Up at 4:45AM and then on the road for an hour to start the ride that begins in Ocotillo…

At the starting line it warmed up fast and after some cone adjustments to Jack’s front wheel we were moving.  Climbs were small relatively speaking but still caused many to slog up the hills.  We stopped at the checkpoints taking in the view of the Badlands in Borrego.  Lunch was served at mile 55 on the return trip back to the start.

The winds started kicking in and I teamed up with a few folks to share the work breaking the wind.  This is where I took too big of a pull and burned out my legs, only to find the last hill humbling. I finished casually without a sufferfest and waited for Jack to finish.  A well deserved beer at the Lazy Lizard was a good way to end the ride.  I had to make it back to town and decided not to fight the traffic on Sunday but drive home after a beer and a burrito… Needed that… Home at 9:30PM.. Long day..

Recovery run on Sunday.. 12 miles in Pt Mugu State Park.  Sycamore, to Blue Canyon, up Boney Trail and down the hill from the Cabin site.  Legs were worked but I needed it. Monday was MLK day.. so slept in, took the dog for a walk then off to run in LaJolla Canyon. but in 17 miles but felt more like 20… Up Ray Miller Trail, getting hot since I started after 10AM, down Fireline, up Serrano Canyon in the cooling shade. Serrano was refreshing but still not as green as I remember since the ferns have not come back yet. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I was pretty amped after that..  Hammered down the rest of the trail looking for other snakes but none to be found.  Then up the Backbone Trail running every step. Finished with a float down Ray Miller.

RMT is magical.. today there were a few sections that i felt very relaxed and harnessed the gravity effortlessly.  These days this is about all I get to control since other parts of my life are far from controlled.  As I hammered out the last quarter mile, I peered out to the ocean and it was sparkling. The picture does not do it justice.. you just had to be there.

Back to reality tomorrow..

Why do certain people refuse to adapt to reorgs? They move to a new line relationship but still take direction from their old chain.

I managed to work my way through the pack and met up with some runners moving at my pace and just hung out. The rain was dripping over my neoprene OR sombrero and seeping into the hood of my rain jacket. Time to batten down the hatch and stay warm. My quads were sore from yesterday but they were numb at this point from the cold driving rain. Just needed to keep moving, talking and running faster. My calf was talking to me but not enough to keep me from pushing the pace a bit. A good feeling as I didn’t know how long it would take to get back to running. Still some more rehab to go but I do see an end in sight. Ran into Pine Tar, a local hiker that has blazed trails everywhere in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Los Padres forest, as I ran down Old Boney trail. He was wearing a frog suit as he beamed to tell me about it’s fine qualities that kept him warm and dry. I actually have a suit just like it but the lack of fashion and better options keep it in my truck as a backup. I finished in a little less that 2.5 hours and was glad to finally get in a warm shower to rid the chill. This is my last “play day” before heading back to work on Monday and glad I made the most of the last week despite healing injuries.