Getting down to the core of it all...

So I have decided that the PT I saw might actually know what she's doing. I have been really good about doing the exercises she gave me, and I can feel the core strengthening ones actually shifting my gait a little, especially when I am tired near the end of runs. 

Overwhelmed by my own enthusiasm, I decided that perhaps I should start the 100 pushup challenge, because hey--more core strengthening can't hurt, right? 

Um, wow. Just wow. I had no idea my arm strength was so pitiful. While I've never been Ms. Pull-up, and I don't think I'll ever look like Kami Semick, I have been able (in the not so distant past) to do a fair number of pushups. Even a couple of years ago, when I was doing more yoga on a regular basis, I "dropped" and did 15 for some squirrelly jr. high boys who didn't think I could. 

Note to self: next time you're out, pick up some arm strength.

Pt. Reyes Magnificence

Tomales Point

(Pierce Point-Tomales Point trail)

(9.88 miles)

So if my previous Marin run cast aspersions on the general smugness Californians can have about their running conditions, this run put all those doubts to rest. This run was an advertisement for the Bay Area and its running trails. 

Embarrassingly, I have lived in the Bay Area for fourteen years, and I have never been to Pt. Reyes. Pt Reyes is actually an old piece of the Sierra Nevadas that, due to seismic drift, ended up 350 miles away. (I find this really amazing--how is it possible to move pieces of earth so far?) The peninsula that makes up Pt. Reyes is separated from the rest of the coast by the San Andreas fault-- one of our state's biggest movers and shakers. 

One important caution about Pt. Reyes: this is a very, very popular place to hike. We got started early in anticipation of possible crowds, and I'm glad we did. The parking lot at the Visitor's Center was already hopping when we took a pit-stop before heading out to Pierce Point, the trailhead for Tomales Point. Most Pt. Reyes hikers stay in the area around the Visitor's Center, and while I would love to go back (starting EARLY in the morning) and explore this area, Jen pushed for the more remote (yet still popular later on) Tomales Point trail. 

Pierce Point trailhead starts at an old dairy farm. The National Park Service has conserved the buildings and provided informational signage--we educated ourselves a bit before starting off towards Tomales Point.

Apparently, the trails near the Visitor's Center are much more wooded and sheltered--Tomales Point has very few trees, making for an exposed trail that provides stunning views every way you turn.  While this area can be foggy and cold, the weather for our run yesterday was just about perfect. Not a cloud in the sky (as you can see), and enough breeze to keep us nice and cool on our run. 

This is a pretty mellow trail-- not a lot of up and down. The one thing I found completely irritating was the last mile or so of the trail out to the point was on sand. I do not like running on sand. I feel like I'm expending a ton of effort to go a very short distance. However, that's not so much to complain about on such a brilliant run, because once we got to Tomales Point, the views all around were incredible. Two hikers told us they had just seen a seal eating an octopus, and the mouth of Tomales Bay, due to its warmer water temperature, is a major breeding ground for Great White Sharks. It's possible (although we didn't see any) to spot Great Whites from the point. 

The other wonderful part about this trail is that it runs through Tule elk habitat. The Tule elk used to be plentiful in California, but were almost rendered extinct until biologists took note and started trying to stop their demise. A few Tule elk (8 cows and two bulls) were restored to Point Reyes in 1978--today their herd numbers more than 400, and they are considered one of the environmental success stories of California. It is possible to run on this trail and not see a single elk, but we were fortunate enough to see the herd yesterday.

Most of the elk stayed together--we saw one all male group and another mostly female, with some young bucks. As we were getting near the trailhead, we saw this lone young buck. His antlers are still in the "velvet" stage-- meaning they have not lost the furry covering that will become exposed in time for mating season. The elk were calm and not overly afraid of humans, but they would also move away, which I attribute to a strong docent presence on the island, constantly reminding visitors to leave the elk alone. 

Overall, a run not to be missed. It's definitely a drive to the trailhead (probably 30 minutes or more from the Visitor's Center), but well-worth the effort on days like today. As Pt. Reyes is a national park, no dogs allowed except for the Bolinas Ridge trail leading out of the Visitor's Center. 

Plus, at the end of the run, you can head down to McClure's beach (short trail from Pierce Point trailhead as well) to soak your dirty tootsies in the chilly surf, then head back on the main road, stopping by Priscilla's Cafe for a much-appreciated sandwich and an IPA. Not that I know anyone who's done that lately...

Why, Saucony, why?

Dear Saucony,

We've been together a while now. Pretty much since I started running in high school. You kept me company with that one version of the Jazz for years. I thought I was going to weep when you discontinued it. Then I started trail running. I dabbled in a pair of Montrails, but after a year or so, you came out with your Omni TR shoes and I was back in Sauconys. I love those shoes. They work well for me on pavement and on trails. I bought two pairs at once a while back, so much did I love them. 

And guess what? You're discontinuing them YET AGAIN!! Saucony, why must you do this to me? I don't want to get used to another pair of shoes. Today I called all over town and looked a whole bunch online and guess what? If I were a size 6 or size 11, I'd have no problem finding them. But being what looks to be one of the most popular shoe sizes ever, it's impossible to find them. 

