Five Oaks Trail

I have a love/hate relationship with hills. I love running them, I hate running them, I love running them, I hate running them. I can narrow it down a bit more: I hate running the first three-quarters of a big hill (mile plus kind of hill), and love the last quarter. And I love, love, love, reaching the top.

So when my doctor asked, "Can you not run any hills until this IT band is cleared up?" I politely responded, "No." It was like OUT OF THE QUESTION. He compromised, "How about train on flat trails for now, races go ahead and do hills." I politely responded again, "No." With a smile on my face of course. And then I got to thinking, maybe I should at least cut down the hills. (It's not like I'm a serious athlete or anything-- I do this for fun!)

Tuesday's Top of the World run therefore, was not to the Top of the World. I don't think Tom believed me when I said that I'd run to the end of Wood Canyon and back with him, a relatively flat run. He said that I didn't say it very assuredly (I'm not sure if he used that word. I'm not sure if that is a word : )

Needless to say, it was a lovely "flat run" along Wood Canyon Trail. I put the quotes around flat because now I call that trail flat. Put me on it before I started trail running, you'd find me blubbering in the dirt, crying, "You call this flat???"

One of my favorite spots on Wood Canyon Trail, where you just might see a deer:

We turned around where Wood Canyon hits Cholla Trail, and I wasn't at all missing climbing up that thing. It was a delight in fact, knowing I was going to turn my back on that hell of a climb, a delight to feel no burning in the hip. Tom probably didn't believe that I really wasn't running to the top until that point when we turned around and headed back.

Being the mileage junkie that I am though (and I have been so low lately), we took a detour up Five Oaks Trail, one of the few that I don't have marked off on the MASTER MAP (a crinkled up map that I keep on the back kitchen counter where I highlight all the trails I've run in Aliso and Wood Canyons. My goal: highlight every inch of trail).

Anyway, what a pleasant surprise Five Oaks is! What started off as a dry, sunny trail, turned into a lovely shady, mainly leaf-littered-single-track. It ran along a dry creek bed, where water obviously spilled over some boulders during the wet season. After climbing up some wood plank steps, out of the shaded grove, we turned around, with the promise, "We'll be back", to conquer the rest of that trail that continued, up, up, up : )

Five Oaks Trail:


Miles logged Tuesday A.M.: 9.66

Serve America Mud Run

I ran my fourth mud run this morning, a five miler, with an aching IT band. Result: I had plenty of fun and remained strong, plus it was for a great cause (the Wounded Warriors and other veterans organizations).

Arriving quite early (7:30), I didn’t realize that my race started at TEN. It was all good though (not “the” IT, but the general it : ), because I had lots of time to roam. The race took place at the old Lion Country Safari grounds, a family attraction from my youth. I remember going to Lion Country Safari at least once as a child (it was a drive-thru attraction, with wild animals roaming about). They’ve kept it much the same, wild, dirt roads, but with some man-made lakes (rather ponds), that I don’t recall. The best thing about arriving so early was that I got to watch the 5k mud run, which was enjoyable indeed. For the first time ever, I got to see the front runners cross the finish line. (I’m usually way too far back in the pack to see that!). There were three of them today, all neck-in-neck, when the lead guy ran off the course, had to turn back and lost his lead! The crowd groaned. A good ten minutes passed before another crossed the finish line, a few minutes later, another after that – all male. And then the first female from the 5k came in, lean and mean, and strong! I snapped a few pictures with my cell phone at the final mud crawl, and stood along the finish shoot clapping as muddy/wet runners came in before I went off to bag check and stretched my IT some more.

Of course, I chose the five mile, instead of the 5 kilometers (mainly because as far as distances go, I usually dislike 5k’s, because it takes me so long to warm-up – in other words, the race is practically over before I’m warm). As a future note, 5k’s for mud runs might be a good idea, especially with an aching hip.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy myself trudging through mud, running up hills, jumping over logs, pulling myself over walls, crawling through sand, jumping haystacks, and more. I’ve got that final mud crawl that all mud runs love to lay on us, down pretty good. It’s the one that we have to slide down into and crawl beneath ropes. Most people do that “army crawl” – not me, I let my body “float” and walk with my hands. Believe me it’s the best way to traverse it. I passed many in those final seconds.

I’d say this was one of the most enjoyable mud runs to date. I came in at little over an hour, passing many along the way. There were no timing chips – but time matters least in this kind of race. To do it is a feat. My accomplishment was that I never stopped, and I ran up every single solitary hill : )

Note to those of you considering one of these crazy races: to do well in a mud run, you don’t have to be a fast runner. You just need to keep a constant pace through all of it, and you need decent upper body strength, and most importantly need to know the best way to conquer the obstacles (that may take a few tries).

I mingled a bit afterwards, then hit the group showers. After changing into dry clothes in a shaded, cold, gender-segregated big tent, I headed back home, happy for a race well done.

Miles logged this morning: 5

Injuries acquired: a left bruised knee, a seam burn on my arm, and an IT band prevented from further healing.

Some scenes from the 5k:











Oh the fun of a mud run!

How Fortunate Am I?

Reading through my last blog, I had to chuckle to myself. I chuckled thinking, how lucky am I that I get this opportunity? What a great adventure running, and then the ultimate, trail running, has been. Sure, I grumble, and I endure injuries (not too many in fact), but I really hope that it comes out in these blogs that I love it!

Sports in my youth was never this much fun -- softball, volleyball, swimming -- I compared myself to others instead of simply comparing myself to myself. I fretted, frowned and didn't enjoy anything but a win. I didn't count the tiny personal wins -- little things like a decent spike, a serve that actually cleared the net, a nicely laid bunt, a perfectly timed flip turn, or a backstroke where I didn't slap the swimmer in the next lane : )

Sure there's people who run better, and faster, and with less injuries -- there's lots of people who are smarter, skinnier and prettier too. But really, Who cares? Another chuckle -- does it take this long to finally realize, "Who Cares?" (I hope that my children learn A LOT sooner : )

I'm middle aged, and I conquer things I didn't even attempt in my twenties. I've worn dresses all of my life, high heels, and lipstick -- hardly ever shorts and dirty ankles (aghast!). Yes, it's true that I still won't wear flip-flops unless my toenails are painted. But now, I hold up a scraped elbow in triumph. And when I apply an ice-pack, I secretly delight.

How lucky am I???

Up Mathis

I headed to the Top of the World solo this morning. After a struggle warm-up, I arrived to the base of the Mathis climb with dread. I thought, "I . . ., I ca, ca, ca . . . I . . ." But I wouldn't allow myself to think it. "Don't think about it," I hollered inside my brain, "just do it." (Hey isn't that a Nike commercial???)

How shall I describe my run up Mathis this morning? Hmmm. It was steep, slow to end, uneven and rocky, so, so difficult. Let me think . . . Hellish comes to mind. (Is that a word?)

Don't think about it, just do it.

The skies were blue, clouds white and wispy, the breeze cool. A blue heron wandered about on Aliso Creek Trail. Picture perfect for a morning run. My body though just wasn't into the difficulty. Fortunately, my mind was. And so I did run up Mathis, and then up Westridge. Finally reaching the Top of the World, I ran into the park, when my boss phoned. That cracks me up still, to get a call on the run, and to answer it! Well, I sat right down in the middle of the sidewalk for a few minutes talking, then rose (like rising from the dead) and ran across the Top of the World neighborhoods to enter the park again for a Meadows run.

Running down Meadows trail was a blast. I ran all the way back to the ranger station, my IT band acting up : ( When it was all over though, I was GLAD, wishing I could do it again soon. Back at home, it was ice on the hip and then a hot shower.

Here's my theory on what's happened here with this injury: 1) extra weight (pounds on the body), and 2) compensating for my toe problem. I tried to change my uphill gait, by implementing a mid-foot strike, even on the steepest parts (to avoid toe running) -- well, I'm pretty sure I started bending at the waist more when I got off my toes -- and tadaa, injury. (When I told my doctor about trying to run hills with a mid-foot strike, he said, "Our bodies aren't meant to do that." I should have listened.)

Needless to say, about a week ago I scratched the "off my toes on steep hills" plan, but the injury hasn't completely healed. Will I ever get it right? I'm 44 years old, a fairly new runner, I don't know what the heck I'm doing!! I never thought that I had to know what I was doing. That's one of the reasons I started running (because it was free and it didn't take much knowledge -- funny, eh? I'm laughin'. Seriously, I am.)

I love it still. And I smiled this morning driving home when I felt the layer of salt crusted across my face -- now that's a tough workout : )

Miles logged this morning: 9.08