beat my time, ending up with 2 hours 5 minutes.  But I was thrilled anyway.  Thrilled that I came in so close to my best time when I was so dog-gone tired.  Thrilled that I was able to push myself when no one else was around.

Another day!

Miles logged:  9.50

So, SO, SO, SO Close (but yet so far)

Today I ran my 9.5 mile timed loop.  The race against myself.  To recap:  this is the loop --

To additionally recap, my goal is two hours.  My best time before today was 2 hours 11 minutes.  In order to make goal, I figure I gotta make it to the top of Meadows Trail in ONE hour.  That’s at about the 5 mile mark on the elevation graph above.   Last week, I made the top of Meadows in 1 hour, 7 minutes.

I wasn’t sure how to improve getting to the top of Meadows.  Do I run like heck to the base, therefore tiring myself beforehand? Or do I conserve energy a bit so that I have more energy running up the beast?

I decided, run my a** off and try to make time on the easy parts.  I will say, that I got off to a slow start.  Needed to make a pit stop.  Then I had to retie both shoes, since I tied them too tight originally. 

I made great time on Wood Canyon.  By the time I reached Meadows’ climb, I was dead-dog-tired, and about a quarter of the way up, I started with that nasty negative talk.  “I’ll never do it!  I can’t, I can’t, I can’t . . . “

With that kind of talk, I’m surprised that I made it to the top of Meadows Trail three minutes faster than last week!

I ran across the Top of the World (most of it paved) a little sluggish, speeding up on the flat and downhill portions.  When I entered the park again at West Ridge Trail, my motto was “Run like the Wind, Bullseye!”

To my utter surprise, I made the outhouse at the bottom of Canyon Vistas Park in two hours!  With one tiny little hill to go, I told myself, just do it in FIVE minutes.  You can do it in FIVE MINUTES!!!  Thing was, I felt like falling flat on my face.  I had really run myself into the ground this time. 

But I was so close to smashing my record by several minutes.  Ends up I made my best time in this race against myself with 2 hours, 4 minutes.  I really couldn’t hope for anything better than a 7 minute improvement from last week.  I’m shocked.

The pressure’s on . . .

Now to spice things up a bit – I had such a blast looking through old team pictures last week, that I thought I’d post another one (30+ years old – not me, the picture, I’m much older)

Another blast from the past.  This is one of the several softball teams that I played for in my youth.  The Flintstones from 1980, the Bobbi Sox league.  I played in two leagues, the other was Little Miss, where we wore those skirt-like shorts and no sliding allowed, stealing home, or even leading-off.  Bobbi Sox was tough – sliding allowed, leading off and stealing home too!  I slid maybe once.  And I don’t recall ever being asked to steal a base (I was too slow : )  My Dad is in the picture too, and I was so, so young, but I’m sure with that youth, I could have never run today’s loop anywhere close to 2 hours 4 minutes!

Thanks for reading.

Timed Loop (beat by ONE minute)

The time had come to get out to Aliso / Wood Canyons for my 9.5 mile timed loop.  It’s my “regular” timed loop (regular, as in this is my 4th time), down Wood Canyon, up Meadows Trail (yikes!), across Top of the World to West Ridge, down Cholla Trail and up through Canyon Vistas Park to my car. 

My first timed loop, (early December) I ran it in 2:24.  The next timed loop brought big improvements with 2:12.  After that, I ran it in 2:13.   And then today finally, I beat my time with 2:11. 

With about 1,400 feet elevation gain, I figure the only way I can make this loop in two hours is to make it to the top of Meadows Trail (Top of the World) in one hour.  I thought I had a chance today.  But with so many of the shrubbery washed away, I wasn’t quite sure where I was in the ascent and ended up topping off Meadows in 1:07 (which isn’t too bad).  That wiped me out so much, that  I lost time later, reaching Cholla trail (my last descent) in 121 minutes – one minute later than last week.  But I made up that minute, plus another crossing the imaginary finish line, my clothing and skin crusted in salt.

I was happy that I came in one minute better than my best.  I would have liked more.  I told my husband, it was kind of like losing 1 pound.  You don’t really know if it’s just water weight.  He responded, “It’s better than gaining one pound.” 

