Double Loop Zombie Run

Waking at 5AM, I hoped to hit the dirt at 6AM.  I drank 2 cups of coffee with sugar substitute and sugar free vanilla creamer.  I put the Glide on thick, slipped on a running shirt with no side seams.  After lathering on the sunscreen, I took my pack which I put together last night and added a baggie of ice with a hankie.  Other things in my pack: 65 fluid ounces of water with 3 Nuun tablets dissolved,  a tube of Nuun tables, salt tablets, ibuprofen, antihistamines (in case of wasp or bee sting), lip balms (2), gels (5), Clifff bar (1), band aids (several), cleansing wipes (for possible wounds), camera, cell phone, a brand new hat, a cross crocheted by my father’s Aunt Consuelo (now deceased), car keys, a thermometer, sunglasses, coconut water, ipod and headphones.  Needless to say, the pack was a little heavy (as usual).

The sun showed its face nowhere when I finally hit the trails at 6:40AM.    I ran through the misty canyon listening to the sounds of nature, birds, crickets and a breeze breathing through the trees.  Bunnies scrambled about the trail.  Except for nature, I ran completely by myself.

Stream Crossing on Wood Canyon Trail (in the midst of summer, the creek still runs, as do I!)

Running Cave Rock Trail (off of Wood Cyn Trail) – a joyful run in cool mist!

Cave Rock Trail, a delightful trail that I neglected for a couple years – I ran it on my first loop this morning (pre-zombie).

Second Loop – sun out, still energized, I opted for some more climbing, taking Wood Creek Trail, then Coyote Run (below):

My running began to waiver when I hit the Meadows climb for a second time.  That’s when I finally pulled out my ice-cold handkerchief.  I poured the melted ice over my head, well, mainly my neck.  And then I began to really suffer running up Meadows.  I passed no one (bikers and hikers by this time were now out on the trails.)  A mountain biker even passed me on the way up Meadows.  This rarely happens.  I’m not saying that I run Meadows so fast that no bikers can pass me.  But it’s such a tough trail that bikers generally have a tougher time than even I.  They have a harder time, I believe because they have the bike’s extra weight to carry with them..

I reached the top of Meadows still running, but utterly fatigued.  The sun now shining down hard, I benefited from a cool breeze only occasionally.  Soon after reaching the top of Meadows I ran out of all fluids.  And I struggled running the neighborhoods on into Alta Laguna Park (What I refer to as “Top of the World”.)  There I refilled my water, spilled it all over the sidewalk and exclaimed a profanity, then refilled again.  Before running off I drank up heavily at the fountain, and felt nauseated.  With only about 3.5 miles remaining, I couldn’t take in any additional calories and even had to stay away from the fluids (for a good while) for fear of vomiting.

I basically just kind of leaned forward and let momentum take me the remainder of this run.  I ran most hills, but hiked 2 short ones on West Ridge, (unbelievably, still fully coherent with a body temperature less than one degree above normal.)  That doesn’t mean that I felt normal.  The nausea settled, and I ran onward, kind of outside of my body, just moving along, one foot in front of the other.

The sun beat down hard.  I heard a rattler in the brush and didn’t even stop to throw rocks into the bushes to try and locate it.  (That’s usually what I do).  Onward . . . onward.  Got to finish this run.  Hikers were out beneath this sun.  But I only came across one runner and also the martial arts guy, A-Rod.  I smiled, and good-morning’d both of them.  We were all sweating.  But I was a zombie.  Maybe they were also, but I couldn’t tell.

Even running down Cholla (a steep downhill) was not easy.  I tripped twice for no apparent reason, except for the fact that zombies apparently do that since they really have no control of their limbs.  I came sooooo close to eating dirt the second time I tripped.  And I really have to thank core-work for not tasting that dirt.  I was able to pull myself upright as my feet, it seemed in slow motion, slipped from beneath me.    

Not Zombie – Yet!  (but posing like one on Coyote Run Trail during second loop)

Second Time Running Up Meadows Trail.  Not Quite Zombie (but turning!)  Fluids will be gone within a 1/2 mile. (Not to worry, refill in 1 1/2 miles)

Total and COMPLETE Zombie (About 2 miles left!)

I believe I bit off a little too much in the midst of summer today.  On the other hand, I made it.  I survived, without heat exhaustion, without injury.  Still, this is not enough to give me confidence to register for Bulldog 50k.  At the end of today’s run, I was convinced for Bulldog 25k.  My plan after today’s 19 mile run, is to run this same route (the double loop) one more time, and then try a triple loop.  After the triple loop, I will decide.  Meanwhile, the clock is ticking . . .

