awareness training

For some reason I was totally wrecked by today’s run on El Prieto. I could barely make it up the trail and back. And the rest of the day was “game over,” too.

It would be easy to blame the heat or sun as it is quite a bit hotter today than it’s been – about ninety-something. But, it wasn’t that hot yet when I was up there this morning, although the sun was already getting pretty intense.

It could also have been a lack of sleep last night, or the subsequent overdose of coffee that followed, or the previous day’s work, or maybe I’m sick or perhaps something else unknown.

As is often the case, it was probably a combination of factors. It’s a little bit scary to think that little pieces of our lives can combine to sabotage us. Maybe our best defense against this is to be better aware of a situation as it is developing. I knew on the way up the trail that I was getting crushed, but kept going. I probably should have turned around.

I’m starting to believe that a big part of training is gaining this sort of self-awareness. How do I feel when it’s time to turn around? When will I benefit from pushing through this wall in front of me?

Sometimes, though, the crushing is worth it. If I had turned around earlier I wouldn’t have seen the hundreds of butterflies drinking from the side of the stream. Or the mellow rattlesnake stretched out across the path in the morning sun. Or the tracks that led me right up to the deer that made them. Good trade.

the breath that reminds me

Back in the flatlands again this morning - went for a one hour “bridge” run for the first time in a little while. It felt good to be able to maintain a more consistent pace after spending several runs in the mountains. The mountain runs seem to have really helped out my flatland running. The mountains have reminded me that it’s okay to push a little harder. I’ve been focusing on the number of strides per breath. Going up the mountain I max out at about four steps for every inhale/exhale cycle. Down in the flats, even when I feel like I’m going fast and pushing myself, it’s more like eight steps per breath cycle. So I guess I can step it up a bit more when running down here.

I’m looking forward to running the Mt Wilson Trail Race on May 24th. I just got the notice that “it’s a go” – the Sierra Madre fires are out and lots of volunteers have hustled to fix up the trail - thank you! Hope to get one or two more mountain runs in this weekend, then a few easy runs the week before Mt. Wilson.

Prieto and Brown

I’m pretty stoked about today’s run. Headed up El Prieto trail as I’ve been doing recently. Then continued along up to the end of the Brown mountain dirt fire road that I usually ride on. I’d never run to the end of this trail until today – about thirteen roundtrip – plus about the same distance of biking to and from the trailhead - another great car-free mountain experience.

I ran out of water/energy drink at the top with 5ish downhill miles before I could refill. Luckily it was a nice cool and foggy day. Not to bad on a day like today but could have been rough on a hot day. Next time: two water bottles. (Several years ago I ran out of water in this same spot returning from a walk to the peak of Brown. It was very hot that day and it crushed me – one of the top three dehydration crushings of my life.)

I saw a plant I’d never seen up there, too. I didn’t even know they grew up there. It’s called “Woolly Blue Curls” – the botanical name is Trichostema lanatum. At first I thought it was another Lupine which is blooming all over the place right now. I guess it’s easier to identify plants at a jogging pace then a bicycle pace.

Back down at the bottom of the hill, I think I saw some kind of herons, too - three of them. They were bluish-grey in color and big and loped along through the air – other worldly birds.

It’s funny, I read so much about runners completing 100+ mile trail runs that my short runs feel pretty insignificant. I’d really like to run and run through the mountains all the way to Wrightwood (actually, from Wrightwood to here.) That would take a lot of training and I’m not sure if I can do it. One step at a time though and we’ll see where I end up. I’m certainly enjoying these runs enough that it will be okay if they never go any farther than they do now.

El Prieto Trail

I went running up El Prieto trail again this morning – cloudy and cool. Maybe you’ve been wondering, like I have, what does El Prieto mean anyway? The dictionary tells me it means: swarthy, having a dark complexion; blackish, somewhat black; mean; tight; packed, crowded. Well, the trail is in a deep shaded canyon and it’s usually pretty dark in there. And the trail is pretty tight in places. And for those of you that are allergic to poison oak I suppose it could be a pretty mean place, too. I would also add that it can be pretty creepy when you’re alone – Blair Witch Project-esque. Here's a 10 minute video of someone riding down El Prieto trail (not me/mine).

Oh, and good news, back in January I retired some running shoes that were hurting my feet. Actually, all I did was put them in the closet for 4 months. Now I’m running in them again and they feel fine. In that amount of time my foot probably healed completely and may have even changed shape slightly, too. I’m only going to use them on the trail, though, where it’s softer. Maybe this is worth trying with other retired shoes as well…

Keep Riding The Path to Brown

I finally rode up to Brown Mtn again yesterday. I hadn’t been up there through the entire month of April. I don’t know what I've been thinking. It was a nice sunny morning with wispy white clouds drifting through the blue sky. It felt great to be up there again. (Yes, I was just there two days ago on a run, but somehow it’s a different experience on the bike.) The bloom is incredible right now – lupine, datura, yucca, yerba santa, chamise, salvia, and lots more.