That is true . . . that is true.  If I can beat my time by 1 minute every week.  I’ll have that 2 hour goal in 11 weeks.  I can deal with that.  (Now if I could just drop 1 pound also a week for those 11 weeks) 

Top of Meadows Trail (Top of the World) overlooking Laguna Beach and the Pacific Ocean

Elevation Profile

Meadows always kills me

I’m getting freaked-out reactions when I relay my fall from last Saturday’s race.  In reality, my fall is more bragging material than anything else (a fall with minor injuries is a fun story to tell).  As one blogger commented, “everyone loves a dirty girl.” : )

Before I write about today’s run, I’m here to show you that even a hit to the face can turn out okay.  My eye is hardly bloodshot now, nothing worth a photo.  But I still have a pretty nice bruise from the chin impact.  Face-to-face you can hardly notice the bruise.  I mainly notice the injury, because for the first time, I’ve noticed that when I’m reading or grading papers, I rest my chin on my fist – exactly the spot of impact.

Ready for today’s run, Canyon Vistas Park in background, bruise on chin from last Saturday’s trail race.

A closer, more personal look (gross) it’s kinda yellowish now (doesn’t show so much in picture.)

After taking these pictures, I set off on my timed 9 1/2 mile loop at Aliso/Wood Canyons park.  I hoped to beat 2:12, after two timed runs, my best time.  On the road or a flat trail I can make that time.  (My best half marathon about 2 years ago was 2:15 – that was route 66 in Barstow, and I’m pretty positive I could beat that time if I were to run that same race today).  But on a run that includes Meadows Trail . . . well, that’s a different story.  Meadows always kills me.  And I’m not sure how to handle that.

I took off at a good pace, not “hauling butt” though, down into the park.  I ran Wood Canyon Trail for the first time since the park has re-opened.  I barely recognized it at some parts.  Huge trees were down, laying in the creek.  The bridges going over the creek to Coyote Run and Wood Creek Trails were washed out.  I was curious what that meant for my run later on, because there’s a bridge that I had to cross on Wood Canyon Trail.  If it wasn’t there, I was going to have to get my feet wet.

A new creek crossing on Wood Canyon Trail confused me for a second.  I grew disoriented not realizing at first where I was on a trail that I have run again and again.  So many trees were down that I could see across the creek and most of Coyote Run Trail, which used to be completely hidden from that trail.  But the bridge I needed to cross Wood Creek still stood.  My feet dry, I powered onward. 

A new creek crossing on Wood Canyon Trail

Trees down in Wood Creek (Coyote Run Trail visible on the other side)

I ran all of Wood Canyon Trail feeling good and at a good pace (for me).  The garmin never once told me to speed up : ).  At the end of Wood Canyon, I back-tracked and made my way onto Meadows Trail.  The meadow was green and I bet during the rains it was a swamp.  At the base of the climb, two mountain bikers took off ahead of me, and I thought “Good, I won’t have to worry about them breathing down my back.”

As the climb increased, I came upon four ladies and a teacup pup picnicking in the grass – a lovely picture.  But the girly-girl emerged within and I thought to myself, “Yuk – tics.”  I hate tics.  I think I’ve mentioned before, I’d rather come across a rattler than a tic.  I am serious.  When I see green grass in the wild, I think tics.  Sneaky tics.  They make no warning noises.  They just sneak onto you, latch on and suck blood.  

Sorry, I got off track.  I didn’t get off track on Meadows though.  I stayed on that terribly difficult switchback.  About a quarter of the way up I passed those bikers who were off to the side resting.  They looked at me like I was nuts.  Yes, I am nuts.  But Meadows still kills me.  I’m not sure it ever gets easier.  I told the bikers “The trick is to not look at the top!”  They laughed.  And that strategy worked for a while with me.  But then, especially when I realized there wasn’t a chance I was going to make the top within an hour, I really began to tire.  (I figured if I am going to make this loop in 2 hours, I have to make it to Top of the World within 1 hour.)

Well, that didn’t happen.  But I kept on running.  The sun shined down strong and the wind blew hard as I still had hope of beating 2:12.  I came upon West Ridge Trail with 30 minutes to spare.  I ran West Ridge like the devil, so much so, that by the time I reached the bottom of Cholla Trail I was dead-dog-tired. 

I could have beat 2:12.  That is if I hadn’t hiked that last incline through Canyon Vistas Park.  I reached Canyon Vistas Park in two hours ten minutes with a hill that would probably take me thirty seconds to run if I hadn’t already beat myself into the ground.  Ends up I made it in 2:13.  And I was glad.

Elevation Profile