Miles run today:    19 miles (30.58km)

Elevation Profile: +3,105 ft / – 3083 ft (route:  Canyon View Park, Wood Canyon Trail, Cave Rock Trail, Wood Canyon, Meadows Trail, Ridge to Top of the World, Park Avenue Nature View, West Ridge, Cholla, Wood Canyon, Wood Creek Trail, Wood Canyon, Coyote Run Trail, Wood Canyon, Meadows Trail, Ridge to Top of the World, West Ridge, Cholla, Wood Canyon, Canyon View Park.)

Tagged: Q & A Session

I really don’t feel like I’m an expert at anything.  My spouse and some friends claim that I’m an expert at certain things.  I used to teach at an “Assisted Living” facility, a term we use here for retirement home for elderly people who need assistance with everyday living.  Many of my students didn’t remember two minutes ago, but they remembered the past well.  And this is what they told me:  “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” 

I hope that the saying’s not true.  Or rather, I wish that it wasn’t true.  In college, when I was a lot more naïve, I wanted to be a renaissance man, or rather woman. (The proverb I learned in the assisted living facility certainly crushes that!)

So, why am I writing this?  Because I need an intro to the fact that I’ve been tagged.  Tagged by an excellent runner (& blogger), Johann from Run Tall, Walk Tall.  I’ve been tagged to hold a little Q&A session.  You ask, I answer.  Hopefully, I can answer.  I will do my best.  It doesn’t have to be a technical question, just whatever you have the notion to know about this blogger.  Of course, there’s always the possibility that no one will ask.  And I will miss out on all the fun.   So ask away, and I will answer.  This means that I will be the next to tag someone. So watch out!

I looked forward to reading your questions in the comment section.  Thanks!

The Hills are Alive

The only way right now to get heat training in the coastal hills of The O.C. is to run in the afternoon.  So I hit the dirt at Aliso/Wood Canyons at 3:30 PM today, Sunday.  And it was HOT.

It doesn’t look hot . . .

But it was HOT!  There were lots of runners in these hills.  Streams of bikers flew down hills.  Hikers hiked these hills clothed from head to toe in this weather – lots of them using hiking sticks.  The hills were alive with people, something I rarely see on my morning runs.

This guy is good!  (Cholla Trail)

Though it was hot, I caught a breeze here and there.  And not only that, I could bare the heat!  Sure, this wasn’t Texas heat.  But it was still HOT, and I was not miserable.  I enjoyed my run.   My body temperature never increased more than a half degree.  I don’t want to speak too soon, but I do believe I’m getting my hill training back, and I am getting there with the heat training.  Wonderful.

Top of the World, Pacific Ocean behind me

I needed something a little different running back to the car.  A good 90% of the time I run this park, I run down Cholla.  Today, I decided to run down Lynx Trail, a much neglected trail by myself.  It was rocky, it was hot with very little shade, and it was lovely.

A pose before running down Lynx

Lynx Trail

Ending up run on Wood Canyon Trail

6.34 miles run today (10.20 km)

Group Running

Saturday morning I woke early to join a group run (from OCTR) at El Moro (between Newport Coast and Irvine, overlooking the Pacific Ocean where the waves splash down on the Crystal Cove beaches). 

There were several runners to start as we ran the rolling hills of Bommer Ridge.  Soon we split into distance groups.  I went off with the main group, five runners all female for the planned loop where we ran off onto Moro Ridge then hopped onto the single track Missing Link and then Fence Line back to Bommer Ridge. 

The weather was cool and overcast, the company delightful.  We joked and laughed.  And though I put in 12 miles of some tough hills the day prior, I was able to slowly run up all the hills on this loop.

Back at the trailhead, we chatted and laughed some more.  Then I took off alone down No Name Trail to run approximately 1 1/2 miles more, simply because I like the number 5 better than 3.5 (silly me : ).  I met up with two other runners from the starting group as they made their way into the trailhead. 

Jessica Deline leads the group

Running Missing Link (sorry, I don’t recall names )

Quick self-portrait before heading onto Fence Line Trail

Overlooking the park and the Pacific Ocean

Finishing up Fence Line (one of these days I might remember where I know the front runner in picture from, as her voice was distinctly familiar to me, and we chatted comfortably like we had known each other for a long time).

Miles run Saturday morning:  5.42 (8.72 km)

Elevation Profile:  +604 ft / – 539 ft

California Girl (Ah well, lady)

I’m back.  Back in California, that is.  My home.  Texas was a pleasure.  And there are a lot of wonderful things about the state.  But I am a California girl – born and raised.  This is where I’m gonna stay, even if the economy here wants to push me out. 

I planned on returning to the trails the day after we landed in California.  But surprisingly, with only 2 hours time difference, I had to deal with jet-lag.  That prevented my routine for just a day. This morning, I was pounding the dirt at 6:30 AM. 

Just a couple of observations to jot down about my first run back.  As a special delight, I came upon twelve (12!) bunnies in the first half mile.   Also, I learned that it’s much easier to heat train in really hot weather, as opposed to wearing warmer clothing.  The trails were rather humid this morning.  And I could only take wearing the long sleeves until about 2 miles in.  That’s when I flung off my shirt drenched in sweat and tied it around my waist.  The hills were tough, especially Meadows Trail (the steepest climb on the profile below).  Lastly, so happy I was to run my trails, I snapped, snapped, snapped the camera away.

This is just a little of what I experienced:

Climbing Meadows

Summer bouquet running ridge to Top of the World

The Pacific Ocean in background (a wonderful trail marker if needed)

Posing at Top of the World before running Westridge

Exotic bloom

Climbing Wood Creek Trail (Wood Canyon in background)

Fallen tree on Wood Creek Trail

Wood Creek Trail

Heading back on Wood Canyon Trail

Ferret sticks his head above ground

Miles run this morning:  12.10 (19.47km)

Elevation Profile:  (route:  Aliso Creek Trail, Wood Canyon, Meadows, Top of the World, Park Avenue Nature Trail,  Westridge, Cholla, Wood Canyon, Wood Creek, Wood Canyon, Aliso Creek)

Lake Mineral Wells

Truth is hubby was extremely nervous dropping me off for my trail run in Lake Mineral Wells State Park.  The plan was, my youngest and middle boys, nephew and sister-in-law along with my husband would dig for fossils about ten miles away, and I would meet them later IN Lake Mineral Wells. 

I felt a little insulted by hubby’s worry, I mean, really, Glen Rose was a fluke for me.  But I needed Glen Rose (Dinosaur Valley).  I learned A LOT.  So, while I still cringe a little when I think about Land of the Lost, I know that the experience did me good.  Still, that embarrassment and worry that my husband suddenly seems to posses about me running trails persists.  I imagined while driving into the ranger station at Lake Mineral Wells my photograph hanging on their wall – “Do not let this woman in your park.”

Their map seemed extremely straight forward – lots of equestrian trails, just ONE single track that I would take to some “primitive” campsites. I even stopped and talked to the ranger about the map.  She was a “tough cookie” with straight forward answers. 

Posing for hubby at trailhead

The trails were serene, shady, gorgeous, HOT, and downright humid.  I took the first half-mile of trail giddy, so delighted I was with the rugged terrain.  Boulders covered with greenish lichen littered the trails.  In some cases the boulders were laid out like a staircase. 

Not a half mile in, this supposed ONE-TRAIL single-track system forked!  Okay, okay, I told myself, “Let’s learn where you’re at!”  So I ran one fork down until I came upon a huge boulder in the trail.  I thought that was a good landmark to turnaround and go back to the other fork.  There the trail climbed up rocky terrain to a series of wood signs with arrows!  Glory, glory!  You can be sure that’s the trail I ran. 

Soon the arrows ended and a web of trails began to branch off of the supposed ONE trail.  You can imagine my thoughts.  I took care to realize my every surroundings.  I memorized my footprint, often stomping into the dirt to refresh my memory what it looked like.  And at forks, I marked them with two horizontal branches (small ones that I broke apart) and then one pointing in the direction that I was running.  I studied the map closely before it deteriorated and counted the number of times I should cross an equestrian trail.

I made it to the “primitive campgrounds” after crossing the appropriate number of equestrian trails, feeling very warm.  My temperature was only 1.1 degrees above normal.  I witnessed 2 White-Tail deer run by at surreal speeds, amazed that they didn’t smack into a tree.  I also crossed two bridges over dry creeks and did not see a single camper in this wilderness campground.  (Though on the way in, I saw a hiker with a hat and towel draped over his head and a backpack on his back).

Crossing bridge into “primitive campground”

I can guess why no one was camped at this “primitive” campground.  It was no where near water, the creeks were dry.  And to hike food, tent, water, etc., would be a terrible burden in this summer heat. 

The campground was a double loop, kind of like rabbit ears.  And at one point on my run out of the campground, I found myself running in an area I didn’t recognize.  Quickly turning around, I fast came upon one of my markers at the side of the trail pointing the direction.  I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN WORKS.

I ran back to the trailhead feeling good about my direction, noticing many of the landmarks I had committed to memory, except for one portion.  This part of the trail had no lake view (which is an awesome direction marker) so I searched the floor for my footprints going in the other direction and quickly found them.  Off in the distance, two more White-Tail deer ran through the forest at crazy speeds.  And off I ran, all the way to the trailhead, where I ran along the road, across the damn and to the “beach” where my family was swimming after fossil digging.  I was so dang hot, I took my shorts off right on the beach and quickly pulled on a pair of “board shorts”.  Yanking off my pack, hat and garmin I swiftly made it across the burning sand into the lake. 

A lovely, successful run.

Miles logged today:  7.10

Elevation Profile: