Monday With the Kids

 Goodness, this is just such a pretty little loop around the summit. This is the Mary Bowerman Trail.  It's also the trail I ran loops on this morning.  There's not a bad view anywhere.

 Check out the beautiful summit back there. The Beacon is now back on top and all the renovations have been completed, so the upper deck is open again! A side note, the girls were randomly walking with arms around each other. I love it when they still do that!

 Check out the amazing turquoise stripes on that rock!

 Myles, with a series of ridges coming out of his head. First is Bald Ridge, then Eagle Peak, then Black Point.

 After the loop we headed to Rock City for lunch and fun. I quickly realized it was not much fun to be there with one parent and 3 kids.  It was hard to keep eyes on all 3 and you have to at Rock City.

 We had to climb up this way to get to the awesome rock you see below.  It's not man made, totally natural and just is that way. I'm sure there's a scientific reason for it.

I had a fun day hanging out with my kids!

So Clean

Totally not running/workout related - Take a look at my clean garage! Every time we get a "chance of rain" I re-winterize the back yard and try to make the garage into a space the kids can go to play, relax, be alone....just something different from being stuck in the house.  This was how it ended up last week. (btw, we barely got a light drizzle).

The kids loved it. In fact, if you look you can see Emma's big bean bag chair and notice Myles is wrapped up in his new comforter. The kids slept out there over the weekend.  I even broke out some paint and painted that LOVE sign w/the oak tree running through it, and painted the backgrounds for the pictures hanging on the back wall.  Those are special because they are made out of some of the cardboard boxes we have had an abundance of lately : )

Another random thing I'll share with you is what is almost constantly cooking away on my stove once it's Fall/Winter. (even if the weather wont' cooperate with the season, it was 80 yesterday, but we are pretending summer is over).

Ok, well, that pot of brown stuff may not look pretty, but it does smell extremely good!  It has the stuff in the picture in it, plus a cut up apple.  I'm sure after a few hours it would taste really good, but I've never tasted it. I just leave it on low all day and refill the water when it gets low.  It smells so good and wintery!

Ok, enough randomness. If you are watching the Strava feed on the left, take a look at the elevation profiles on todays 2 runs. I am so happy to have held anything in the 12's for an average on that run w/the Beast.  After that run I drove up to the summit thinking I'd run some loops around the top, which I was convinced was totally flat. Um, no, it's not.  If you look at that elevation chart...there's not a foot of flat to be found. My legs were pretty shot from the first run, so I called it after 3 loops and then still had to climb back up to the car.  Today was a very solid day of running!

Surf City 26.2, Huntington Beach, Super Bowl Sunday 2013

Training has begun!!
We usually take one southern CA trip a year, for the past 14 years (minus the year we lived in GA).
Well, it's been 2 years.  That is just too long for us.

So, for our 16th wedding anniversary, I asked Brian if he was interested in running Surf City this year.  He's done the half before, but never the full.  My thought process was that he'd get the joy of training for and running a full in one of his favorite places, and I...well, I'd get a trip to Southern California!

Another huge benefit to one of us training for a full is that it means we will be spending a lot of miles together as a family out on the trail. The kids have really missed our weekend long runs when they get to ride there bikes out on the trail.

This training go round we are doing things a little differently.  Since we have crossed over to trail running since having run/trained for our last 26.2, we will for sure incorporate that into Brian's training.  Yes, he needs to log some long miles on the paved stuff so his body will be ready for the pounding, but we also need to get him to the starting line in one piece, so trails will also play a key role.  He also doesn't want to lose his hill climbing legs.  We are fortunate to live in an area where he can hit the hills for as many miles as he wants before connecting into a paved trail that covers over 100 miles.  So he can pretty much split all his long runs between trails and hills, leaving from our front door.

The rest of us, who aren't training for a 26.2 but are supporting our runner 100%, will be meeting Brian when he comes off the dirt trail and onto the paved trail for some bike riding. I have no desire to run on pavement, so I'll be biking it.  This is also when Brian can change from his trails shoes to road shoes, pick up fresh water bottles and some fuel.

That pretty much sums up our Saturday afternoons from now till Super Bowl Sunday! Here's some pictures from our first long run. Myles rode just over 7 miles w/no complaints at all. This was his first time on the paved trail and he did great, obeyed all the rules of the trail.

I was packing his fuel in my Nathan pack.

 Yep, I could spend a few hours riding behind this guy. Not a bad view : ) Notice Myles on the other side of the canal in the distance. He did so good!

 My Saturday afternoon view.

Feathers and Eagle Eyes

First, you may notice the new Strava widget on the left of the blog.  I debated about doing this for a while, not sure if I really wanted people to see exactly where/what I'm running.  I'm pretty sure I dont' have any stockers, but if I do, they should know that I never run the same place twice, never the same route or trails on the same days or times.  You'll have a hard time finding me.  So there it is. Any runs I upload you'll be able to see them there, click on them to see the distance/speed/terrain (make sure to switch the map to satellite for the best view), and there's an elevation profile map so you can see the hills. As for speed, well, you all know I'm a slow runner, but you'll be able to see the pace graph that shows the pace as the run was unfolding.....meaning you can see the spikes of slowness on the hills and the dead stops for things like cattle gates, pictures, and potty breaks.

I had some great runs last week!!  Things are feeling really good.  I really love having a way to track my pace. I know I'm going to sound like a total old lady here - but these Garmin/GPS devices are such a treat to have!  It's really nice to be able to see my times improving.  I'm still slow, but definitely moving in the right direction.

Since I have been paying more attention to my actual running, I will admit that my picture taking has been cut way back.   Gasp.  I still am able to enjoy my surroundings and take things in, but slowing down to take a picture when I'm trying to keep my pace down...not gonna happen.  There may have even been a run last week when I forgot my camera completely. Another gasp.

This pic is from Thursdays run. Seriously, how could this not make you stop in your tracks and take a picture of it?? So pretty.

That said, if I know I've mapped out a hilly run that is more about getting hills under my legs and less about watching my pace, I will still take pictures.  That was the case for my run on Thursday. I knew it was going to be a slower run because I had planned for a hilly run. I parked on Northgate Rd (One of two roads that go up onto Mt Diablo) at the bottom of Burma  Hill. I had run all of these trails before, but not strung together in the order I ran them that day.  I really enjoyed this run! It's hilly, but went by fast!

Here's a few pictures for you-

This picture is important and made me happy - there's water!! I dont' know where it came from since we've had zero rain, but there is water and it had been dry before.

Quail. I kid you not, I swear these are the most clumsy fliers there are.  They are so loud when they fly they sound like little helicopters. And, they really seem to prefer not to fly if it can be helped. If you stop running and give them a second, they are much happier to shuffle off into the bushes than if you keep running and they have to fly to make way.

 Below, can you spot anything that stands out as being foreign, not part of nature, doesnt' look right?? I did. I wasnt' sure what it was, but after zooming in I knew what it was.  This is looking towards Northgate Rd from about half way up Dusty.

 I am quite a ways away from the car at this point, climbing up Dusty.  This is where the Eagle Eyes part of this posts title comes in.  In the above picture, and below picture, I'm standing in the same place.  The bottom picture is just way zoomed in, and the top picture is not. A little below center of the picture is my car.  Now look back up at the above picture and see if you can try to find it : )

 Eventually I did make it up and over Dusty and made a right turn to head towards Castle Rock and down Little Yosemite trail, which heads down that valley of trees that you see.

 I'm almost done in this picture. Literally, I was almost back to the car, but also I was really tired! It really was a fun, beautiful, challenging run.  I was rewarded near the end with a beautiful feather to add to my collection.  There are rules for this collection- only feathers from runs, not hikes, and only from my mountain.

That's your view of last weeks runs.  The kids are home today, so we are heading up the Mt to Rock City to do some exploring. I'm off to pack a picnic lunch.  Happy Monday, people!

Woooo Hooo!

 I few things that made me extra happy this week!

First- the mornings have been cold enough to break out the knee highs! I love these pink ones.  They made me run happy!

This news made me super happy!!!!  Save Mount Diablo made a huge purchase!  How SMD works is as land becomes available they purchase it and sell it to the state of California, which slowly expands Mt. Diablo State Park.  There are still private land owners on the mountain and in the foothills that, if SMD can get a hold of the land rather than have it sell to a developer or another private party, it just grows the State Park property and ads to the protected land.

Well, CC Ranch is  a huge, huge property that they have wanted to purchase for years!

1,100 acres of amazing land. A 7 million dollar purchase.

Tons of new Mt land to explore!

 You can see in the picture where it ways Windy Point, Cave Point, Knobcone Point, The house, and Curry Canyon - all of that is part of CC Ranch property that is now SMD's. The state will buy it from SMD over the next 3 years as they can afford it, so it'll gradually open to the public during that time.

And this.  What is there to say really.  More true words have never been spoken. : )  I love, love, love this tank top! Thank you, dad!

Brazen Racing's/Save Mt. Diablo's Trail Challenge, 2013

Last weekend was all about Diablo Trail Challenge!  We set aside Saturday afternoon to help with set up. Just like last year, we had a great time helping get stuff set up, tables covered, medals unwrapped, tents popped up, trucks unloaded, tables in place and covered, boxes of stuff in the right area, etc.  Last year Sam and Jasmin spoiled us with lunch, this year we were setting up a bit later and again,we were spoiled with a delicious dinner of mexican-ish food. The pulled pork and mac-n-cheese were amazing!  

If you ever have the opportunity to help out the day before or early morning of a race, it's really a neat thing to be there later, during the race/event and have a better appreciation for just what all goes on before hand and behind the scene.  For instance, I knew race morning, watching everyone enjoying their steaming hot cups of coffee, that I had made it the night before. (it brewed in the morning, but was all ready to go the night before).  And all those medals handed out...each one comes in it's own plastic baggy, which we unwrapped the day before (over 1000).  It takes a village, and it's just special to know you got to help a tiny bit.

On to race day-

I think the best way is to do this by person, so we'll start with Brian.  He was doing a tough 13.1 after being very sick and not having run in over 3 weeks.  The good news was the weather was perfect running weather, starting off darn near cold, and not warming up too much, which for Diablo is rare.

Brian is in black just coming around the corner back there.

 Obviously, these are out of order-

Finishing with a smile! You can see my black arm w/a camera coming in from the right side : )

 

 

Holy Moly Cow!! (that one's for Sky) Look at those legs!

 It was a tough run, but he got it done and felt good in the days that followed.
Next up is Emma, she was running the 10k-

Making her way up Sunset Trail like it's no big deal. I went up this same trail today, hit it 5 miles into my run, and it nearly did me in!

 

 She didn't know that lady before the race, but she does now.  She was recovering from an injury and time off from running. She found Emma afterwards and thanked her for her encouragement and running with her. She also told me I looked too young to be Emma's mom. I resisted the urge to give her a big hug : )

Man she looks like an adult running in this one. Were it not for her yellow hat I would not have thought that was her.

 

 Running strong into the finish.  Like her brother, she felt a lot better with this run than Rocky Ridge the weekend before.  The lesson here is to run Rocky Ridge, and then whatever race you run next will seem easy!

She had enough left to kick when she hit the finisher shoot. I'd love to still be catching air at the end of one of my races!

Next up we have Sophie-

Sophie and her race posse. These ladies and Sophie are together often during Brazen runs. They all know each other.

 

 Sophie and her runner friend Blythe getting it done and having fun!

All the kids finished about 10 minutes quicker than the weekend before, happier, and less tired!

We all had a blast.  We always love this race because it's on our home turf in Castle Rock park where I do a lot of my running.  Also, it's a Brazen run, and a Save Mt Diablo fundraiser.  All good things.

Even better, we get to do it again in April!

Thanks to Brazen, Save Mt Diablo, all the Search and Rescue folks and of course all the volunteers!

More photos here.