The Chase

Late this morning I ran The Big Lollipop Loop at Aliso/Wood Canyons.  I have run this route frequently, both clockwise and counterclockwise.  Today I ran clockwise, which gets the toughest part over within 4 miles. 

The weather was breezy and cool, wonderfully so.  I spotted lots of coyote and deer tracks, some snake tracks, and fewer bobcat tracks.  Except for squirrels, bunnies and lizards, I’ve seen very few wildlife lately in the coastal hills.  I’m sure this is due to the fact that the park has been so crowded over summer break.

Running Meadows Trail toward Mentally Sensitive (for a huge climb):

FINALLY peaking Mentally Sensitive, I’m off for some bushwhacking into Moulton Park (a city park along the ridge):

Woo-Wee:

After a long run along the ridge, coming off Cholla Trail to make the turn in this loop (entering Wood Canyon):

I ran past a field with about three miles remaining of this thirteen  mile run and saw my first coyote today.  Normally, I don’t stop for every coyote.  But this one had a particularly beautiful reddish coat.  I stopped across the field from the wild dog and began snapping photos.

There she is (click for a larger view):

Well, this beaut appeared nervous, backing further and further from me.  That’s when I noticed a large doe hiding in the brush behind her.  The doe went unnoticed, still as a statue.  Eventually the coyote turned from me and ran into the bush, straight on into the doe.  It all happened so quickly, I’m amazed how much went through my mind.  It’s times like these, that I don’t think actual words went through my mind, but instead concepts and ideas.  Translated into words, this is what I thought:  What the heck is going to happen?  The coyote is a predator; the doe is not.  But the doe is so much larger.  I imagined the coyote lurching at the deer out of fear and perhaps a brawl ensuing.  But this was not the case.  Instead . . .

The coyote ran straight on into the doe and in one motion turned and ran back out into the open field.  Simultaneously, the deer charged after the coyote, both running at tremendous speeds.  I just clicked my camera as I watched in awe.  Eventually, the coyote escaped into the brush. 

Coyote unknowingly walking up on a doe:

The chase is on (again, click for perhaps a better view):

Well, those last few miles of running were tough.  But the chase provided a great deal of exhilaration and helped push me in to finish up those 13.30 miles.

Great, tiring run.

Today is the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks; tonight I’m finding it difficult to concentrate on writing this entry.  God Bless all the heroes that day, and all the families who were touched by this horrific act.

Drenched

Thank goodness the heat finally broke.  Or so I thought!  I hit the hills about 10AM; I had beautiful cool breezes.  But humidity was high, high, high.  By the time I finished my 6.42 mile hilly run to Top of the World and back, I was drenched in sweat.  Seriously, my hair was as wet as if I had just washed it.    My clothing was sopping.  Awesome.  It was a difficult run.  But someone had to do it. 

A little over a month remains before Twin Peaks Ultra.  I will never be ready.  But such is the story of my life.  I will do the best I can.

Happy running!

Misery Well Worth It

I completed day 12 of my fitness streak (from the Fitness Streakers Facebook group).  Very few of those days have been running because I prefer the air-conditioned gym to the sweltering heat on the trails.  This of course adds to my stress-level because I need to run.  I love trails. 

This morning, I overslept for an early morning mountain run.  I went to church with my family instead.  Afterward, I thought I’d get in some more gym time.  Then I decided, No way!  Suck it up, Lauren.  Get out there and put in some miles in this heat. 

And that is what I did. 

1PM, I ran through Moulton Park in Laguna Beach toward Mentally Sensitive Trail.  I ran down that insanely steep trail into Aliso Viejo.  This took a lot of concentration, else I fall off the edge.  I jumped from side to side of the eroded single track.  Quite often I stepped directly to my side to slow my pace.  This fancy footwork maneuvering the downhill kept my mind off the heat.  When the trail finally leveled out, I ran through a desolate, brown field, in 93 degrees Fahrenheit with 92% humidity. 

Ouch.  

Prepared to descend upon Mentally Sensitive:

Mentally Sensitive levels out:

Aliso and Wood Canyons was practically empty today.  I came upon two hikers in Wood Canyon and two mountain bikers a little later.  The trails were still.  The woods were quiet.  The air was so thick, I had some difficulty breathing.  The only reason I didn’t cut this ten mile loop short by running up any of the drastic hills to the ridge, is because I wanted a more gradual climb.  Gradual of course is relative. 

Wood Canyon:

I ran the ridge alone, and needed to rest two or three times in the shade.  Then I came upon my trail friend A-Rod.  We stopped and chatted for a short bit, as a young man stood to his side.  I was a little delirious I think, because I couldn’t get out the word “humidity.”  I tried three times when A-Rod offered me his inhaler.  I declined, then asked about his friend.  “He’s my son,” said A-Rod.  This shocked the heck out of me.  I looked at his son and almost asked, “What high school do you go to?”  And then, AND THEN, in my heated, misery kind of dumbness, I asked, “Are you a man or a boy?”  I laughed out loud when I said this.  So did A-Rod’s son – “I’m 27,” he said. 

The break, friendly faces, and a good chuckle gave me the strength I needed to continue on up to Top of the World.  Thank God for Top of the World.  I was plumb out of fluids. I refilled my pack and drenched myself down as well.  I took off refreshed for the last 2.5 miles of this run.

As I ran that last mile upon the dry desert-like terrain, a breeze came along. I was completely alone out on the ridge making my way back up to a high point.  All vegetation was chewed to the ground from the goats that occasionally roam there.  My head cover blew in the wind, and out there in the middle of nowhere, I felt like a desert nomad.  I felt tranquil and comforted and thought to myself, all that misery was worth this very moment.

