The Road to Santiago

Most of my runs are good runs.  No; more than that – they are joyful runs.  Sometimes (rarely) I have magical runs that seem effortless.  Sometimes (rarely) I have runs that seem hellish.  Today, day 53 of my running streak was pretty much hellish.  With about 6 miles remaining I wanted more than anything to stop and WALK home.  Or better yet, phone my husband for a ride.  Thing was, there was no way for him to drive a car to me.  And I couldn’t walk because time was fleeting and I needed to pick up our two youngest boys from school.

For today’s run, I set out to explore more of the run for my epic adventure, Tom Fangrow’s “Tides to Towers” Run (a run from Doheny Beach to Santiago Peak).  I went into this morning’s run a little cocky, thinking that two days of short runs would give me enough rest to keep me running strong.  Such is with the sport of running (& all sports, and all things in life in fact), I had another thing coming!

The run began strong as I ran toward Arroyo Trabuco Trail.  Overall, this portion of “Tides to Towers” is not extremely technical terrain, nor is it steep.  It’s a bit more difficult than the first segment which covers Doheny Beach along San Juan Creek to Trabuco Creek.  But overall, today’s run wasn’t any tougher than my normal runs.  In fact, it should have been a lot easier than a typical run on my regular trails.

BUT, this run did cover the out-and-back route that included the Las Flores Trail Marathon that did me in some time ago – the race where I took the coveted DFL, the race that I thought I’d run again some day, merely for vengeance.  LOL.  Not after today! It was about the point that I passed the race’s entrance onto Arroyo Trabuco that I really began to weaken.  Perhaps my fatigue was exasperated by the memory of Las Flores.  Then when I passed the Las Flores’s marathon turnaround point, energy seeped out of me like a leaking tire.  I was pooped!

About a mile in, running adjacent to the golf course headed toward Arroyo Trabuco (& the Crown Valley Parkway underpass):

Posing above golf course, Santiago Peak in distance:

I love this part of the trail, reminds me of being a little girl.  The house I grew up in had this feathery blooming plant in the furthest part of the backyard, growing like a jungle:

Though I’m tiring, the moments I can escape to The Now, I can enjoy beauty like this:

On the way back, I found myself counting creek crossings.  I stared down my garmin.  Actually, I didn’t want to do that, so I wouldn’t allow myself to look at the garmin until at least two songs had fully played on my ipod.  I tripped twice, but thankfully didn’t fall.  Then I tripped and kicked my other leg.  It hurt.  LOL.  I fell into the creek TWICE and got my feet wet.  When I reached the Oso underpass, I whispered, “Thank God.”  Then the run to the Crown Valley underpass seemed like it would never arrive.  When I finally caught its giant pillars in sight, I felt a grand relief. 

I must have covered new ground, haven’t seen this monument before:

Running back:

15.79 miles run on the road to Santiago Peak today (25.41km).  The IT band is acting up just a tad, so I was diligent in my floor exercises and foam rolling this evening. 

Here’s to better runs!! 

“Don’t just do something. Sit there.”

Going about my chores and errands this morning, I didn’t feel “at ease.”  I felt odd because I’m used to running for hours at a time.  I’m not accustomed  to “having” my mornings.  I give my mornings away for solitude, for  joy, and most importantly, for “The Now.”

I played the “minimum card,” for my running streak yesterday, and I knew that I was going to play the “minimum card” today as well.   Why?  I suppose things, running-wise, have been going too good.  A “rest” before I got too tired seemed the right thing to do for my running streak, for myself.  Therefore, this afternoon about 3 PM, I ran out the front door for a hilly 2.77 miles around the neighborhood. 

Have I ever mentioned that I’m not an afternoon runner?  Well, I’m not an afternoon runner – pretty much hate it.  Though, I do enjoy starting my run in the morning and running into the afternoon. 

