Got Some Catching Up To Do

Day Two of 100 Mile Week Celebration/Challenge: 28.38 Miles Run

Finding places to run is not a problem.  Motivation and energy to run is not (yet) a problem.  Finding time to run is a problem.  At the rate I’m running (I know it’s still early in the week – which for this purpose is Sunday through Saturday), I’m going to need to find time to run more than fourteen miles for each of the remaining days.

Will I have the energy?  I don’t know.  I still need to get all three sons to school with their different start times.  I still have to clean house, do the groceries.  And I still have to work.  Despite this, I got in a lovely 12 mile run through the local beaches, wharf and marina this morning.  The marine layer was thick, the air wet.  I began the run feeling cold, wishing I wore a jacket.  I ended the run perfectly comfortable.  I don’t remember tiring even once.

After picking up the boys from school, I ran off to the post office this afternoon to mail our taxes.  The marine layer had vanished.  The sun seemed to wear me down.  And I definitely grew fatigued during this short 3+ mile late afternoon run.

Miles logged today:  15.11

Kickin’ Off 100 Mile Celebration

Tis’ the the season of Lent in the Christian tradition.  I realize many readers are not Christian, and that many readers are not religious at all.  This is not a religious blog, it is a running blog.  But I cannot write a blog of any sort without mentioning a bit of my life.  I am not a Bible scholar, nor am I a scholar of any sort (though I do know a bit of Russian literature).  Okay, off point!  I am traditional.  And I am religious, though, not nearly as much as I desire.  I come up short in practically every aspect of my life.

Truth.  Sorry.

I know many people who gave up things for lent.  And they succeeded.  Some gave up sugar, others ice cream, or wine.  I, on the other hand, gave up NOTHING.  I’m not sure why.  Perhaps I’m too selfish.  Perhaps I punish myself too often to go ahead and sacrifice something (which is kind of like a punishment).  Instead, I thought that I’d be a good Samaritan, which was the topic of Ash Wednesday’s sermon (Ash Wednesday – the first day of Lent).  Turns out, I cannot claim that I was a good Samaritan .  I hope it was because the opportunity didn’t come up.  Once I gave a handful change to a poor man, embarrassing my son in the process.  Another time I yelled down a bully in my class for picking on another meeker boy.  I certainly didn’t go “above and beyond” for the poor man.  And though my husband said I protected a boy against a bully.  I really didn’t.  The bullying was over when I found out.  Instead, I just lost my cool and let the guy have it by yelling him down, kicking him out of the class (not the program, just the class), then phoning his mother to “gently” let her know.

So . . . I wasn’t really a good Samaritan during this lent season.  And as mentioned above, I didn’t give up a thing.  As time as passed during Lent, I thought about what I could do for this holiest of seasons in my religion.  And I came upon an idea a couple weeks ago.  For “Holy Week”’, I am celebrating.  I am celebrating by attempting to run 100 miles this week (resting on Easter Sunday).  I cannot call this a sacrifice (though it is for my family).  Instead, as I worded a couple sentences back – my 100 mile week is a celebration, beginning with Palm Sunday, today. (Also, I have no idea if I can do this – I have never run 100 miles in a week).

This morning I woke early, dressed in running pants (because I just can’t go to church in shorts), ran a few miles, then attended an inspiring Palm Sunday service.  Among many other items, I packed a small comb to run through my sopping sweaty hair before walking into church.   Afterward, I ran down to the “river walk” (bike path) and did some exploring.

The marine layer lifted a couple miles in, where I promptly ducked into a public restroom to change into shorts.  Then I ran the bike path past the Los Rios Historic District in San Juan Capistrano.  I noticed a sign that read “East Trabuco Creek Trail,” and thought “Ahh ha!  This is the trail I’ve been looking for!”

Well, that trail ended at an immigrant neighborhood.  The very same neighborhood that one of my students (a lovely student, I might add) calls “the ghetto.”  I’ve run it many times before.  And obviously, he has never been to the ghetto.  The apartments are all well groomed, no graffiti in sight, no homeless sleeping on the streets (still, he warned me, never go there at 2AM – Ah, I’m never anywhere but my bed at 2AM : )

The Trabuco Creek Trail signs disappeared and a new sign, the Camino Real Bike Trail signs appeared.  I followed them, until they ended at Camino Capistrano with no directional arrow.  Well, I know which direction Trabuco Creek flows, so I took a left, and ran a gorgeous, breezy and  shady park until I came to a stop light where I turned left toward the creek.  And guess what I found?  A sign that read “Trabuco Creek Trail.”  Gleefully, I ran that trail until I came TO ANOTHER LOCKED GATE and a sign that read “Trail Closed.”

Well, I turned around, and looked for a passage down by the creek and found myself running through thick mud.  That’s when I thought it was a good idea to turn around and look elsewhere.  I never found a route along  or across the creek.  So, I ran back up into downtown San Juan Capistrano, then the Los Rios District, relishing the festive atmosphere.

Below are just a few scenes from this lovely, yet tiring run.  Scroll to the end for my Palm Sunday trivia question if you wish to play.

Miles logged today:  13.27

Approximately 5 miles in, crossing bridge into downtown San Juan Capistrano

River Walk (headed toward Los Rios Historic District)

Giant Sycamore, so old and tired, it has to lay down

Alas!  I have found Trabuco Creek Trail again!

Running through the mud looking for a way through (no luck : (

The church behind the San Juan Capistrano Mission (crowds of people were walking the streets to enter this church)

Waiting to cross at the San Juan Depot into the historic district

An delightful looking shop in the Los Rios Historic District

Homeward bound – coming upon Doheny Beach

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (crowds of people laid down their cloaks and palms).  Jesus did something at a Passover meal that sent heads reeling – he sat in a seat traditionally held for someone else.  Whose seat did he sit in at the Passover meal?  And why was this so significant in the Jewish tradition?

I’ll send a half dozen pure honey gels to the first person who answers this question correctly.  They are delicious.

Palm Sunday’s Elevation Profile

OC CHILI RUN

After a fitful night of sleep – headaches, etc., I woke myself and the entire family early for a rendezvous at O’Neill Regional Park.  I registered for the O.C. Chili Run at special request of our sons who wanted to catch pollywogs in the creek there.

6:30 AM, they weren’t so happy about waking and heading out by 7:00.

Being that I haven’t run this race since 2009, I was excited.  It’s relatively short, but not easy.  And I was hoping to meet See.Kate.Run who also ran the race (I didn’t see her : (

Standing in the bib line on this rather warm morning

Pre-race Hugs

We’re off!

Though I dressed too warmly (long sleeves!) I enjoyed this race.  I got to pass several people in the last couple miles.  That’s always fun (usually it’s people passing me!)  One woman though ran so closely behind me on the downhill single track, I told her twice if she wanted to pass to just holler.  She laughed and said she couldn’t run as fast as me.  Then when we reached the paved road, she said, “You run an excellent pace – thanks for letting me use you as my pacer.”  Then she passed me an I laughed out loud, genuinely happy and replied, “Thanks for beating me!” 

I don’t know if she beat me in the end.  She probably did.  I was just happy to have finished this race strong.  I saw my oldest son first near the finish line.  He ran with me a few steps and happily exclaimed, “If you hurry, you’re gonna make it under a hour!”  I had hoped for a better time, say 48/49 minutes.  My time was 57 minutes.  I’m not used to races of this length – boy do they start off faster than I’m used to.

It’s all fun though.  All fun.

Miles logged today:  4.85

Time to go home

I Believe!

Continuing to work on form, I ran my usual timed loop (elevation profile pictured below.)  But I didn’t race.  Sure, I glanced down at the garmin here and there.  But my objective today was NOT speed.  My objective was form (Chi Running form).  Again,  my focus today was my step (my mantra, I know it’s simple, was “lift, lift, lift, lift, lift as in LIFT MY FOOT – you’d think that would be obvious, but to my body, it’s not). 

I did not run myself into the ground running through Wood Canyon like I usually do when I time this loop.  In fact, I stopped several times in order to check my column.  I must have stopped five times running through the Canyon.