The Adventure:

Spartan Race Give-Away

I have another Spartan race entry to give away.  Leave me a comment.  If you’re the only comment, YOU WIN!!.  If I have more than one comment, I’ll have a drawing, and you could still win.   (The entry is good for 2013/2014 in the continental U.S.)

I’ve finally decided I’m going for it.  I’m going to register for a Spartan Race – it’s a 5k, so I can do the miles  But can I hack the obstacles?  We shall see. 

The big news is that NBC has partnered up with Spartan races.  And so now you’ll be able to see what all the excitement is about.  NBC is televising a Spartan World Championship race at the end of this month.  They will be filming 8 professional athletes and 4 everyday Spartans in Killington Vermont.  (Still time for you to register!) 

500,000 people are expected to run Spartan Race this year.  Looks like I’m going to be one of them! 

Learn more about Spartan Races and how they are becoming quite a phenomenon in this interesting article from Business Week:

Calling on Muddy Spartans to Save Reebok

ps.  Don’t forget to leave me a comment if you want a free race code.

pss. Re-cap to come in December when I run my Spartan Sprint.

Split Shift

I drove to the trailhead under darkness.  The last five miles is off road and took 30 minutes to drive.  I waited for the sky to lighten before venturing out of the truck.  I was ready.  I was ready to run up the mountain.  A ranger drove up just as I made my first steps.  He told me that they had a dozen rescues over the weekend.  I’m so glad one of those wasn’t for me.

A half mile into my run up Holy Jim gnats swarmed my face.  “Embrace the gnats,” I told myself.  That’s what I always tell myself.  And it works. 

Embrace the gnats!

As the forest thickened, the gnats doubled, tripled.  I breathed them up my nose.  They flew into my ears.  And they flew behind my glasses and into my eyes.  I swiped at them just so that I could breathe freely.  Then I changed my plan.  I’d just run up to the top of Holy Jim and come back (as opposed to running to the peak). 

Those tiny flies were relentless!  They followed me even when I ran higher up the trail.  Soon, my ability to embrace the gnats disappeared. 

At about mile two a bee stung my head.  I must have taken off my hat at one point, then put it back on over a bee.  Well, I didn’t know for sure if the sting came from a bee or a hornet.  A bee only stings once, a hornet can sting again and again.  You can understand why I wanted that thing off my head in a hurry.  I tore my hat off and grasped at the flying insect that was tangled in my hair.  I pulled at it again and again until I finally loosened the thing.  And I flung it to the ground.  (I couldn’t find it, but I think it was a bee).  Well, I had enough of this.  I turned around and ran back to the truck for a total of a 4.12 mile run. 

Second Shift

About 3:30 PM I took off in my truck headed for trails in San Juan Capistrano that run alongside Trabuco Creek.  I do believe, can’t be sure, but I’m pretty positive that when I ran this trail last June or July, I said that I would NEVER run this trail in the summer again.

For good reason!  Arroyo Trabuco trail was hot as hell today.

Yay!  Some shade:

Though a tiny portion of the trail looked like this --

Most of the time the trail looked like this --

And most of the time, I looked like this – utterly miserable:

I managed to run 8.28 miles in the afternoon with a split shift total of 12.40 miles.  The best thing about today’s runs was that I was running (oh, and that I didn’t die). Other than that, they pretty much sucked (excuse my language).  I’m ready for summer to end.

Just Maple Springs

I sat in my truck in Silverado Canyon, in the pitch black dark, waiting for the sun to lighten the sky this morning.  I saw a woman hike by with a headlamp and a reflective vest.  Just as the sky lightened, I ventured out of the car and saw a man hiking out from Maple Springs Road.  It’s that hot out here in Southern California.  People are resorting to night hiking.  When I woke at 4AM today, the weather was hot and muggy, and I live at the seashore!  

I took off around 6:15 AM for a run just on Maple Springs road, an out-and-back to a place named “Four Corners,” for fifteen total miles.   Only three miles in, I was dripping sweat down my back.  That’s when two male bikers road up behind me, struggling also with the heat.  They said, “You’re our inspiration.  Can you pull us?”  Not a chance. 

This was one of those “just-put-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other” runs.  Seven and a half miles uphill in this heat was just too much to think about.  If I would have thought about it, I wouldn’t have been able to make the trip.  I took in the awesome scenery, noticed the uncountable deer tracks, and searched the trail for cougar tracks (saw none).  I didn’t see a single other soul for the remainder of my trip up Maple Springs as that hot morning sun bared down upon me.

Maple Springs Road:

Four Corners showed me wonderful views of the San Gabriel Mountains, and on the other side, Orange County and Harding Truck Trail.  I wasn’t going to stick around long for the scenery though.  Four Corners had to be the hot spot of the entire mountain.  Hidden from view, I sat next to the railing as I unpacked some fuel, drank up and refilled my handheld.  The sound of a motorcycle startled me at first – its motor sounded like a large cat purring (ha, ha!).  Well, this guy on the motorcycle raced up Maple Springs and at Four Corners continued up onto a berm and jumped, that is flew high (I mean got some air!) off the end of that thing.  I was amazed.  And impressed.  Too bad I didn’t get a picture. 

Four Corners:

I got little relief for the run back down.  Yes, the trip was downhill, and that was good, but the heat, oh the heat – it slowed my pace more than I realized.  I got some heavenly cloud cover for about a half a mile.  Several motorcyclists rode past me.  Eventually, the two mountain bikers I saw going up raced past me and yelled out “Great job!”  Finally, when I made it to the bottom of the canyon a wonderful cool breeze blew hard into my face.  That lasted for several minutes – enough to get me through those last three miles to my truck. 

Running down Maple Springs:

Maple Springs Road Elevation Profile: