Short Cut to Top of the World

Friday, July 16, I hit the trails at 4:30PM (way too early – it was hot!). I figured the time of day would be okay since I was putting in a short run. I amusingly imagined that it was be a leisure trip. It was not. It was sweaty, it was hot, and it was hard. But it was lovely as well, and I enjoyed the struggle.

I ran the short version to Top of the World in Laguna Beach (5.10 miles total). By short, I mean I drove practically right up to West Ridge (omitting Cholla Trail entirely). The hills were rolling, and the trails were basically empty along West Ridge, with just a few cyclists, runners and hikers.  Most people venture into the canyons instead of up along the ridgeline during the heat of the day.  The lizards like the ridgeline though – lots of them scurried about the rocks, even little baby ones. I noticed several bunnies as well, and oh yes, plenty of stink bugs sticking their rears up into the air. Other than the creatures, the run was uneventful, which sometimes is a good thing because it means no falls or injuries. Yay! (Thus, for the life of me, I could not think of anything more creative for a title to this blog )

Wood Canyon in the Summertime

So far, I have stuck to my goal to run every other day. (I didn’t post this goal, but decided it last Thursday).  Things sure aren’t the same as they used to be. It’s difficult to get out there and run. It seems the longer I wait in the day, the more difficult it is. But I’m also really digging sleeping in lately (and that’s not really like me). Wednesday, I waited so long that I opted for an evening run, which is a good thing when it concerns trails in the summer (even if they are in the coastal hills). It starts to cool down noticeably around here at about 5:00 PM.

I set out at 5:15 PM into Wood Canyon for what I thought would be a 6 mile run. I didn’t take into account the trip to and from the canyon out of my truck. The run ended up totaling 7.07 miles, which is a-okay, though I do plan on keeping to my plan of taking it slow (that is upping my mileage slowly). 

The weather was warm and slightly humid in Wood Canyon. I felt grateful for the ample shade. An occasional cool breeze came my way as well. The canyon was also full of hikers, runners and cyclists. Often though, I found myself alone on the trail.  Even in the summertime, with all the heat and brown colors, Wood Canyon was beautiful. The climb was just gradual (mainly on the way back), with a gain of only 416 feet. I had a good workout. Wood Canyon is definitely not a place I’d run during a heat wave, but in the evening with fairly mild temperatures, it’s a wonderful summertime run. 

Beach Run with Son

I thought it would be difficult to get out for a run yesterday evening. Difficult because I waited until the last minute to run during daylight, which meant that I was carrying around fatigue baggage brought on by the day. But that all changed when my youngest son asked if he could ride his bike along with me. First time ever!

We put in 5.25 mile together along the coast. He needed to ride slower than usual, and I needed to run faster than normal. He certainly made the drudgery of Monday’s run so much fun. The best part of course was seeing his excitement over absolutely everything. Remember when what seems so mundane now used to be exciting? What a joy.

ps. I have my truck back! Hubby replaced the alternator, then I got some new brakes and other service. I’m back in business. 

Stage Coach / Serrano / Little Sycamore Loop

Saturday, I met my old running mate, Tom Fangrow for a long overdue run. I don’t mean “old” as in age. I mean old, like from a long time ago. I actually ran with Tom on my very first trail run. And he showed me much concerning trails over the proceeding years – I think more than anyone ever has. So, this run came at an excellent time for me – a time when I have have been struggling so much with my running. It was good to get back to basics, taking it easy on some trails that I barely know. It was like old times – Tom showing the way.

We met at the Nix Nature Center in Laguna Beach for trails in Laguna Wilderness – trails that I have not run in about seven years. Funny thing, that run seven years ago I recorded in my first blog post for this blog: https://laurenontherun.blogspot.com/2009/07/bommer-canyon-wilderness-access-day.html. And Tom was there too, along with some other long time running friends.

On Saturday morning, we took Stage Coach Trail out from Nix Nature Center, making our way up to Serrano Ridge. The views were immense, summer-brown, rocky and beautiful. From Serrano Ridge, we caught Little Sycamore, a rocky single-track at first, and took it back down to the center. (There might have been another trail in there, but I can’t tell from the map.)

Excellent run, and I felt good afterward. Best of all, I didn’t fall, and I got to run with an old friend.