Running Hills at Aliso/woods

Today's run (Sunday) was a hilly 11 miles at, you guessed it, Aliso Wood Canyons Park.  And I know that I've said this before, but it was GLORIOUS -- the park's filled with spring flowers, friendly people, blue skies.  Plus, I didn't see one Rattler.  Yes!

(For those of you who know the park, this was my out-and-back: Through Canyon Vistas park, up Cholla Trail, Westridge, then down Rock It, Coyote Run to Mathis, then up I went to Westridge all the way to Top of the World -- Return was the reverse.)

With the hip injury gone, I'm working on eliminating leg cramps.  Today's run was an experiment.  I didn't drink electrolytes on the run, only water.  Instead, I drank Pedialyte on the way to the park. Result:  No cramps.  But I usually don't experience cramps on runs of this mileage.  Then again, hills sometimes bring them on.  And today was filled with hills.  Speaking of which, my featured trail of the day is Rock It -- see video (sorry so long) below.

Pretty, pretty spring flowers at Aliso/Wood Cyns Park

FEATURED TRAIL OF THE DAY

Kids Run the O.C.

I just realized that I'm not running up Bulldog again in two weeks.  I'm running up Bulldog in ONE week.    O . . . M . . . G . . .

No time to train today.  This weekend is the OC Marathon.  No; I didn't run the marathon.  But my eight year old ran the "Kids Run the O.C."  And I ran with him -- 1 mile.  It was a blast, festive, a little crazy, overrun with, screaming, lunatic kids (& and don't mean baby goats : )

The idea was, the kids enrolled in a program at their elementary schools where they were to have run the equivilant of 25.2 miles of activities.  Today, they ran the last mile of the "marathon."  I was so proud of my little guy (who has been through a tough, tough time the past couple weeks).  The last quarter mile, even though he was so tired, he ran it on in across the finish line with a tremendous burst of speed.  Way to go my precious baby boy!

Miles logged this morning:  1

Someone Finally Said It

I am reluctant to tell people that I run, because I imagine they look me over and think "you're no runner!"  As if I should care -- I run for many reasons, none of which, so that I can "look" like a runner.

Runners know that runners come in all shapes and sizes.  A lot of non-runners don't seem to think that.  Case in point:  Crazy week, in so many ways, different work schedule, among other personal stresses.  There I was, working a site I've never been to.  I was eating my packed  lunch consisting of an apple, an orange, and a turkey sandwich on whole wheat.  I got to talking to another teacher, and commented how my current schedule was messing up things -- I can't run when I want to.

"Running?"  She looked puzzled.

"Ya, that's my hobby; I like to run long distances -- especially on trails," I said.

"Hmmmm?"  She gave me the once over.  "But you don't . . . [Yes, she actually said this] YOU DON'T LOOK SKINNY."

She wasn't exactly "skinny" either, nor was she slender.  Actually, chunky or plump comes to mind.  Not that I care one bit about her body shape -- I just couldn't believe that someone finally said it. 

"Well, I EAT," I said. 

Heck, she just said something a little stupid.   I thought it was funny nonetheless that someone finally said it.  (And it made me a little self-conscious too, promising to cut the "junk" from my diet.)

Back to running. I'm headed up Bulldog soon for the 3rd time, and as usual this year -- I'm not quite ready. Hills, hills, hills -- that's what I'm concentrating on. So, I hit Cholla Trail running, feeling no anxiety whatsoever as I approached it. And this woman (that is, me -- 45 five years old, with 3 children) who is NOWHERE NEAR skinny, ran up and down Westridge Trail to Top of the World.

Running Wood Cyn Trail toward Cholla -- there was only one single cloud in the sky.

Originally, I planned to make this an out-and-back, about six miles.  But I was having too much, sweaty fun.  And so I ran across the Top of the World, entering Aliso/Woods Canyon Park again about a mile later.  The wind blew rather strong, not terribly, but enough to notice the resistance.  I kept a lookout for Rattlers, saw none.  I felt a little devilish when I warned some out-of-towners I met at Top of the World, "Watch out for Rattle Snakes, they start coming out about spring."   The woman jumped away from the brush and hurried down into the landscaped park at Top of the World. 

The view from the top was unbeatable today.  The ocean was dark blue, speckled with whitecaps -- a sign of the winds' strength.  Pictures can't do the view justice.

I ran down Meadows for a nice size loop for today's run.  I took some video running down Meadows (clips below), but found 1) I haven't figured out how to keep the camera from rocking and 2) Decided I'd rather not fall and didn't film the best parts of the steep, switch-back portion.

In all this run totalled about 9.6 miles.  Time to increase the uphills.

Top of  the World @ Westridge

Running back into Aliso/Woods Cyn Park, approaching Meadows Trail

Heading back down to the Canyon, via Meadows Trail -- Where did those clouds come from?

Meadows Trail caught on video (beware of bumpy ride : )

One Week (Exactly) Hence

Exactly one week has passed since Camp Pendleton's Hard Corps Marathon.  And eventhough I was pretty bad off (cramp-wise), I am way better off (recovery-wise) than my first marathon  (SD Rock N' Roll Marathon).  I haven't looked it up, but if memory serves me correctly, two weeks passed before I fully recovered from my first marathon.  This time, aside from cramping the second day, I felt pretty much recovered right away.

I have been preoccupied with life over the past week; it has tired me so.  Still, I set my alarm for a run this morning, though I would have rather slept in.  Actually, so much as been going on, that though I yearned to run during it all, when it comes right down to it, I would rather lay in bed and zone-out.  Zone-out ALL DAY LONG.

But I'm old enough to know what's better for me -- even if I do have a chorizo burrito dinner. : ) (Bad Girl!)

Goal this morning: Hills. Just 2 short weeks from now, I heading up Bulldog (at Malibu Creek Park), and having lost a lot of my hill training during physical therapy, I figured today was a good day for hills. I couldn't make the trails though (not enough time with the stuff going on 'round here), so I ran out my front door, first on a down hill to the highway, which I took down even further for a nice flat run on Del Obispo. I forgot to focus on form, and I forgot my mantra, which probably explains why I never really got out of my slump.

I'm not talking about a terrible slump. It's just that, the euphoria never hit. Then again, I kept the mileage on the low side.

After running the flat portion, I began my climb up Stonehill. Waving at a neighbor who seemed to be shocked at seeing me running up this hill at 7:30 in the morning, I turned left on Selva to run a steady climb, for a good two-thirds of the entire length of Selva. Reaching the high point of the city, I barely noticed the Pacific Ocean (it was a gray day), instead focusing on the music of my ipod.

My mood began to lift some when I finally reached the stairway leading down to The Strands (a small beach that's usually pretty empty). My mood didn't lift because it was empty, but because it was like meeting an old friend.  I love The Strands. 

Running on down to The Strands

The Rock Stacker at it again


Quick Stop at the cliffs to greet my friends

Not much hills to run on the sand.  I ran The Stands (there and back), Salt Creek and Monarch Beach, then began my ascent up the windy trail toward the highway.  I ran under the highway, then up the staircase to the apartments my husband and I lived in for nearly ten years (before the children).  From there I ran up Stonehill, a pretty good climb that I would have never dreamt of running twenty years ago when we lived there. 

The morning was still young when I arrived home, happy to see all my boys awake, eating breakfast and not yet raising havoc.   Miles logged this morning:  8.2