The dilemma today was of course, Meadows Trail – the big, big climb.  I jumped quite ahead in my Chi Running training by taking on Meadows Trail (about miles 3.5 through 5 on chart above).  But I just didn’t want to give up my hill training.  So I read up again on hills in Chi Running before heading out this morning, and gave it a shot.

To begin, I usually run Meadows in its entirety when I race this loop.  But I often run on my toes when it gets really steep.  Today, I NEVER ran on my toes using an interesting technique described in Dreyer’s book.  I even stopped at least three times going up Meadows to re-straighten my column.  And still, after all the stops, and the fact that I wasn’t racing, I made it to the top of meadows in 1:03!!  That’s my usual time when I RACE this loop!  Believe me.  I was quite surprised.

I cannot really say that Meadows Trail was easy today.  I found it difficult to lean into the hill and keep my core engaged.  But I tried, and when I reached the top, I was not drop-dead tired.  I kept on running on to Top of the World.  And when I reached it, I have to say that I kicked butt running across the ridge. 

Me? Kick butt? 

Nah.  But I did run comfortably, with strength, and at a greater speed than usual after running up Meadows Trail.

Running Ridge Toward Top of the World

Looking Back on Meadows Trail

The remainder of today’s run was pretty dang enjoyable.  I stopped a few more times to check my column.  I took the downhills with ease, not having to run them zig-zag in order to keep my speed down.  I actually ran straight down the two steepest portions on West Ridge (I simply changed gears, lowering them by decreasing my lean to keep my downhill speed manageable).  Toward the end however (running down Cholla Trail) proof that I need a stronger core was evident, as I found it extremely difficult to engage my core.  I began using my legs to slow myself down -- boy what a difference!  It is much more strenuous and jarring to slow down using my legs compared to using my core.

Here’s the best part:  I didn’t race, I didn’t run myself into the ground, I stopped several times to check my column and even take photos.  AND GET THIS.  I finished this loop in 2:01.  Only ONE MINUTE slower than my best time – MY BEST TIME where I wanted vomit, when I felt like the earth was spinning (Yah, I know it does spin, but it seemed like I could see the sky moving past me the day I made my best time on this loop). 

After crossing the “finish” line today, I was tired, yes.  But I kept on walking to cool down.  By the time I was stretching, I felt revived.  I am a believer, thanks to Ben Boyd and his clinic.  Though I’ve read Chi Running, I really needed someone to put all the parts together.

Looking forward to even greater adventures!

Miles logged today:  9.5

Working on Form

Today I set off for a run specifically to work on my Chi Running form, oh ya, and to see how my hair cut works with my runs.   (Worked pretty good, short enough that no need today to get it off my neck with pigtails.)

I didn’t work on speed, I didn’t care about cardio.  I didn’t work on elevation today.  Today was sort of a lackadaisical run, sort of, because I had planned my run (which isn’t very lackadaisical), but then changed my mind at the end and took a minor detour.  My goals were to enjoy myself and to focus on form, specifically, my step. 

I ran a relatively flat route, Aliso Creek Trail, which begins paved, and up Wood Canyon.  Giving myself permission to stop and snap photos, I took the opportunity to check my column, making sure that it was straight.

My run was definitely different.  I cannot say that it was effortless.  But I felt stronger.  Much stronger.  And the effort I used to run my usual pace, even slightly faster, seemed less.  Occasionally, effort increased, in other words, I could feel my legs working harder.  I’d check my form while running, and sure enough, my core was not “engaged”, specifically, my pelvis was tilted forward.  Almost miraculously, effort decreased when I fixed that. 

Though I focused on my step, other corrections came to mind, as I noticed them immediately when they’d occur (it’s funny how your body gets used to doing things a certain way, and it wants so much to keep on doing it that way).  For example, my arms – when I kept them bent at less than 90 degrees with the elbows not passing my column, I felt even stronger.  Then every so often, I’d find them just kind of hanging out there, swinging out front.  Correction and strength returned.

At my turnaround, I felt extremely pleased at feeling some progress this early.  To celebrate, I took a little detour for some sight seeing on Cave Rock Trail.  Then I ran back on in to the ranger station feeling as strong as when I first took off.  (A few times back in, I caught myself looking to the ground, which I quickly corrected.) 

I’m going to need to work on this for a long time to get all the “focuses” working together.  I will say that my step much improved with today’s 9.3 miles.  And I’ll repeat, that while the run was not actually easy, it was comfortable, fun and most importantly, I felt strong.

Spring flowers on Wood Canyon Trail

Crossing Creek in Wood Canyon

Crossing over bridge on Wood Canyon Trail

More beauty in wood Canyon

Detour up Cave Rock Trail

Running down The Rock

Rattler crossing as I run final stretch on Aliso Creek Trail

Chi Running Clinic

This morning I did something I’ve been wanting to do for a along time – ever since I first read Danny Dreyer,’s Chi Running.  I didn’t search out this book.  It was actually happenstance that I even saw it.  After my oldest son’s taekwondo lesson, the family walked over to the juice store and while they ordered, I perused the few books on display.  And there I saw one paperback copy on the shelf.  The few words I read standing in the store mentioned running injury free, running effortlessly.

Needless to say, I purchased the book.  And I read it.  This was back before I began trail running.  I conquered, or thought I conquered a few of the “focuses”.  Mainly, what I did was master the mid-foot strike, which is a good thing in itself (especially since I suffer from forefoot/toe problems, even had foot surgery on the left foot).

2010 was a pretty bad year for injuries with me – there was the car accident of course, and lots of running injuries.  As 2011 approached, I said never again, and vowed to conquer the Chi Running method.  (Some personal back story, my father was a baseball and softball coach, not to mention umpire through all my childhood and young adult years.  In the garage, he had a bucket of baseballs.  One of them has written in pen the words, “Never Forget,” which signified a turning point in his coaching years, reminding him of a particularly bad playoff loss.  My Never Again, sort of signifies the same – never again will I run so badly injured, never again will I enter a race so badly trained).  

Anyway, I picked up Chi Running book again several months ago.  But you know how it goes?  Sometimes reading just doesn’t do it.  You have to DO IT.

After a night full of rain, I woke again at 5:30 AM, lounged about and headed out for Mission Bay, San Diego.  The skies were brilliant blue with big puffy clouds.  The weather a bit cool.  I couldn’t have asked for better training weather.

Only one other woman made this class, which made the money, well, well worth it for me.  Four hours with a running coach and only one other runner – I call that a deal!

Our coach, Ben Boyd, took us through every aspect of Chi Running, beginning first with a straight column.  Let me tell you, I felt very dorkish/awkward getting that column straight, so much so, I thought I must have looked like an idiot.  Oddly, when he filmed us standing then running at the end of our session, I was amazed that in my “straight column” form I looked perfectly natural and straight.

I won’t bother you with all the minor details.  The highlights I received from this awesome 4 hour lesson were much more than I can even mention.  Just a few things:

1)  I learned to listen to my step, and found that when I placed my foot back down, I was actually “putting on the breaks,” as I word it.  In other words, I was sliding my foot forward, putting more work on my calves and slowing myself down!

2) I was running a much slower cadence than Chi Running recommends (we wore metronomes in this class set at 85 beats per minutes, which equates to 170 steps per minute), and surprisingly, I felt comfortable increasing my cadence once I got my form down.

3)  Getting my form down WAS NOT EASY.  But I learned a lot to get started and some things to do around the house to simply get my body to memorize the form.

4)  After watching myself on film (IN SLOW MOTION – YIKES), I saw that I continually kept my head down (a trail running habit, but not good form) and also when I made that mid-foot strike, I actually bent my knee down further (adding un-needed work on those quads), sort-of lunging, which is a deficit in running effortlessly.  I should immediately lift that foot back up and forget that slight plunge down. 

5)  Most importantly, I really got to experience the “tilt” and how to “change gears” in order to increase speed.  And though I was no speed demon out there today, I felt firsthand, after practicing for 4 hours, that increasing speed does not require nearly as much effort as it has been with my “current” method.  It’s all a matter of working with gravity and not against it, like I had been all long.

Now, I am not a believer in “quick fixes” and Chi Running is certainly not a “quick fix.”  It is not however, an extremely difficult “fix” to my running form/strategy.  With practice, not only in my running, but with daily practices, I am hopeful that I WILL see results.

Stay tuned . . .