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.

Seaside Run

We were socked in today in this seaside town. Good thing, because I heard it was hot, hot, hot inland. In our town, it was kinda cold. : )

I took an afternoon run after forcing myself to sleep in. I left the house at 1:30 and ran downtown, having to stop frequently for red lights. I ran by the post office and dropped an envelope in the shoot, and then ran on over to the cliff trail overlooking the marina. The falls which sometimes roar in the wintertime, were bone dry as I ran across the wood plank bridge alongside that cliff. The ocean was a light green, that wonderful, coca-cola bottle green. I ran down the hillside park into the marina, ran out to the cliffs overlooking the tide pools that are so heavily watched by docents nowadays. And then I ran through the crowded wharf and back out to the streets where I hit Highway One and ran it all the way home.

Miles logged this Sunday afternoon: 5.25

Early to Bed, Early to Rise / Emerald Canyon Trail Run

I was on the road under dark skies this morning for a run on a new trail, not actually “new”, but new to me. Not only a new trail, but a new park, again just new to me – Crystal Cove State Park, I’m sure has been around for many years. In fact, I camped at the beach end of it when I was in girl scouts so many years ago.

I met Tom a few minutes before 7:00 AM. One other member, a no-show, we took off about 7:05, on a down hill. That joy was quick to end for a steady climb along Bommer Ridge. The weather was still pleasant, though weather reports promised 90 degrees. I was well prepared with a camelback full of water on my back, and a camera, as well to document the trail.

We took El Moro Ridge to the Old Emerald Falls Trail which was a lovely downhill, cool weathered, single track. And it was pretty much down hill after that til the end of the canyon (or at least as far as we could run). At the bottom of Old Emerald Falls, we came out at Emerald Canyon, which was lush and shaded by giant sycamores and live oaks. The canyon walls were vaguely orangish, at one spot with overhanging outcrops. The sight was gorgeous.

I believe it was around mile four, or around there, that we reached “The Falls.” They were dry, but promised another run, another time, overflowing with water. We ran ahead on past that until the trail ended in Laguna Beach at a chain link fence, perhaps a country club on the other side (I could see tennis courts off in the distance).

At "The Falls"


Dead end past Emerald Falls

On Emerald Canyon (before the climb back up)

Emerald Cyn Trail (Heading back up)

Well, after running down for so long into Emerald Canyon, there was only one way back – and that was UPHILL. Actually, it wasn’t too bad, only a few tough places. Instead of turning off onto the Old Emerald Falls single track, we continued up Emerald Canyon to Bommer Ridge. And continuing on under bright, warm skies, we ended this Saturday morning run with 9.85 miles. I was dang tired.

What to do when rain muddies the trail? Hit the Road.

Rain fell down upon us in sunny California on Tuesday and Wednesday. I didn’t hit the trails on Tuesday, as hoped. Thursday, I thought, Thursday I’ll run trails. (Oh so desperately whispering in my mind : ) But this morning, I didn’t want to make the drive out and back to Aliso and Wood Canyons only to learn that the rangers had closed the park. So, instead I decided to lace up those road shoes and head down Highway One for a run. (I desperately need new road shoes.)

The sky was gray, the breeze cool, but not cold, and the waves were choppy, uneven sets running high up on the beach. Pelicans were off playing or feeding elsewhere; seagulls ruled the skies. I set no plan where to run, or exactly how many miles to run. I was thinking somewhere around ten miles would be nice (that cracks me up -- ten miles! I remember weeping the first time I ran ten miles.). Anyway, last minute, I decided to run through the state beach and campground, and I ran it all the way until the sidewalk ended. I didn’t feel in tip-top shape this morning, but let me tell ya! What a delight it was to get out and run, especially after having missed my regular Tuesday trails.

Tourists have pretty much vanished from these parts. The wharf was empty. Locals walked their dogs, sat at the harbor side coffee house and local breakfast joint. I didn’t have to squeeze through clusters of walkers, nor did I run through puffs of cigarette smoke. Eventually, my headphones died, and I figured it was about time I headed back– I still had laundry and a kitchen to clean, not to mention a soap to watch (which I didn’t really watch), and a class to get ready for.

