Run for Fun

I don’t usually run two days in a row.  But after Tuesday’s hellish speed work, I decided I needed to do a “real” run.  So I went out to my favorite canyon, which my husband says they’re going to name after me (ha, ha) and ran up Cholla Trail without any trouble at all.  In fact, the entire run up to Top of the World seemed easier than usual.  I even seemed to run at a faster pace (forgot Garmin).  Can that be true?  Can speed work help after only one day???

Miles logged:  7.51

Here’s a bit from my run, The Featured Trail of the Day:  Car Wreck Trail

The Defeatist

With the glutes doing much better, I decided it was time for some speed work.  I should say first off that I am a long runner.  I am not a fast runner.  But with my Calico goals, there’s no way around speed work.  If I’m going to better my time, I’ve got to run faster.  Not faster on the street, not faster on flat trails, faster on rugged terrain, faster on hills. 

I was kind of looking forward to this morning.  I actually thought it might be fun.  My plan was a short run with speed bursts, longish speed bursts (about 1/2) along West Ridge, and overall run those rolling hills faster than I usually do.  And then when I come to the steepest hill (I call it “Good Girls Don’t”), run that short hell climb a few times as fast as I can. 

Getting ready for my “new” training, still thinking it might be fun (wearing full gear, because that’s how I will run Calico)

Well, I hated it.  I HATED IT.  I really cannot stress how difficult this was for me.  I started off strong on mildly rolling hills, about 8 1/4 minute pace.  Strong for about 1 minute!  My breathing quickly felt out of control.  I had to rest at .47 of a mile.  But I kept on going afterwards, bursting up the hills, trying to fly on the down hills.  And then after running up “Good Girls Don’t” three times as fast as I could (I had to stop midpoint all 3 times), I felt like I might vomit. 

On the way back to the car, I ran West Ridge faster than I usually do, but my bursts had slowed quite a bit from my run in.  And I did stop to click one beauty of a picture of the Laguna Coast and the great Pacific.

Overall, this is what I thought at my first attempt at speed work

Elevation Profile:  The 3 spikes around mile 2 is the hill I call “Good Girls Don’t”

Miles logged this morning:  3.94

Get A Grip (in the mud)

After a restless sleep, I did not want to go, I did not want to go.  Rain poured down through the night; I wasn’t even sure if the trails were open.  But I didn’t run yesterday, so I had to go.  I had to.  I’m not going into another trail race untrained. 

It was cold, cold, cold in Aliso Canyon!

 

I saw 2 runners just ahead of me as I set out on Aliso Creek Trail.  And they turned back on the paved portion before I arrived to Wood Canyon.  And then another runner ran past, and she turned back too before I arrived to Wood Canyon.  I worried that the trails were closed up ahead.  But they were open, so I turned onto Wood Canyon Trail, shoving gloves and scarf into my pack.

About 1 1/2 Miles In Layers Start Coming Off

Running Meadows Trail, Headed Toward The BIG Climb

The BIG climb was so dang muddy, I was sliding backward trying to make my way to the top.  I could run very little of the trail, finding opportunities when grass grew along the edges.  I laughed out loud over the fact that it was one step backward for every two steps forward.  It didn’t help any to scrape off the mud.  The next step simply added those couple pounds of mud right back onto my shoes.  One biker behind me turned back to find another route as I grudgingly, yet happily made my way to the top.

No More Layers – I’m Warm!!

Top of Meadows Trail!!

A wonderful cold breeze blew in my face as I ran along Top of the World.  Instead of venturing down West Ridge right away, I headed off onto Park Avenue Nature Trail and took it down, down, down toward the canyon road.  I hoped to find a route over to Laguna Coast so that I can increase the size of my loop in a couple of weeks.  Turns out there’s plenty of routes down and plenty of routes back up to West Ridge Trail.  I took an overgrown single track back up (I love those single tracks!)

Looking across at Laguna Coast and Pacific Ocean

Back On Wood Canyon Via Cholla Trail (How to run this? Gingerly along the grass edges : )

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View of Wood Canyon from Wood Creek Trail

Plenty Of Spider Webs To Run Through On Wood Creek, But Leaf Litter helped To Get A Grip In The Mud

Maiden’s Hair Fern Along Wood Creek Trail

One Of The Hundreds Of Mushrooms Growing In The dense, Shady Portion Of Wood Creek Trail

Elevation Profile:  +1,935 ft.

Miles logged this morning:  12.53

I’m NOT running the Turkey Trot Trail Run

Every year I think might not run the local Turkey Trot.  It has been such a pain for many reasons.  First off, they lost my registration TWICE last year.  They do not start the runners in waves (though there are more than 10,000 runners) and most importantly, the whole race is on pavement. 

But I’ve run the Turkey Trot for many years.  It was my first race.  It was the one that really set me on my way with running.  I can walk to the race from my house even (big, big plus). The Turkey Trot holds a lot of nostalgia for me.  And I have been known to be very nostalgic.

Well, this year, I went and did it.  That is didn’t do it.  I did not run the Turkey Trot.  Instead, I ran with a friend on dirt, beautiful soft DIRT (& some rock : ).  And it was lovely.

When we arrived to Aliso/Woods Canyons the air was FREEZING.  That is literally.  The wood post fence we climbed over had a layer of ice along it.  Though I wore long sleeves, I wasn’t prepared – I wore shorts, didn’t have gloves or a beanie.  So I wore my scarf tied over my head like my great-grandmother, Babcia used to.

After turning onto Wood Canyon which was still in the shade, we took a little detour onto Cave Rock Trail so we could get up on that rock into the sun.  That didn’t really help warmth-wise.  But the view of Wood Canyon from atop that rock was spectacular, green hills, blue skies with a bright sun beaming down promising to warm us up soon, very soon. 

I had the bright idea to shortem the trip to the top by not running up Mathis.  Instead we ran through that shady magical Oak Grove Trail and UP Car Wreck Trail.  There was no running for me on the steepest parts of Car Wreck.  Even hiking it was a chore.  But it surely warmed me up.

So let it be known, running up Car Wreck is not actually a short cut. : )

A “runnable” portion of Car Wreck Trail

Sheila and Me at the top of Car Wreck, finally warm

Reaching the top of Mathis (via Car Wreck) was such a chore that the uphills remaining were pleasurable to run.  We ran on up to Top of the World, and from there across over to Meadows, which we took down to Wood Canyon and back to the ranger station beneath gorgeous skies.  Truly a run to be thankful for on a day that I am glad to remember all the things that I am so thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Top of the World

Miles logged Thanksgiving morning:  9.25

Elevation Profile: