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.  

Beach Loop

With the truck not running yet, and too many days passing after my last run, I ran out the door yesterday (Thursday) for an eight mile about town. I really didn’t wanna do it (with all that cement beneath my feet, and the fact that I might see someone I knew). I had to force myself, but really, I am so fortunate to live and run in such a lovely place as this. I am quite fortunate.

I ran inland for a bit so that I could catch a path down into Monarch Beach. Along the way, I ran past this fountain at one of the resorts in town:

After the majestic fountain, I had some slight uphill running with practically no shade until I finally came upon this path, a bike path back down toward the coast. It was down hill pretty much until I reached the tunnel that I took beneath Highway One, which lead to Monarch Beach.

I ran (and walked some too) along Salt Creek:

Then I ran along The Strands, all of it, because my son and his friends were at the beach somewhere in the crowd (and I didn’t want him seeing me walk on one of my “runs.” ) At the end of The Strands, I took these steps back up to the ridge:

From there I took The Headlands Trail, a short-cut back into town:

This was my view of The Strands and Salt Creek along The Headlands:

Back toward my home, I overlooked the harbor:

And I passed these three painted bulls:

I also found My Little Pony in the street:

And I was dead-dog tired!

A Good Ache

Gosh, I wasn’t really sure if I was ever going to make it back. Life really moves too fast. Feels like I’ve been riding a roller coaster and I haven’t been able to hop off, most notably for time along the trails. I’ve dreamt of the them though, both awake and asleep. And I’ve wrought myself with guilt over not making it out to some trails (go figure! As if they were a person I am neglecting). With school coming to an end into summer break, I had finals and grades to finish, not to mention the end of school activities for my boys, including a multitude of concerts to attend, one of them all the way up in Santa Clara (which is just south of San Francisco.) I also had one job ending (my job of 17 years shutting its doors) and another job beginning. But most importantly, amidst the hectic business of school ending, we received the sad news that my father-in-law died. The day after school ended, we were on a flight out to Texas to be with family. The trip was bitter-sweet, as we do so much miss the family, not to mention the open grasslands and big, huge Texas skies. Then the day we landed back in California, I was off to teach the first day at my new school.

Finally, I thought probably I could get some time to go out and wander. But then, oh, about three days later, my truck broke down. Well, we’re making it with one car for the time being (a big old SUV that I’m not used to driving) until hubby meets his work deadlines so he has time to fix my truck (the alternator we suspect). 

Without a car, there was not much motivation to get out and run, especially since I had been off for so long, and we had edged our way into a heat wave (surprise, surprise – it’s summer!). I really cannot bear the heat anymore, real or imaginary (and there’s been plenty of imaginary). All the while during this hiatus however, I continued working out at the gym, hoping, so hoping, that it would keep me fit enough to wander in the wilderness like I so yearned. I kept imagining, actually wondering, seriously wondering, whether I’d be able to run at all.  Fortunately, this mystery was solved Wednesday afternoon, when I convinced my oldest son to head out to Top of the World with me in the late afternoon. (As you can tell from the picture above, he was noticeably excited about hitting some trails with Mom).

I was seriously shocked that I was able to run along West Ridge to Top of the World. True, I hiked the steeper hills, and I sweated it out big time. Struggling felt good. And thankfully, we had an onshore breeze (which is the breeze coming off the ocean, which equates to a cool breeze). We didn’t do many miles, a little more than five over rolling hills. Five is good for me.  When it was all done, I thought, heck, the time off really didn’t hurt me that much. But it did. The next two days, my quads ached, and I was a little sore all over. But I’d have to say that it was a good ache. I may be aging (more rapidly it seems now) and on the heavy side (much more than I thought I would be), but I can still get out there and put in some time on trails that make me ache some.  And that’s what much of the trails is really about – the struggle and the ache.  Where there is beauty, there is often agony.

 West RidgeI sure missed seeing these guys (The Stink Bug)Looking back go make sure the boy is okay

Dang flash, kept going off – this was the best shot I could get