You know what? This wouldn't sting quite so much if I'd had some kind of warning it was coming-- I would probably have gone out and bought as many pairs as I could afford. But alas and alack, Saucony, you have left me in the lurch. 

Today, I had to buy a pair of shoes you named Xodus. 

First, that name makes me feel like I should be leading packs of oppressed runners out of the woods. I'm not that fast (or perhaps so chosen), Saucony! 

Second, YOU SPELLED THE WORD WRONG. I can't even tell you how much I hate when companies who have plenty of money don't hire English majors to spell-check their publications. What else are my skills good for?? 

Third, there are latitude, longitude and elevation markings on my shoes. It says my shoes are at 6193.6 meters. (For the metrically challenged, that's 20,320 feet.) This is the exact height of Mt. Denali.  (Mere coincidence or psychic phenomenon?) While I find Mt. Denali fascinating and would someday like to climb it (after I learn to be a mountaineer, of course), I do not imagine that I will be RUNNING to the top. Furthermore, at this present moment, my shoes are sitting next to me in Richmond, California, where the elevation might be around 5 feet (1.524 m). How would I run if my shoes were at 6,193.6 m (20,320 feet)? 

Fourth, if you were going to go biblical with your name, why on earth did you say the shoes were at the same height as Mt. Denali? I think that Mt. Ararat (elevation: 5,165 m or 16,946 ft) would have been a more consistent thematic choice.  

Finally, your color choice is highly confusing. My new shoes are black with small bits of light blue. I mean, ok, Saucony, but you're making RUNNING SHOES. These look a little too much like they're trying to be street shoes. They don't need to match my Ann Klein black slacks. However, I am looking forward to seeing the contrast when I add my Dirty Girl hot-pink gaiters...

I hope you named your shoes Xodus because they are going to be so comfortable I'm going to keep running and running and running... but hopefully not to a new land. I like where I live. 

Well Saucony, that's about it for me. Take care and STOP DISCONTINUING THE SHOES I LOVE!!!

Con cariño,

Victoria

p.s. In case you were toying with this biblical theme for your trail running line, I do not recommend that you name your next brand of shoes Leviticus. It lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. 

Me n' the O.G...

That would be ye Olde Garmin. Not the original, as I have the 305 version. Alex and I went swimming today and then ran on the track. Because I am kind of inept when it comes to programming my Garmin, I managed to set it up for 4 mile repeats with 3:00 rest in between. This isn't what I would have chosen, but once the Garmin was programmed, I was locked in.

I've never run mile repeats before. I think they're probably a better idea than running 400 or 800s, because let's be honest-- when am I really going to be working on running a fast 2 mile race? Or a 5K even? I'd much rather run a loooooong way in a race, and mile repeats are at least closer to that idea.

So I was locked into my  mile repeats, and locked out of figuring out how fast I went on each mile, thanks to my Garmin-lameness, so I just kind of ran a pace I thought was moving well but not barf-inducing. (Always a good goal.) 

After a lovely carne asada burrito, I came home and looked at my mile splits after downloading them.

Mile 1 7:21

Mile 2 7:10

Mile 3 7:10

Mile 4 7:05

Hmmmm. Not sure what to think about that. Does this mean I can run faster than I think I can? Does this mean I was running too fast and need to learn how to run a slower pace for a longer distance? What would happen if I could figure out how to program my Garmin for 6-10 mile repeats? How long could I hold this pace? So many questions.

On a different note, one funny thing from yesterday? This sign:

This was next to a big pile of wood chips. Apparently there is a surfeit of wood chips at the San Pablo Reservoir Recreation Area.

The desperation of this sign made me giggle though... who is Davey? And why does he seem hell-bent on dumping huge amounts of wood chips at the reservoir? Does he sneak around, dumping wood chips whither or no they are needed? 

San Pablo Reservoir: Less than the sum of its parts.

San Pablo Reservoir
(Kennedy Grove- Bay Area Ridge Trail- Kennedy Grove)
(5.1 miles)

I soooo wanted this to be a cool run. After the surprise of the Briones Reservoir Loop, I had great hopes for San Pablo Reservoir. I had driven by the turnoff from San Pablo Dam Road, it seemed somewhat unknown, it was near a body of water-- it had all the potential for being a great run.

I started out thinking I would go from Kennedy Grove, as it was closer to my house than the San Pablo Reservoir parking lot, and it looked like you could find a trail from Kennedy Grove to the reservoir. Plus, I had pre-birthday celebration plans to eat here, and I wanted the chance to leisurely get ready beforehand.

First issue: as I drove on San Pablo Dam Rd, there was a sign telling me to take a detour to Kennedy Grove at Castro Ranch Rd. For some reason, I thought that the sign would be wrong, and by some inexplicable stroke of good fortune, *I* would be able to park at Kennedy Grove. Guess what? The sign was right. Given that I was on a two-lane fast-moving road, I could not turn around there, so I decided to go on and park at the San Pablo Reservoir lot and run back toward Kennedy Grove.

Second issue: It was impossible to find a place to get a parking permit. Every car I saw had a parking permit, so it's clear they were charging today, but the location was clearly a threat to national security, because it was well-hidden.

After an annoying drive all around the parking lots of San Pablo Reservoir Recreation Area, I decided to go back to Kennedy Grove via the detour.

Third issue: finding the Bay Area Ridge Trail in Kennedy Grove. I knew it existed, but finding it was another question entirely. I wandered around for a good 10 minutes trying to figure out where it was, all the time thinking about how my leisurely shower/getting cute to go out time was being sucked away by the lameness of the East Bay Municipal Utilities' District lack of trail markers. I was truly tempted to throw the towel in and head back to my house, but when you have a brilliant dinner ahead of you, il faut en profiter, if you will. I hate, hate, hate eating really good food when I'm not hungry, and I knew if I didn't run, I wouldn't be as hungry as I wanted to be.

For about 1/2 a mile, the trail is a fire road running up the back of the dam and then beside the reservoir. It was pretty. I was starting to hate San Pablo Reservoir a little less, and I was just beginning to enjoy the crimson of the poison oak lining the sides of the road, when suddenly I found myself ON the very road I had spent 20 minutes driving around on in San Pablo Reservoir. Yes, the "trail" on the map was really just the parking road at San Pablo Reservoir. How truly irritating.

Now, think not that I am a person who refuses to run on road. I'm not a huge fan, but if I have a road to run on, well, then, I'll run on it-- but when I was hoping for trail and found out I was running on a parking lot?

I did manage to find a random trail that led through the oak trees (paralleling the road) for about a mile, but that ended soon enough and I found myself back at the picnic area, forced to get back to the parking lot run.

(Random aside: the only other runner I saw today was a man who looked like he was running in his work clothes-- button-down short sleeve shirt, slacks and leather shoes. I wanted to take off my Sauconys and explain to him how much better running could be-- his poor feet! Like I said, this is not exactly the land o' the trail runners...)

Anyway, eventually I gave up parking lot running and ran back to Kennedy Grove, at least a little hungrier for dinner (which was superb, by the way-- one of the best eating experiences I've had in a while-- and I'm pretty fanatical about eating). While there were pretty moments in this run, and I think that both Kennedy Grove and San Pablo Reservoir would be great for picnicing, as a run this was pretty unsatisfying overall. Meh.

Oh yeah-- I think you can take your leashed dog on this run. If you wanted to run in a parking lot, that is.

Race Results- Sequoia 20K

Well, here are the results for the Sequoia 20K. It's strange though, because a couple of years ago, I was placing much higher in these races... hopefully it's because more (fast) people have started running these races, too... that's what I'm going to tell myself, at any rate.

Sequoia 20K Race Report

Pacific Coast Trail Runs Sequoia 20K 

Course map

Well, for once I did a run and have absolutely no pictures to show for it! I haven't done a "fast" race in a while, or a race in which I was continually moving. (The amount of uphill at Ohlone let me take tons of pictures.) If you want to see the kind of trails I was running on, check the posts from Redwood-- we started in Joaquin Miller, but most of the race was in Redwood. 

It was nice to go to a local race-- I didn't have to leave the house until 7:30, which felt late for a race day. Once I got there, I met Becky and Nancy from the RW forums, and then was recognized by Jo Lynn from my blog! (Yes, I felt like a celebrity-- I think that's 2 of my 15 minutes of fame used up so far...)

Going out, my plan was to try and hold it back as much as possible until the half-way point. I keep going out too fast, and with a bunch of long races planned for the fall, I need to figure out how to pace myself better. Having the Garmin for that really helped. I felt like I was nice and controlled for the first 6-7 miles. 

Part of the first section was the notorious French Trail, as chock-full of straight ups and downs as one could desire, but a lot of this race was relatively flat and fast. I think that I am going to try to incorporate a run a month on the French trail and one a month on Mount Tamalpais, because I need the up/down practice for 9 Trails. 

After French, the race curled back on Baccharis and Graham before ending up on West Ridge for a while. The relief I felt when I was on a trail I knew (I remember this feeling from 9 Trails last year) convinced me that I need to practice running on the trails for Dick Collins in October. 

The second half of the race went by pretty fast until the last 2 miles... at which point I could feel my blood sugar dropping. AGAIN, I need to eat more on runs. I ate 2 shok bloks at around mile 6, but then got carried away, thinking "only 4 more miles! don't stop to eat!" I also ended up with a very strange right butt-cheek cramp, the likes of which I have never felt before. I think it might have to do with the effect of the core strengthening I've been doing-- I felt like I was running a little different today-- definitely felt stronger around the lower abdomen area, which is great-- but what's up with the ass cramp?

Overall? I'm pretty pleased with today. I felt strong until the blood sugar moment (my legs felt fine-- I just had no energy), and my knee was great. I feel pretty good about where I am-- probably I won't end up running enough before Skyline to the Sea (because when do I ever?), but I'm much less worried than I was a month ago, when I saw the PT.