SO! What I’ve learned these past couple days, in fact over the whole streak, is that it’s good to mix it up.  It’s not only good to run a couple miles instead of twenty, it’s helpful because it changes up my running pace.  I definitely run a different speed when I’m running twenty miles compared to one mile.  The short runs are also helpful because they remind me that it’s OKAY not to go “all out” with the miles. 

Back in the college, I had a wonderful Professor named Dr. Saint Laurent.  I studied modern art in his class.  And this is what he said to us one day about a popular saying that I had heard all of my life:

“Most people say, ‘Don’t just sit there. Do something.’  How about this instead? ‘Don’t just do something. Sit there’.” 

His words about jolted me out of my seat.  I had always been a “Don’t-just-sit-there-do-something-kind-of-girl.”  Dr. Saint Laurent’s concept was practically foreign to me.  Even when I was “sitting there,” I felt like I should be doing something.  And not only should I be doing something, I should be doing it phenomenally.  If I took a test, an A wasn’t even good enough – an A+ was my desire.  If I started a book, I HAD to finish it (even if I HATED it.)  I could not fathom any reason that I couldn’t hit the ball EVERY TIME it crossed the plate.  A sonata on the piano had to be played perfectly.  And if I messed up, I’d stop and start the piece over FROM THE TOP.  Of course, you might understand why I eventually quit piano, quit guitar, quit softball, quit volleyball, etc., etc. 

After graduation, we had the pleasure of receiving my husband’s grandmother’s baby grand piano. (It was built especially for her when she was a young girl).    And it was with this beautiful piano that takes up a quarter of our living room that I learned to play for fun.  Finally, I didn’t even have to finish a piece.  I could play just part of a piece, my favorite part, and then move onto another song and play a section, or the whole thing, whatever I felt like, JUST FOR FUN.  If I messed up, I might stop to work on the measure, or I’d just keep playing.

Similarly, when I enter a race, I have absolutely no chance at winning.  Yet I have fun.  With this now 52 day running streak, I’m coming back to Dr. Saint Laurent’s notion.  Funny, because I didn’t realize that I left it.  But I did, partially anyway.  I’ve been feeling guilty for years for not being successful as a fiction writer, for not knocking on more doors to get published.  As such, I don’t believe I’ve written fiction for more than a year! Funny how this running streak has opened my eyes in aspects other than running.  But back to running, this streak has  taught me pretty much what Dr. Saint Laurent was trying to say way-back-when.  I don’t have to run double digit miles to have a meaningful run.  And who says that it even has to be “meaningful.”  I can have fun running 1 or 2 or 3 miles too, meaningful or not.   

Oh, and one more thing, Happy Birthday Mom!

Good Side/Bad Side

Just a quick note to say that I indeed continued my running streak today.  I hadn’t originally planned on it.  Now, I've decided not to plan on anything with the streak.  I’ll take it day-by-day, as I should with EVERYTHING.

Besides playing the “minimum card,” and running a little over the minimum requirement (1.14 miles total this afternoon), I did get lots of work done around the house.  But dang it!  I forgot to vacuum the living room rug.

On the good side (or rather hilarious side), I was carded today!!  Yup, pushing 50, and I was asked for i.d. when I purchased a bottle of wine at Trader Joe’s.  I immediately phoned my hubby on my way through the parking lot to tell him.  He laughed and laughed and laughed.

On the bad side, my Photoshop class was cancelled tonight.  Not enough students enrolled.

On the good side, hubby cooked dinner tonight – spaghetti and meat sauce. 

On the bad side, I forgot to do weight training today.  And it was even on my list.

But on the good side, we have held onto the house for yet another month.

Wishing you all the best!!

Day 50

Today was the 50th day of my running streak.  Fifty was a big day as far as I was concerned, so I didn’t want to use a “minimum card,” and run a couple miles.  But time was short and gasoline was low.  You see, today was early-out day for my two youngest children, which means they ended school about 2 hours early.  AND it’s late-in day for my oldest, which means that he went to school a WHOLE HOUR LATE. 

There wasn’t a chance in heck that I wasn’t running today.  I packed a rain jacket in my hydration pack because we were supposed to get a downpour.  Actually, I hoped for lots of rain.  I thought that would make day 50 big!  With little time and little gasoline I felt it ideal to leave my truck in the boys’ school lot and run.  I ran out to the bike trail and headed toward Santiago Peak.  I knew that I wasn’t going to get far, but I wanted to see if I could learn something, anything new.  We learn something new every day, right?

The river walk (aka) bike trail where Trabuco Creek meets San Juan Creek:

Though the weather was cold for my parts, and the sky gray, I overheated pretty quickly and had those gloves off in a jiffy.  I was really hoping for rain also, so I could get that rain jacket out of my pack.  It made me feel heavier than usual. 

After running the river walk to its end, I ran through some neighborhoods to pick up the El Camino Real trail that coincidentally runs through El Camino Real Park.    Zig-zagging through the park, I crossed the train tracks to pick up Trabuco Creek Trail.

El Camino Real Park (why did I take a picture here – well, it’s right in front of the restrooms, and since I was already stopped, I thought this was a good time to strike a pose):

I felt good when my feet hit dirt.  Amazingly strong.  I really had no idea that I could run 50 days in a row.  My confidence (in running ONLY) has been lifted.  Then my heart lifted when I came head-on with the creek.  I crossed it gleefully, then ran beneath the train tracks onward to the orange groves.

I found the orange groves so lovely that I had to stop and take another photo.  And here’s what I learned today:  DO NOT sit down in this field – not if you don’t want a thousand microscopic thorns poking in your hands and legs, plus about fifty tinee, tiny green aphids crawling all about your skin (Oops.  I totally forgot to search for tics.  LOL.  These adventures – they are so fun to reminisce about & I just did a quick tic check : )

Stopping to spy on a lady bug before taking off, I brushed off the aphids and did my best to wipe away the stickers.  I was laughing though.  Why?  Because this is me:  The middle-aged woman who runs from her childrens’ school and sits down in a patch of grass to photograph herself without thinking about things like STICKERS and bugs.

So, the rain did fall on my run, but hardly.  I barely even felt the drops.  And it wasn’t nearly enough to take out the rain jacket.  Still I hoped (but to no avail).

Running onward, I made my way beneath the freeways more comfortably this time.  Still, I kept alert, as it is dark, and there’s so many nooks and  crannies (hiding places) beneath Interstate Five. 

Approaching the “Bridge that’s not the answer.”

A little after mile five I turned around and began my run back, but not before seeing a man on his tip-toes looking into the backyard of a house.  That spooked me some.  I of course thought the worst, figuring he was casing the joint for a burglary or something.  By the time I returned, he was gone.  

After running the trails and El Camino Real Park, I decided to make a run through The Los Rios District, which is an historic area in our parts, dating back to the 1800’s.  I love all the colors there, even on this gray day. 

Back at Trabuco Creek:

Cutting through the train station to Los Rios District:

Lots of delightful scenes crossed my eyes during my run through the “district,” but I couldn’t stand around and take pictures all day, like I would wish to.  Here are just a couple:

A lovely run for my 50th day, EVENTHOUGH it didn’t rain.  10.30 miles run this morning (16.58 km).

Sugarloaf Peak

Day 49:  I drove up Ortega Highway to Blue Jay campground for a run with Steve Harvey.  Our mission was to remove the trail markings from Big Baz’s 18k trail race that took place over the weekend.  We took off the bright orange ties from branches, smeared away chalk arrows in the dirt.  Of course, I had lots of fun too.  I rarely run this part of the mountains, basically only during Baz’s races.  The trails are a joy – technical, single-track.  Love it. 

What great fun it was to learn about some of Steve’s ultra running adventures.  The icing on the cake was his guided tour up to Sugarloaf Peak.  I’ve run past this peak in Baz’s races.  I didn’t know that it was THE Sugarloaf Peak.  And I’ve never actually made the rocky climb to the peak.  We could see for miles – miles and miles of lovely solitude.  

Steve taking the lead with sack in hand to hold the collected ties:

The scenery is so different on this part of the mountains with these huge orangish boulders protruding everywhere:

Heading up to Sugarloaf Peak:

View from the Peak:

Another tie to remove:

8.35 miles run (13.44 km):

Carbon Canyon: Telegraph, Four Corners, Bovinian South Ridge, Easy Street Loop

Day 48:  I carpooled with running friend Kelly to meet up with running friends Hank and Judi and a new running friend and fellow blogger, Lisa (Mom to Marathon).

I had no preconceived notions for today’s run.  I looked forward to running new trails and running with friends.  If anything, I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep up.  I was a little tired on my 48th consecutive day of running.  Turns out, Lisa’s on a running streak as well – day 66!  When she told me that she’s aiming for 100, I started thinking, “I might be able to do 100.”  Then I had to shake myself, “Snap out of it Lauren!  You said you would stop Jan. 31.  THEN you said you would stop at day 50!!!” 

From left to right, Me, Judi, Lisa, Kelly (Hank had not showed, so we took off without him, but then I realized that I dropped my camera and had to run back.  Wouldn’t you know it!  Hank had just pulled into the lot as I made my way back to the ladies.  It seemed like fate : )

The trails were lovely, green with lots of shade, and when not shady, we had the comfort of a cool breeze.  Judi did a wonderful job of mapping out a lollipop loop for us.  We ran through Telegraph Canyon up to Four Corners.  That’s right “Four Corners.”  I guess there’s more than one “Four corners” in this state, on this planet.  Comment if you would be so kind, if you have a “Four Corners” on your trails.  I would love to see how many there are.

A quick stop at “Four Corners” before heading upward (Hank, Judi, Kelly, Lisa, me):

From “Four Corners”, we ran Bovinian Delight Trail to South Ridge.  Hank and Kelly took the lead, when suddenly we three ladies saw Hank turn around and run fast back toward Kelly.  Then Kelly turned around to run as well, and yelled to me to get out my knife.  Well, all kinds of things ran through my mind, most of all MOUNTAIN LION.  We hollered out “What is it?”  Kelly pointed, but I wasn’t really focusing on the direction, I was just mentally prepping for the possible scenarios.  I knew that it wasn’t a rattlesnake, because they had by then ran way out of striking distance.  Besides that, I wouldn’t need a knife for a rattlesnake.  Chance were that a bobcat wouldn’t cause them any problems.  And a mountain lion, well, it would have caught up with Hank by then.  Still, mountain lion was all that I could think, so for a split second, I thought that we might have a scenario of 4 ladies attacking a mountain lion as it pounced on our friend.

Turns out, and this is very odd, I’ve only heard of this happening a few times from others, a couple coyotes crossed the road in front of Hank.  Then a 3rd one crossed, a very large one.  But then on his/her crossing the animal actually charged at Hank.  Scary!!  I usually see only scrawny coyotes, but once on one of my solo runs I saw a very large coyote in the mist, and he really spooked me. 

Afterward, we all stood about rapidly and nervously talking about the incident, then went forward on that same trail, fortunately with no encounters.  Lisa laughed and said to Kelly and me, “I can’t believe you carry knives.  Man!  I gotta get me a knife.”  That comment cracked me up.

After all the excitement (more so for Hank and Kelly) we ran on some more for GORGEOUS views.  Then we took Easy Street Trail back down to the canyon.  Though “Easy Street” was easy running because it was downhill, it was not a trail that you’d want to trip on (I don’t mean “trip” as in “trip-out”, but that too.  I mean fall.  A fall would plummet you down a cliff with a possibility of severe injuries).  Oh the exhilarating fun of being a trail runner.  : )

Miles run today:  13.61 (21.90 km):