A fun Week of Running

As my time down in Orange County wraps up, I'm trying to get in all the good running that I can!

Wendy, Jessica, Myself, and E-Rod, courtesy of Wendy

Wednesday morning was Wendy's 'birthday run' in Chino hills, so Jessica and I carpooled up to meet up with E-Rod and Wendy to enjoy the beautiful morning. We were up above the fog and had a great run. After all the talk about mountain lions in Whiting Ranch, we were feeling smart in picking a different park. Of course, as we started out, we looked down and saw massive paw prints on the trail, that continued on for a mile or so. Now, we weren't positive they were lion tracks, but we weren't positive that they weren't either, so we were a little extra alert out there. The only exciting wildlife that we did end up seeing was coyote that was hanging out on the trail. When it heard us coming it headed for the hill on the side of the trail. It's amazing how well that animal can blend into the brush! The run was just under 7 miles and a great way to spend a wednesday!

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I introduced my dad to the joys of trails a few weeks ago, and have convinced him to join OCTR, which I think he'll really enjoy being a part of. Thursday morning my dad and I joined Greg, Skip, Tracie, and Russ for a great beach run in Crystal Cove. I had never run on sand before, and it was actually really nice.

Russ, Tracie, Skip, Me (hidden) and my Dad running with the waves, courtesy of Greg

The softness of the running surfaces felt great, as I'd been feeling a little achy lately from the mileage I've been hitting. My dad ran mostly with Russ, which was good, as I was hoping that he could start connecting with the other club members so that it won't feel weird for him to go on runs without me after I leave. I ended up pushing things a bit by trying to stick with Greg, which was nice. It's good for me to run a bit harder than I usually do! We left the beach after 3 miles to check out a bit of the canyons, and I tried to power up a hill with Greg to check out the view before heading back. It's been a while since a run reduced me to that kind of gasping breath that harkens memories of when I was an out of shape child trying to run around the soccer field. There was a reason I switched to being a goalie! Still, hills are good for you, right? And the view really was great.

nearing the top of the hill! Photo courtesy of Greg

Greg and I headed down and pushed the pace (well, he tried to hold back and I tried to keep up) to meet back up with my dad and russ, who had turned around earlier. All in all, a very nice run. After that I went to the pool and tried my hand at swimming. It felt great, but I discovered that I'm even a slower swimmer than I am runner. Ah, well, I'll eventually get better :)

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Saturday morning had Abbie, Jessica, and I out off of Ortega highway checking out trail for the 100 mile race Jessica is putting on. Abbie and I were feeling less than inspired, running wise, and ended up doing only 6 miles, broken into 2 sections. The majority of the run was done in Capsers park, the sight of the mountain lion attacks in the 80s, but somehow, despite all the recent sightings everywhere else, hadn't had a sighting since December. It was fun to run with Abbie, though yet again I was with a faster runner than me and had to push myself to keep up! Jessica lent me her camera to take photos while out, and I marveled at the lightness of hers compared to mine. I really need a better camera for running!

Even though it was still pretty early, it felt hot out! It's so dry out here, which makes us all worried about the likelihood of a fire at some point this summer. The fire danger was 'extreme' according to the sign, and will likely be such all summer.

We did have a fun wildlife sighting on this run, right before returning to the car! Abbie and I looked into the field on the left, and there was a beautiful deer! It moved foward to the trail, about 30 ft in front of us, sort of bobbed its head out and back to check for any danger, and then crossed the trail! It was pretty cool :)

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On Sunday, my Dad and I decided to just go out on a father daughter run, so I took him up to Modjeska Grade, where the Joplin adventure had started, to just run out to the flags and back. Why there are flags here, I don't know, but it's a great spot for a run turn around!

Just before I left, I decided to check out the OCTR sight, which posted a warning about mountain lions, saying that one had been sighted earlier this week on Modjeska Grade. Needless to say, I was slightly paranoid for the first few miles! My dad checked in with me on mountain lion protocal (if you see one, make yourself big, noisy, and as unlike prey as possible!).

We were just about the clouds when we started, and it was pretty amazing to look down on the blanket of white below us.

The uphills are a bit intense at time on this route, not so much because of steepness, but more just the length. It seems like a few of these hills will just never end! It was fun looking down into the canyon and seeing the wisps of clouds hanging between the hills. We could also see Tucker Wildlife Reserve, where the Joplin run ended last weekend, which was fun. I enjoyed pointing out to my dad the end of the trail that took us to the run's finish :)

There were a few mountain bikers that passed us not too long after we started, but it was pretty quiet on the trail until after the turn around, which was both nice and a little eeriee.

Before long we reached the flag, which looked beautiful against the blue sky.

I had my dad sign the OCTR book and we enjoyed taking a bit of a break at the scenic vista before turning around to head back to the car.

All in all, the route was just around 7 miles and a really lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.

I enjoyed having a lighter week, with just over 36 miles logged and no runs longer than 8.5 miles. This week needs to be a bit stronger, with at least 40 planned, and then I think I'll head into my taper for Tahoe! Only a few more weeks :)