I saw a few snake tracks crossing the trail and a little hopping bunny and a floating red-tail hawk and a bunch of boy scouts and someone on a cross bike (must be rough on the descent.)

There’s a rider that I see up on Brown almost every time I ride there. His name is Speedy Gonzales. It seems he’s always on the way down the mountain when I’m about half way up. He rides very fast - probably the fastest rider I’ve seen up there (hence the name speedy). He looks like your typical super skinny racing cyclist and doesn’t wear a helmet. He was there today riding his path. And so was I.

I should do this every Friday

Ride to the trailhead (7 miles). Lock up to the fence and change clothes in the parking lot. Run up the mountain on the El Prieto trail and then continue up to the “junction” (4 miles). Then down the fire road back to the bike as the sun sets. Change into pants and sweatshirt to avoid downhill chill. See how fast Mindful Mule can go down the steep road into the Arroyo Seco (37.8 mph). Then follow the winding road home. Refresh, refuel. Switch bikes and “fix” up to the pub for a couple healthful local beers. Meet up with a couple of other riders for the pre-midnight ride home through the back alleys where the smell of tomorrow’s roasting coffee wafts heavily through the night.

A few notes:

Trail running makes me huff and puff a lot more than my normal run. I can feel the smog in my lungs.

The mountain bikers coming down El Prieto seem to have forgotten the right of way rules. I realize it’s much easier for a runner or walker to stand to the side of the trail and let the bike continue, and I almost always step aside for them, but the bikes shouldn’t expect it.

I heard a pack of yelping coyotes up there on the mountain.

Three weeks until the Mt Wilson Trail Run. Days like this should be good training.

don’t try this at home

For the last few weeks I’ve noticed that my rear brake line housing is frayed. In that period since I first noticed it I’ve been steadily losing rear braking power. (Basically, as you pull the brake lever, the brake housing expands outward like an opening spring and you lose pull on the actual brake line wire that runs inside the housing, or something) I’ve been adjusting the barrel adjuster to try to keep up with the loss and it’s worked okay for the most part. Yesterday though, after returning from the grocery store with a heavy load and making a left hand turn on a downhill section of road (left hand extended – no front brake) I pulled the right lever to the bar which only barely slowed me down. Maybe time to fix that, I thought. But, who wants to deal with putting on a new brake line? I woke up this morning with a great idea for jimmy-rigging the line. (I know I should have taken photos as I went, but I was too excited. I hope you can still follow along. One of these days I will post another photo – I know it’s been pretty wordy lately.)

Supplies:
One length of copper wire (about 5 inches)
Two lengths of duct tape (about 5 inches long X 1/4 inch wide)

Wrap copper wire around frayed area of brake line housing. This provides structural support for the line. Wrap duct tape over and around copper wire to keep wire in place and protect finish of frame/paint. Add one more length of duct tape just because. Bingo!

the binge

3 cups of coffee

8 pancakes (with lots of real grade B maple syrup, of course)

7 running miles

it’s good to be back on the food

eat drink and be merry

Day 12: Day Twelve! I get to eat soup tonight! Twelve days without solid food has been a very interesting experience. It makes me realize how much my daily life revolves around meals. Social life is especially tangled up with food and alcohol. I’ve been a bit of a hermit over the past couple weeks because who wants to go to a bar with your friends and drink water? Well, I finally did that last night to celebrate the end of it all. It’s not quite the same nightlife experience when you’re drinking oj from a bike bottle and ice water but it was nice to see some folks.

Yesterday was very hot – about 95. Went on a CICLE ride at the hottest part of the day. It was an easy, short ride mostly focused on getting other people comfortable with riding bikes in traffic, but I ended up riding around quite a lot before and after, too. I think I got a little dehydrated, but I was pretty amazed at my energy level after no food for so long.

People tell me I’m crazy or determined or something to be able to cleanse for so long, but really it’s pretty easy. Once you decide to do it, it just happens. Feelings of hunger level off very quickly. At this point I feel like I could continue for several more days if I wanted. But no thank you, I think I’ll eat…

yeah! ride on! bitchin' bike commute!

great day eight

Just got back from a short run. For the past week I’ve had some minor knee pain (tenderness) just underneath and to the right (from my side) of my left kneecap. It’s only been there during the first half mile of my runs and then it fades away. Today, however, it never appeared. And my stride felt great. I felt light. And bouncy. Or springy. There was a middle or high school track meet going on at the track up the street as I ran by. Lots of activity and colors moving around the track. It was fun to see families with kids running along the sidewalk to get to the track to see their siblings run. As I was running back towards home I caught the wind at just such an angle so that every stride had a soundtrack in my ears – froom froom froom. I got back from my run and I felt great. I feel awesome. I feel euphoric… borderline euphoric. What’s in this lemonade? Even stretching felt great and the shower felt great. So, I guess there’s something to this master cleanse after all. And to top it all off, the new Trailrunner came in the mail today - which is always a great feeling, too…

they tell me it’s earth day

I suppose it’s a good day to consider our surroundings and recognize our home. Partly through the names of our cities or states or regions or cultures but also through landforms and rivers and lakes and soil and rock formations and hills and valleys and mountains and seasons and weather and climate and all the parts of this earth that support the plants and animals and souls and spirits that we live with.

Day seven:
I can’t tell you how many lemons I’ve squeezed over the past week. I should have been keeping track – probably somewhere around thirty lemons. Squeezing is a lot of work. Three more days of lemon squeezing lie ahead. Then I “break” the fast with orange juice for a day and two-thirds. I use quotes because that doesn’t seem like breaking the fast to me. I’m sure I’ll appreciate the switch to OJ, but as far as I’m concerned I’ll still be fasting. I’m starting to get pretty excited about my vegetable soup on Sunday night, though – real food is only five short days away! And I just discovered that it’s “okay” to put brown rice in the soup thereby making it a real meal!

This is so crazy. I mean, here it is Tuesday evening. I haven’t eaten since last Tuesday evening and I’m not going to eat anything until Sunday evening. How is this possible? Who knew that 14 tablespoons of maple syrup per day could sustain someone for so long. Maybe I’ll start using maple syrup in my regular diet, too, if I do in fact ever start eating again. It would mix up nicely as a natural energy drink.

halfway

Day five of the Master Cleanse: things are going pretty smoothly still – can’t believe I’ve not eaten in five days – my energy level has been pretty even keel throughout – I could probably be a lot more active than I’ve been without trouble, but I just don’t want to push it to the edge – I’m not actually halfway yet; after the ten days I’m supposed to ease back to food with a day of orange juice and then two days of simple fruits, salads, and soups – then a month of coffee, burritos, and beer!

spring hibernation?

Taking food out of the mix for the past three days has been very interesting. I haven’t really been any hungrier than I would normally be – I’m always hungry even when I’ve eaten in the past few hours or past few days. Suddenly I have all this time on my hands – time that I’d normally spend preparing and eating food or riding to restaurants, coffee-houses, bars, burrito-joints... is now available for other pursuits. And time spent running and riding is down a little, too, although I’m still putting in several bike miles and a few run miles per day. I have to stay a little bit occupied or all I think about is food – again no big difference from normal. Strange though, I find myself suddenly doing housework and chores that have been on my to-do-list for three years - maybe some part of my mind/body thinks I’m going into hibernation and is preparing a worthy den…

let them drink lemonade

I went for a long run yesterday up to the top of Devil’s Gate Dam. It felt really good. I like the trail leading up to it. I wanted to get in as many miles as possible early in the week because starting today I’m testing out the Master Cleanse Lemonade Diet and I don't yet know how it will affect me as I have never tried it before. This diet has been around for a while. Stanley Burroughs wrote a booklet about it in 1976. It is supposed to remove a lot of toxic and/or unnecessary buildup in the body. Friends of mine tried this a few years ago but I was never totally convinced until I read that Catra does it. So, I figure if Catra can do it and run and run and run then it's probably okay.

I’ve done some fasting in the past – just water for 1 – 3 days. These were good experiences but focused more on a spiritual element. The lemonade diet is more focused on healthful renewal. More importantly, it is supposed to maintain normal energy levels throughout. General recommendations are to continue the diet for ten days.

The diet is a very simple mix of water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. It should make grocery shopping pretty easy for the next several days.

the link between duct tape and summer

Well, I guess it’s unofficially summer because today I ripped off the duct tape that has been covering the mesh on my bike shoes and protecting my feet from wind and cold all winter. That, and it’s ninety degrees today. Because of the heat I rode the lower and easier creek trail today that has several creek crossings in the shade at the bottom of the canyon. In the winter I generally tiptoe over the steppingstones to cross the creek - so that I don’t end up with colder feet that I’d have anyway - but today there was no need to think about keeping warm. The shin deep (from a bike) water felt so nice. I’d forgotten about the duct tape on my shoes until the ride home from the creek. Riding downhill on the road at about twenty miles per hour I caught a glimpse of the tape and just couldn’t resist the temptation to reach down and rip it off – nor could I resist the temptation to continue along at the same pace rather that slowing down or stopping for the procedure. Probably not the safest thing I’ve done on a bike, but it all worked out okay and now all I have to do is remember that there’s a wad of duct tape in my pocket before I do the laundry next.

no use trying to keep count

I went to the track this evening. I always lose count of my laps when I run on the track. Today I tried counting in 1/4 mileage rather than number of laps. This helped a little. Then I tried counting by visualizing where I would be geographically on my run if I was on one of my normal running routes. This helped, too. But no matter what technique I employ, after several laps I’m never too sure of the exact count.

I signed up for the Mt Wilson trail run today. 8-miles on May 24th followed by a Margarita Brunch (unaffiliated to the race, but now a two year tradition.) Now, I’m no math-magician, but last year’s race was called the Centennial 1907-2007. This year’s race is celebrating 100 Years in 2008. And, this will only be the 42nd running. The race history states that it was first run in 1908. Clearly, though, my shirt from last year says 1907… I think maybe some of the organizers have been going to that brunch, too.

first quarter

run 201
bike 744
car 640

and then one thing led to another...