The “big hill home”, though a challenge, was no problem at all.

Miles logged this Thursday morning: 9.21
Total # number of people I saw running during my beach/harbor side run: 8

Oops Again : )

Okay, so I didn't come in under 25 miles for the week. That cracks me up. Proves that things do change (despite the saying that "nothing changes!"). I remember struggling to get in twenty miles. And now that I've promised myself a "break" for October, the first two weeks I come in over 25 miles. I'm close though. And I am feeling rested, so tempted to put in a twenty-miler, but forcing myself to stay with the "break."

Don't get me wrong -- this is not to say that running has been easy on my "break" month. It's mostly fun and breezy, true. But there's tough parts too -- especially during the warm-up. Warm-ups have always been tough for me, and so have hills (just because they're getting easier, doesn't mean they're easy). It's precisely the difficulty that's got me with this running thing -- whether it's a full-force, hard-driven 35 mile week, or a take-it-easy 15 mile week. I can fail all week long at so many things, fail at keeping the house clean, fail at keeping my patience, fail at eating a healthy diet, fail at NOT procrastinating, etc., etc., etc. And then I run. That's when I don't fail, and I feel a little better. No, A LOT better. I feel better, because it's HARD, and I did it.

Anyway, I went for an 6:30 group run in Wood Canyon this Sunday morning. It was still dark when I arrived. When the sun finally rose above the horizon it never shined through the gray clouds, and it was lovely -- lovely, lovey, lovely. Tom, Sheila and I hit Wood Canyon trail via Canyon Vistas Park and before I knew it, we had reached the turnaround. It was shady and cool, and the perfect way to start the day. The company was wonderful, and the miles flat. Lots of bunnies, no snakes -- who can ask for anything better? To my surprise, the miles totalled 6.9, bringing me to 26.11 for the week. Oops.

Easy Goin'

I aimed for five miles today; mental math indicated if I wanted to do Saturday’s trail run and come in under twenty-five weekly miles, I needed to run less than six today. Why twenty-five miles? Because, I’m cutting back for the entire month of October. I’m takin’ it easy. : )

Readers of this blog may have guessed this about me: I won’t take the time beforehand to measure routes. Instead, I try and guess mileage (& measure them later). Why won’t I take the time to measure beforehand? Because, I don’t have time, or else, I don’t think I have the time. In a nutshell: I’m always in a rush – that is, until I finally hit the pavement or trail – then it’s easy-goin’ for this forty-four-year-old mother of three. I hit the trail or pavement thinking I can “feel” five or ten miles. And it’s kind of a joke really. To date, I haven’t been able to feel any particular distance.

So! I headed down the highway pretty late in the morning, after 9:30, free as a bird – no running belt, no water, no phone even! I did have my ipod which helped me breeze through this short, relatively flat run. I hit the state beach, bikini clad volleyball players spiked the ball in the sand, and surfers in abundance sat on their boards for that long ride in (we’ve got long boarders out our way.) As usual, I ran through the wharf, and after making my way out from behind the restaurants’ backdoor service entrances, I was caught by surprise. There before me, out in the mouth of the harbor, hundreds of seabirds, pelicans, seagulls and such flew about in a flurry, diving in the waters, swooping through the air. The scene was breathtaking! Those marvelous pelicans, so giant like they are, amazed me the most. The literally flapped their wings straight into an ocean nose dive. And they didn’t slow down a bit before hitting. Their splashes probably reached three feet.

Passing the spectacle, I ran backwards for a bit to keep on watching, so spectacular was the scene. I continued on to the island and my usual places, up and back the small dock, etc., etc., until I came upon the cliffs that towered above. Tide was high. The tiny beach no more, waves crashed upon the jetty rocks. I turned around at that point, and made my way back home, hoping that I had put in five miles – because it sure didn’t feel like five miles. It was a breeze.

Miles logged this morning: 7.71 Oops. : )