It’s Back!

I got my freedom back!  Now I can run anywhere I want to.  My husband fixed my garmin!  Yes, he FIXED it.  He’s talented at repairing gadgets, toys, furniture, appliances, you name it.  He doesn’t think he is, BUT I know he’s a fixer.  When something breaks, I never fret too much because hubby can probably fix it.  (He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s going to fix my dead computer).

All I said was this:  “Honey Will you open it up and look?  If you destroy the garmin, it won’t matter because it’s already dead.”

And thus began the process of getting my Garmin Forerunner 305 back.

He pried it apart with a sharp wood chisel and immediately saw the problem.  On the screen side of the case just under the Forerunner name are 8 contact “fingers” that press against the battery side contacts when the case is closed.  One of those copper “fingers” was broken. 

This is what he did:

1. Cleaned the area around the contact where the “finger” was.

2. Took a small piece of phone wire from inside an old wall jack.  He stripped both ends 1/8”

3. He flattened the wire and wrapped it around a nail, giving the wire a coil so it had the ability to fit into the open corner of the case when closed. 

4. After slipping the wire off the nail, hubby soldered one end of the contact where the finger was.

5. Then he soldered the other end to the corresponding contact on the battery side of the case.  That way, the two parts of the case were like an open clam shall, connected by the wire.

6.  Then he closed up the case, careful to avoid pinching the wire. 

7.  At last, he pushed the power button.  AND IT WORKED!!  AND IT HAS CONTINUED TO WORK.

8.  The last step was to glue it back together.  He tried silicon and strapped bands around the garmin until it dried.  But it came apart easily after that.  So he used super glue, and it held.

There!  Did that make sense?   I could have never done it.  But my talented husband was able to bring back one of the most important objects in my life, the garmin. 

To keep my streak alive, I strapped on the garmin and went for a short run around the neighborhood.  I turned a corner whenever I felt like it, knowing my garmin would measure the distance.  I completed my 8th day of streaking with a 1.7 mile run.

The Great Struggle

On the 7th day of my streak I drove up Ortega Highway, the main road into our local mountains for one of my favorite runs – The Candy Store “Loop.”  It’s a twenty mile route, and though I referred to it as a loop, it’s mostly out-and-back, with just two loops in between.  Basically, it’s 10 miles uphill, 10 miles downhill.

I easily found a profile from my historical stats (see below, since my garmin is broken).   I begin this run in Blue Jay Campground and run back down to the highway, across the street from “The Candy Store.”  Sure there’s some uphills on the way out, and a tiny bit of downhills on the way back.  But it feels like 100% pure uphill for those last ten miles

First things first, I stashed some water off Ortega Highway, at the turnaround point.  I wondered (fleetingly) whether I could pull off today’s run after a relatively tough eleven miles yesterday.  I didn’t dwell too much on my doubt.  That’s how I am.  I just do it, whether I think I can or not. 

The skies were gray, the weather cool and humid.  The ground was rocky, but I can do it now – run that rocky San Juan Trail.  I took the whole trail to Viejo Tie without tripping.  AND, I saw my first tarantula of the year.  This one was a lovely black velvety creature.  I’ve only ever seen brown tarantulas.  As a young girl, I once allowed a ranger in Joshua Tree to put one of these spiders on my arm.  I was the only Girl Scout to volunteer.  The other girls screeched as the tarantula crawled up and down my arm. 

I don’t think I would have let this one crawl along my arm today.  But I was eager to get in close for a good picture:

I felt a bit anxious running without a garmin today.  I should have at least worn a watch.  I had no idea how I was doing for time.  But I felt okay running along San Juan Trail.  From there, I hopped onto the Viejo Tie, a wonderful up and down, single track.  I came upon two trail running acquaintances on the Tie, as they took my route, but in the opposite direction.

Going out – view from San Juan Trail: 

I hit Chiquito Trail in seemingly decent time.  I took Chiquito up until I hit the San Juan Loop.  I felt good, strong in fact on the entire trip out.  I got a bit of rain.  I handled the technical trail with stable feet.  I took San Juan Loop for the climb up into the parking lot.  The climb was tough.  But it was NOTHING compared to what awaited me. 

The Viejo Tie:

Chiquito Trail:

Feeling good on Chiquito:

I could not, and I mean COULD NOT face up to the run back.  It has always been a struggle for me.  I can do it.  But the upcoming struggle produced much unwanted anxiety today.  As I took out my breakfast bar, which I ate on the run, I came up with my plan.  I couldn’t think about what I had to run.  I needed to CONQUER THE GROUND.  That is, continue to get trail behind me.  This mantra, “Conquer the ground,” took away my anxiety as I ran San Juan Loop back to Chiquito. 

San Juan Loop:

I ran much of the uphill, though slowly.  Several times I needed to hike.  I pushed myself off from giant boulders.  I grabbed at branches for support.  I knew as long as I could see the highway, I still had a heck of a long way to run to my next point, Chiquito Falls (which are dry).  Every time I thought that I couldn’t see the highway any longer, I would look behind me or to my left, and sure enough, there was the tiny road, way down there.  It was killing me!!  Finally, I decided I must not look for the road. 

Somewhere on my way to Chiquito Falls, I abruptly stopped.  I don’t recall why.  I just stopped.  A second later, I heard the rattling, and at that moment saw the snake coiling up in the middle of the trail several feet ahead.  I stepped forward for a closer picture.  The snake slithered toward me!  Stepping back, I took my picture further from the poisonous snake.  Then I waited until it calmed down and slithered away.  He rattled during his entire exit.  Well, that added some excitement to my run.  It actually helped take away some of the misery of this great struggle back to my truck.

The Rattler:

FINALLY, I made Chiquito Falls.  “Conquer the ground” wasn’t working for me anymore.  With a few more miles, a few more long miles, I told myself, all you have to do is “Do the time.”  A song by rapper T.I. came to mind where he sings, “Do the time, don’t let the time do you.”  He’s talking about prison time.  But on my run, that line seemed much more apropos to the few miles left on Chiquito.  I had to take the trail, not let it beat me up.  Just “do the time,” and it would eventually be over. 

Some of the boulders that litter Chiquito:

Just do the time.  Just do the time.  “Do the time, don’t let the time do you.”  After about a mile, I made the mistake and began looking forward.  I looked forward to the next point, the Viejo Tie / Chiquito intersection.  I knew I needed to cross over the dry creek bed twice, before I was even anywhere close to the tie.  Even then, it seemed unbearably long to meet up with the Tie.  I hiked often.  I breathed in a gnat through my nose.  Then when I took a deep breath through my mouth, I swallowed one of those dang gnats.  It wasn’t pretty.  No, indeed.  I was no lady.

I continued on with flies buzzing about my ear with a wanting, an unbearable longing for the Viejo Tie.   Finally, through the thick green forest, I saw it – the post!  The post!!!  I flew on past the Viejo Tie/Chiquito post, then hiked the uphill to the next flat.

“Two more deserts, just two more deserts and I reach San Juan Trail.”  Still looking forward (it was just too difficult not to – I was tired, I was hot), I had a lot of uphill before my next destination.  In between me and that spot are two stretches of trail that remind me of the desert.  They are dry.  They are brown.  And they are hot. 

The first desert felt miserably long.  I must have been delirious when I began to wonder if perhaps I had already traveled through the first desert without realizing it.  No such luck. 

Desert #2:

FINALLY, out of the desert, ready to run San Juan Trail back to my truck:

I began to see hikers making their way about on San Juan Trail.  I tripped semi-frequently on the rocks.  And I met a friendly group of teens who told me my pack was unzipped.  As a young girl zipped it up for me, one of the males asked, “Where did you run to?” When I told him “The Candy Store,”  he shook his head.  “The Candy Store???  That’s about ten miles from here!!!” 

To this I groaned, “I know.”  I got a good chuckle out of the teenagers.  My heart did not lighten when they shouted, “You’re almost done!!!”  Though it was great to meet a group of smiling faces.

I COULD NOT stop looking forward.  Just do the time.  Just do the time.  Don’t let the time do you.  But I did let the time do me.  The time chewed me up and spit me out.  I finally made it back to my truck, chaffed, and dirty.  My eyes stung terribly from a dribble of constant sweaty salt.  The best part was, I was finished.  The great struggle was over.  I had done my time.  I did the deed.  The last step was my prize (not to mention the adventure along the way).  And I was glad.  So very, very glad.

Familiar Ground

My husband fixed my camera.  He could not fix my garmin .  I’ve heard runners comment that they feel free when they run without their garmins.  This is not the case with me.  In fact, without my garmin, I feel like my freedom had been taken away.  I couldn’t run any route I wanted. No garmin, no stats.  Therefore, I had to run a route that I had data for.  Why?  Because I am a stats person.  I love my stats.  They are part of who I am.

This morning, I hit some familiar ground and ran a loop that I have run many times.  It goes up Aliso Canyon and hits Mentally Sensitive via Meadows Trail.  The route is a tranquil one, that is until I hit the climb on Mentally sensitive.  Then WHAM.  Today, as usual, the climb in parts was such that it’s difficult to stand upright.  Sooooo fun!

