Me and Twin Peaks

The Twin Peaks Ultra is less than one week away.  It’s the same old story with me, except this time much worse.  I am in NO WAY prepared for this event.  My summer training went badly.  To begin, I started off with twenty extra pounds (that’s extra upon extra).  My lofty ideas of trimming down and getting in tip-top shape did not materialize.

Sure I had some terrific times on the trails this summer. But that heat really, really wiped me out.  Right now, I would say that it demoralized me.  Then I had the emergency helicopter incident.  My plantar fasciitis flared up.  And I had to run those rugged, scorching hot trails by myself. 

So, it’s done.  Training’s over.  I can’t prepare myself anymore than I am for Saturday’s race (which may not occur if the federal government does not open).  I assure you that I’m going to drag myself out of bed and get to the start line for a 4:30 AM start, and make my way up and down that mountain.  I’m not even going to try for the 50 miles.  Instead, I’ll take the 50k option at about mile 21.

I’m not even tempted to DNS Twin Peaks, even with the sometimes excruciating pain radiating from my heal.  Fortunately I’ll have a good ten miles without that pain, hopefully more since I’ve been treating the PF at home.

Why not consider a DNS (Did Not Show)?  Because I love Twin Peaks.  I really do.  I now have a short on-going relationship with Twin Peaks that I just don’t want to break.  From the moment of my first experience with this race, I knew that it was something grand – something that I wanted to be a part of, even if it was as a spectator.  Those runners, they were all heroes to me.  And the volunteers, they were like angels.

My first experience with Twin Peaks was in 2010.  I volunteered and worked the Indian Truck Trail aid station.  The experience absolutely blew my mind.  I had never been in the midst of such an event.  Seriously, I thought, that I wouldn’t ever be able to even consider running such a thing.  Still, after Twin Peaks 2010, I wanted more.

In 2011, my friend, Hank, asked me to pace him for Twin Peaks.  I trained on those trails like crazy all summer because I was so afraid to fail him.  I got to run the last twenty miles of the fifty mile course with my friend.  The experience was awe-inspiring.  Still, I knew that I could never attempt such a wondrous thing as Twin Peaks.  I did know that after Twin Peaks 2011, I was not finished with this event!

Finally, in 2012, on a whim, I registered or Twin Peaks.  I had a terrific time training, met new friends.  I developed my first case of Plantar Fasciitis.  Still, I felt pretty strong leading up to Twin Peaks.  I went into the race with the attitude that I was going for the 50 miles; I would not take the 50k option.  It was 50 miles or DNF.  Turned it, it was not my day for the 50 miles, and I relented and opted for the 50k option.  I earned my medal and I met more new friends, one of them, a continued friend, Emmett Rahl.  (Emmett and I would later go on to attempt the Old Goat 50 together).  I think that Twin Peaks 2012 sealed my fate – somehow, someway, I was going to continue to be part of of this crazy thing. 

So, here I am now, 2013, I really had no intentions of running Twin Peaks earlier in the year.  I had just lost too much conditioning to consider it. But then predictably, I could not let it go.  So once again, on a whim, I registered.  And so I wait, my Twin Peaks 2013 story still unwritten.   

Autumn’s Official–Crawdads, Dragonflies & Sparrows

I’ve been icing and taping, rolling and icing my right foot.  Prognosis did not look good last week.  In fact, it appeared pretty grim.  My limp was becoming chronic, and I could not get out of bed in the morning without dragging my aching foot around the house. 

After hitting day 40 of my fitness streak, I took 2 days off and tended to personal business.  I did continue in-home physical therapy and began the first couple days of my new fitness streak at the gym.  Day 3, this morning I woke fully able to walk around the house. 

Time for a run?  I hoped so, because I was gonna run. 

And what a glorious run!  Yup, I was SLOW.  And yup, my foot hurt, but just a tiny bit. 

One of the best parts of today’s nearly 11 miles was climbing Mentally Sensitive.  I didn’t die!  Then I found a secret clubhouse built buried in my regular bushwhacking route off that trail.  It was recently built (dugout), complete with a wooden skateboard to sit upon, nailed to roots growing on top of the dirt. 

Nearing the top of Mentally Sensitive:

Another great part of today’s run was sighting my first crawdad.  No doubt, that’s a crawdad in the picture below – autumn is here!

Then on my final stretch in, I ran amongst dozens and dozens of dragonflies dodging and shooting across my path.  Above them dozens or more of those tiny, delightful sparrows so popular in our parts.  They dashed about the skies just above the dragonflies, quick as hummingbirds.  I looked about in awe, with an urge to yell out to everyone in the park, “Look!  Look at this!!!”  I felt so lucky to be a part of it.

