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Sunday was my last long run before Bulldog. Of course I opted for the big double loop at Aliso/Woods Canyon Park. And I had the pleasure of company of running friends Tom, Sheila and Marcus for the first loop. The weather was cool. And taking the loop clockwise (meaning running UP Meadows was the perfect thing to get my mind off life for a bit).
6:00 AM, I’m still getting my pack together for the run.
From left to right, Me, Tom, Sheila, Marcus
Top of Meadows, over looking the Pacific Ocean (Laguna Beach)
Good company, good run. We parted ways after the first loop, which is a dang good run (see first half of profile below). And then I headed back up Meadows for loop #2. My hip ached quite a bit, as well as an infected toe (can you believe it!). But I decided to keep on running, taking a short hiking break to eat my snack.
Up Meadows for the Second Time
At the top, I put in a full set of stretches. A husband and wife team hiked down on the asphalt road below with their big curly-haired, giant-poodle-like doggie, when that dog suddenly turned around and ran up to me. He trotted right up and look at me with those big eyes. I petted him as his masters called out. They called and called and the dog didn’t flinch. “You gotta go, doggie,” I said, but he just stayed practically snuggling with me. Finally, the woman came up closer and called for her dog. I told her that my dog had just died and maybe her dog sensed my sadness. She agreed. Her husband hollered from afar “tell her about the book, tell her about the book!” The lady then smiled and said that I should go the library for the book, Dog Heaven – that it’s a kids book, but a very good one.
Okay, I’m way off track here. I continued running, and the next dog I saw, stopped dead in her tracks as her master walked on. The dog just stood there staring at me as I ran by. A realist would say that this is all coincidence, and that I just noticed it Sunday because of my sadness. (But I’m not that much of a realist : )
I continued the rest of the run with a good deal of hip pain. And I ran the remainder of Top of the World pretty mindlessly. That is, I didn’t think about a single thing. I kept my mind utterly BLANK. I simply watched my surroundings. The skies were still cool and gray. I refilled on water at the park and ran down Westridge and Cholla numb to the pain (I admit, I took 2 Motrins at the Top of the World Alta Laguna Park – though I’m not sure they did much good.)
The remaining run through Wood Canyon was shady, cool and beautiful. And then after the foresty park, I began to think about the dog I got to pet at the top. And I started to cry, missing my Daisy. Just then I saw a snake racing across Wood Canyon Trail in the sun. Is it a rattler? I wondered and picked up my pace so that I could get a closer look. But that slithering thing was really booking. I got there just in time to catch a good look. But not fast enough to get out my camera. It was a long as my eight year old son. Most likely, this was the largest rattler I have ever seen on my runs. Its diamonds were golden yellow, and so shiny – a beauty of a snake. I waved over a cyclist to show him the rattler who was now making its way into the brush. I said, Look how thick it is! “Nah, he said, he’s still a juvenile.”
Isn’t it funny that I see what I hope is a rattler in the road, and I literally race to catch up with it! (Don’t worry, I know a little about Rattler behavior, how they strike and to give them their space. : )
Elevation Profile
Miles logged: 20.82
Our dog died yesterday. She was with us for nearly 14 years. She was a member of our family. This is her house. This is her backyard. We all loved her. It will be a while before thinking of her brings mainly smiles. Right now thinking of her only brings tears.
In memory of Daisy Dog, the Miertschins’ best friend: We miss you Daisy. There is a huge void in our lives right now. We expect to hear you walking across the floor. We expect to hear you bark out for your dinner. We love you.
Daisy 
Physical therapy update: First, I don’t think I ever really posted details of the car accident and how I got injured. Father’s Day, I was at a dead stop, and heard the accident happening behind me. I wasn’t sure if we had been hit, because everything happened slow motion and I was confused by the crash sounds. Anyway, I twisted around to my right to check on my boys in the back seat. At that moment we got slammed. It was that twist that did me in. My whole right side was sore pretty much immediately. It seems that the impact realigned my pelvis, where one side was higher than the other. Neck, shoulder and side pain went away in a matter of days. But that lower back, pelvis/hip pain did not. So, back to the update on the physical therapy. When I went in yesterday, my PT said that my pelvis was perfectly straight. How it is that all those stretches, massages and exercises made it straight again, I do not know. So – good news!! (My boys by the way thankfully – no injuries!)
This morning I went for a single loop, clockwise at Aliso Wood Canyons park. That meant running UP Meadows Trail. Tom met me at the ranger station and we ran up Meadows together. It was tough! My hip felt it before we even made the climb (I think it probably wasn’t the best idea to run up Meadows the day after physical therapy).
The sun really shined down on us as made that seemingly never-ending switch-back climb. Arriving at the top we could not even see the Pacific due to thick fog. A rainbow-like arch hovered about the fog and above that, blue skies.
Tom ran back down Meadows Trail for a six mile out and back. I continued onward for a little less than twelve miles. After a short downhill then uphill asphalt run, I hopped onto the trail that runs behind the houses at Top of the World. The trail makes a “V” – first a steep down, then a steep up. Two cyclists made their way down the other end of the “V” as I ran up it. Then suddenly, one of the cyclists ate it. His bike crashed to the rock trail, making such a noise, I thought his bike would be shattered to pieces for sure (but it did not appear so). Even though it wasn’t my accident, it seemed to happen in slow motion, just about fifteen feet away. The poor guy flew to the ground, I gasped, relieved that his face didn’t smash into the rock. He jumped up quickly.
“Oh my gosh!!!” I said. “Are you alright?”
He didn’t answer, he didn’t even look at me. Instead, I could tell he was pissed. I knew that look – it’s how I have felt when I’ve fallen on the trail – like, damn it, I can’t believe I did that!
His friend behind him said, “Seriously, are you ok?” No answer. I continued running on past the two and didn’t say a word further.
I got into my groove as I ran through the neighborhoods, arriving at Westridge a short time later. I felt happy, relieved to have Meadows over with. It was all basically down hill from here (except for minor climbs on Westridge).
About to descend upon Westridge
Westridge, just after passing Mathis
Miles logged this morning: 11.65 Despite my hip, it seemed like a cinch compared to Saturday’s 21 mile run.