The nice n’ easy part of Mentally Sensitive:

The miserable, yet lovely climb on Mentally Sensitive:

My loop continued on along the ridge where I came to my half-way point at Top of the World.  I stopped for a moment to snap a picture, because I take one or two pictures EVERY SINGLE TIME I reach Top of the World. 

From there, the trails ran pretty much downhill.  I took the ridge (West Ridge) to Mathis.  Mathis is a truck trail, not technical at all, and completely exposed.  Fortunately, I had some cloud cover today.  Still, the weather was a bit humid. 

I crossed Wood Creek on Mathis into Wood Canyon where I ran Wood Canyon Trail back to Aliso Canyon and closed up the loop.  I finished much stronger than I have lately.  And I must say, it was nice not to have a clunky garmin strapped to my wrist.  But I still have my stats:  Miles 10.9, with an elevation gain of 2,297 feet.

Thus concludes day 6 of my streak.

Top of the World:

Creek Crossing on Mathis:

Day Four and Five

Day 4 of my streak:  I ran 6.5 hilly miles in the coastal hills.  I ran them in the afternoon.  It was hot.  But I felt a great deal of gladness in my heart.

Day 5 of my streak:  My camera didn’t work.  My garmin is apparently broken.  I ran 2.25 street miles down to the harbor and back.  The wind blew strong against me.  The weather was cool.  But I didn’t feel so much gladness in my heart.  The thing about running . . . I know it will return.

Keeping the Streak Alive?

Talk about a busy day.  Woke at 5:30AM, did laundry, washed dishes (by hand), did some ab work on the living room floor.  Boy!  That tired me out.  Then I wrote out the list of “To Do’s” for my sons.  I do this every morning.  (Yes, I write out a list of things the boys must do before they play video games – cleaning chores, reading, practicing music, exercising, petting our dog, etc).  Off to work by 8:30, I rushed to put $20 of gasoline in the tank.  That’s not much fuel – not much at all.  But at least I didn’t run out of gas today.

Work was hectic, as usual, as the nature of my job is always “urgent mode.”  My students have deadlines, hard deadlines to finish credits in order to receive diplomas from their high schools.  Almost NONE of my students are in light-hearted moods.  And the countless phone calls that I make are never to give parents good news.  But there are wonderful times (like THREE times today) when a lost sheep comes back into the fold.

 

On the way home from work, I stopped by the market for groceries.  At the house, I was back busily doing laundry.  Why such the rush?  Because today was beach day.  I pretty much promised (though I rarely promise, because I know they are too hard to keep) some hours at the beach this afternoon with my guys.
 

I walked a mile (round trip) to the beach with my family in the late afternoon.  The roads were ridiculously crowded with speeding cars, which made me quite nervous for my boys’ safety.  The best part of the beach was watching the family have fun in the surf.  The second best part was laying back in the sand and having it form to the shape of my body.  I thought to myself, beneath the hot sun, that sand would be the best mattress!

On on uphill walk home, hubby mentioned dinner out at a local diner.  That of course meant only one thing.  I HAD TO get in my minimum 1 mile run as soon as I arrived home.  Well, when I arrived home, the weather was still pretty warm even though the time read 5:00 PM.  Still, I changed my shirt, laced up some running shoes, strapped on my garmin, filled a handheld with water (I was soooo thirsty from the beach) and headed out my front door.

 

And then I did it.  I put in my more than a mile run (1.05 miles) to keep up my 3 day streak.  It was hot, and a bit muggy, but the run was easy-peasy.  I’m glad I fit it in to keep up The Streak,.  Then I went out for a lovely dinner (though hectic and stressful it was – remember, we have 3 boys!) with the family. 

What a Difference a Day Makes

Day Two:  My feet hit pavement this morning before work.  I ran a nice out-and-back along the local beaches.  I felt tired, and a bit draggy.  But I felt good.  I haven’t run a short run in a long time.  Not only was this run short, it was pretty dang flat.  And flat is nice.  It’s okay, I suppose, not to suffer immensely during a multi-hour run.  4.53 miles is A-okay, especially when it’s day two of my running streak.

The weather was cool, yet humid.  Very few runners were out and about.  I noticed many things on this run that I don’t encounter on trails.  To begin, the smells were delicious – the aroma of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and more billowed out from the campgrounds.  A train raced by.  The breeze was cool and not hot.  Countless seagulls scampered for trash strewn about the sand.  And there was lots of trash, let me tell you!  The odd thing was, most of the trash was grouped very closely to trashcans.

What?  This person couldn’t take the extra step?

And this person too?

Day two complete, and I feel good about that.  How odd it is to run without the weight of my pack, and to arrive back at home relatively clean.  (4.53 miles run)