Windy Peak

Red Flag Warning today, which means high fire risk.  This warning means that state parks and (probably) county parks would be closed.  On the other hand, all national parks and forests are closed as well, due to the “Government Shut-Down.”

BUT . . . the gate was open:

The wind blew so strongly, a fine mist of dirt flew through the air.  Branches littered the road as I drove into the canyon.  I thought seriously about not doing this run.  After I witnessed a caravan of cars come into the Holy Jim lot, and twenty or so hikers enthusiastically jump out for a hike up to the peak, I had to give myself a good talking.  I said something to this affect:

If they can do it, YOU can do it.  MAN UP lady.  Since when did you become a sissy?  (ah, since the day I was born).  Whatcha gonna do if it’s windy like this during Twin Peaks, turnaround and drive home????  Now get to it!

And so I ran, headed up Holy Jim Trail.  I passed the group of giddy hikers early on.  They carried horns made from antlers and red colored flags from their church.  Their goal for today was to plant the flags at the peak.  I’m not sure, but some seemed a tad puzzled by my less than enthusiastic attitude about climbing to the peak.

I can not remember one single joyful time climbing to Santiago Peak.  It has ALWAYS been a great struggle.  The peak itself is joyful.  And the run down has been joyful many times.  But those last three miles to Santiago Peak are rather hellish.  You could say that I don’t look forward to them, not one iota.   

This morning, my climb up Holy Jim, even in this wicked wind was delightful.  Protected by trees, the wind hardly affected me.  And the dirt didn’t fly up into my eyes except during exposed portions of Holy Jim.  From behind, I could hear the cheers, laughter and horns blowing from hiking group below.

My beautiful Holy Jim:

The gnats could not fly in this wind, this glorious wind.  And this wind that I feared so much at the beginning of this morning’s run kept me nice and cool.  But then I hit The Main Divide.  I hadn’t heard the hikers or their horns for quite some time.  My strategy for those last 3 miles were:  run when I can, hike when I can’t – but never stop!  And that was just what I did.  The trip wasn’t too terrible, but it was TOUGH. 

I met two hikers coming down from the peak.  As we spoke, they said, “It’s windy up there.  You know, it’s really windy . . .  It’s super windy.”

“Okay, it’s windy,” I laughed to myself and wished them well for the trip down.

Ah . . . did I mention the two hikers said it was windy at the peak?  They told no lie.  They certainly didn’t exaggerate.  The wind blew my cap off my head, it pushed me forward and back.  It was deliriously fun.  I felt like a child again, giggling and playing in the wind.  On my way out, I saw my running friend (an awesome runner, wise and humble), Scott B.  This is the second time semi-recently I’ve seen him on this mountain.  Big coincidence if you ask me.  I run up from the Orange County side, he runs up from the Riverside side.  I’m sure I’ve already mentioned that I love, love, love seeing friends out-of-the-blue in the mountains.

Santiago Peak:

By the time I headed down from Santiago Peak, my heel hurt so badly, I gingerly ran to avoid my heel landing on rocks.  After a mile down, I began coming across some of the church hikers.  With smiles on their faces, they pleaded, “How much longer?”  The group was spread out over the next mile.  Of course they were struggling, who doesn’t struggle going up to Santiago Peak, especially for the first time?  I assured some of the church-goers that shade was close by.  And that soon they’d be over the worst of it.  They certainly weren’t cursing or scowling, like I have been known to do once or twice on this portion (but I wasn’t today )

Anyway, Scott caught up with me pretty quickly.  His speed amazed me as he ran down the rocky terrain on The Main Divide.  We chatted some about Twin Peaks as he walked while I ran (yes, his walking pace kept up with my trot) until we departed at Upper Holy Jim.  I decided early on to take The Main Divide back instead of the more technical Upper Holy Jim.  I didn’t need any accidents, especially with the now excruciating pain radiating from my heel.

When I made it back to (lower) Holy Jim, I came upon 4 or 5 churchgoers who had decided to wait in the shade instead of making the nasty trek up.  I ran down Holy Jim, with an attempt to keep my pace up.  In all though, the wind and the dirt in my eyes, plus the heel pain really wiped me out for today’s run.  Still, I’d do it again (despite the lovely, awful wind and that great struggle to the peak).

Trail Treats

This morning I went for a trail run for the fun of it.  Yes, the fun it of it.  My choices for today were to take in the little treats along nearest trails that I have discovered over the past years.  Without using mental math, I estimated my loop would run between 8 and 10 miles.  I was hoping for ten, but that’s me, I’m a distance and elevation junkie.

I ran down into Wood Canyon, which runs about 3 miles in length.  Along Wood Canyon, there’s several opportunities to run up to the ridge that takes you to Top of the World.  I ran the first opportunity to the ridge, Cholla Trail, a short trail, but a nasty incline.  This way, I was able to run the entire ridge to Top of the World, which is a delightful rolling hill run.

Top of the World is a neighborhood in Laguna Beach that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.  It’s a particular, upper-upper class neighborhood.  But laymen like myself, refer to all the neighborhoods at the top of the ridge as Top of the World, not just that exclusive neighborhood. 

First Photographed Treat / Top of the World:

I turned around at Top of the World and ran back down West Ridge.  Instead of continuing the downhill toward Cholla, I made a right onto Mathis Trail and took it to Car Wreck Trail – a steep, rocky single track leading down into a valley where an old car wreck rests on a slope.  The run is tricky and at times treacherous with jumps steeper than I feel comfortable with.  But I made it through okay.  (At times, I admit that I slowed to a snail’s pace.  Though, I never needed to scoot along on my behind).

2nd Treat / Car Wreck Trail:

Finally, I took a trip onto Dripping Cave Trail, which I haven’t run in ages.  It’s slightly steep at first, but runnable.  After all the climbing though, you arrive to one of the best treats in the park, Dripping Cave (AKA Robber’s Cave).

3rd Treat / Dripping Cave Trail:

Sitting on a bridge along Dripping Cave for the photo op / I’m a dirty, dirty girl (the scar on my right knee I got when I was 6 years old – it’s 42 years old!):

Time is Ticking Away

Day 35 of my fitness streak, I got in a short trail run, a 6.5 mile out-and-back to Top of the World in Laguna Beach.  My heel is only slightly better from plantar fasciitis.  It’s bad when I first wake; I can hardly walk.  But it’s been worse.  There were times last year when I had to fall out of bed and crawl out of the bedroom.  Seriously.  Kind of a funny picture eh?

Well, I taped up my right arch quite well and experienced minimal pain during today’s run.  I tried to pick up my pace on the downhills.  I succeeded, but that’s when I tended to get the heel pain. 

Overall, I had a lovely run.  The weather was cool, the ocean was a deep blue.  It’s really time though to start on heavy rehabilitation for the foot.  Time is ticking away.

An Autumn Run!

I’m fretting only slightly about Twin Peaks, which is about 3 weeks away.  Fortunately, I’m going for the 50k option (not even considering the 50 mile option).  The 50k will still be quite the task for me, but I will have lots and lots of time to get it done.  So I can walk, crawl or scramble and probably still make the trip (hopefully).  Still, I haven’t got in quite the mileage that I’ve wanted over the past months.  In fact, this summer’s training has probably been one of my worst summer trainings.  That’s ironic since I actually looked forward to summer runs this year.  I don’t ever recall looking forward to summer running before.

Thankfully I got in an autumn run today.  And boy, was it GLORIOUS!  I almost thought that it would rain.  I said, “Bring it on!”  But alas, no rain.  Cool breezes blew practically my entire run.  It felt heavenly.  Even as I “ran” up the big climb, Mentally Sensitive (see elevation chart below).

Climbing Mentally Sensitive:

I always wear my hat backward for a reason (in case you’re wondering from the picture above and the countless others).  One reason is that forward, the cap bill traps in the heat around my race.  And I hate that.  More importantly, the cap with bill forward blocks visibility.  I can quickly recall 4 instances when I ran head-on into a branch wearing the bill of my cap forward.  In one case, I hit so hard that I fell back onto the ground and actually worried about my well-being.  In another case, I hit head-on into a branch twice within 5 minutes of each other (different branches of course). 

So, why wear a cap at all?  Because it catches the sweat from my head.  That way I don’t have as much salt running into my eyes (which hurts like heck).  Anyway, back onto the track . . .

Top of Mentally Sensitive:

I decided on a quick run down Rockit Trail, which is rocky, bumpy and great training for my upcoming Calico Run in January which is rocky to the utmost.  From there, I turned off onto Coyote Run for some gorgeous single track stints through forests and more desert-like terrain.  I learned today that Coyote Run is a favorite weekday trail for mountain bikers.  They were ALL courteous and polite, I am glad to report.

In all I ran almost 12.5 miles.  Happily I ran those last miles in with fuel still in the tank.  I didn’t collapse at the truck!

Coyote run Trail: