Bob Jones Trail SLO, California

We have been vacationing at the seaside in San Luis Obispo Californina for the past week and will be here for another week. This place is a running and road biking paradise: 60 degree temps, foggy in the morning, plenty of scenic routes and challenges.

A great guy.

Trail Head

The Bob Jones Trail is a 5 mile paved trail in San Luis Obispo that runs from the beach at Avila to the freeway entrance on the 101. Eventually it will run all the way to the town of San Luis Obispo. My wife ran it yesterday and I ran it today. We will both run it a few more times in the next week.

If this isn't a mafia front, then I just don't know. Just next to the trail head.... Right??!??

The BJT is a benign path, really a two-lane golf cart style pathway shared by runners, bicyclists, walkers (called arm-swingers by my 4 year old), and shitters. Seriously, the path smells bad from all the dog droppings (I hope they are from dogs), and despite the warning signs and baggie stations, the first mile or so of the path is bordered by dog poop. Get past that and the path winds through shaded woods along a creek, opens up to scenic mountains and a more conventional road that crosses through a golf course, and after a bridge or two, ends at the Avila beach.

You can juuuust see the troll down there

My Garmin shows and elevation differential of about 100 feet or so. The trail dips up and down pretty much throughout the course, so you get a chance to say you ran hills, but overall it's a wash. The distance was exactly 5 miles from car door to car door. I chatted with the local rangers who said that the path plan to extend to the town of San Luis Obispo (another 9 miles one way with MAJOR hillage) is on hold while they decide  how to handle the dangerous freeway overpass. Officials want something like 2 million dollars to build an overpass, but that kind of cash is not ready. In the meantime, there is an unpaved path that follows the same basic route. This was a unique run also because I didn't need to use my inhaler, and I left my calf compression sleeves at home. No issues. They are easy enough to put on, and I'm so pattern oriented that I will continue to use them even though I'm not convinced I need them.

Cougar Taking a Crap Warning. When will I get to "encounter" a cougar?

The SLO creek

The bridge that passes over a salt water creek

The creeks connects over there to the ocean

The scenery includes mountains, I just can't stand it!

My running partner Norman

Let's goooooo!!

This trail goes down as one of my favorite spots to run of all time. If you are ever in Central Coast Cali, make sure you stop by. If you have an extra 2 million bucks, please get involved right away.

Sedona T'Storm Run and Hide

From our Sedona vacation home where we are on vacation in Sedona. Sedona Sedona Sedona.

Saw the clouds approaching and thought, 'not too many chances to do this'. So I ran through Safeway in a cowboy hat and a jockstrap  headed out for  rainy thunderstorm run on the trails of West Sedona. Are you f'ing sick of hearing about my vacation in Sedona? Me too, and I'm here.

Headed out with Norman on a familiar trail, and ran into rain streams--

See the little Sedona waterfall?

No real clue how to align Sedona photos in Blogger

Norman shit one regular time, then the thunder started and he began some righteous metaphorical shitting

Norman in Sedona

Some cool blooming. These century yuccas throw awesome yellow flowers as soon as there is a drop of H2O on the ground

A plant in Sedona

Got off the trail trying to navigate the front side of Sugarloaf, so I built a fire and drank my urine but found our way back soon after. It would be pretty embarrassing to have to be rescued from a trail called Sugarloaf. Going back to Phoenix tomorrow with a new appreciation for trail running and hiking. Sedona Sedona Sedoan Sedona Sedona.....

Running in Red Dirt

Layers of natural red dirt, unnatural skin tone, and baby seal skin compression

Gross story but true: Due to a miscalculation on laundry needs, I had to re-use one of my socks for yesterday's run. How I went 'odd' on my sock count remains a mystery. What on Earth would you use one sock for?? Oh yeah...

Can you tell which sock has already been used?

These past two weeks have been a nice getaway for me and the family. We have spent time running, hiking, eating, sleeping, watching and speculating on the Casey Anthony trial, sending our hound in for surgery, and, of course, channeling the vortex. As for running, I've stuck mainly to the trails. They are so much fun to run, and the roads here are filled with angry old people driving around in their 5,000 pound Buicks.

As you may know, Sedona is high desert and covered with red dirt. You can't really tell from the photo, but all my running gear is now reddish brown. Cool. I ran last night with Norman on the famously technical "Teacup/Soldiers Pass Trail", which winds through coffee pot canyon for about 3 miles. I extended the distance by running on a jeep trail and surprised a group of German sightseers (some interesting spelling history on that term). There was a mom and dad and a 10'ish year old in the back of one of those pink jeeps taking photos of a prickly pear cactus like they had captured shooter #2 in the Kennedy assassination (you don't really believe in that single-shooter bullshit do you?). We ran up behind them and they started shouting "Hasselhoff Hasselhoff!!! mein gott ach du leiben mein kampf hes gott un giganta weinershnitzel!!!" or something like that. They were all amazed that we were running through the desert.

These trails and roads go up and down pretty steeply and require muscles that don't get used ever, so I've been sore. Also, Sedona is about 4,000 feet higher than Phoenix, so there is the whole 'lack of oxygen' thing going on. Trail running is different. Paces just seem to go out the window, and the usual hypnotic road mileage is instead one photo-inspiring (but not enough to actually bring a camera-inspiring) John Wayne movie scene after another. We go back to Phoenix on Monday and the heat, but really it's only 118 or so right now, so not too bad.

Challenging Technical Climb

I went out this morning to attempt the summit of a local Sedona peak. I wanted to attempt this rigorous climb without all the spikes, ropes, oxygen, and other apparatus that separates novice climbers from pros like myself. The name of the mountain?

Teacup, as in K2 Teacup

Th entire route was about 3.5 miles, and most of it was spent gaping at the scenery. In addition to the Teacup trail, I navigated the daunting Sugarloaf path. There is almost no one out there early, and the trail was mostly in the shade. These trails meander up and down and there is a spike to the summit that takes about ten minutes at an easy climb. The views are spectacular of course. I ran some, walked some, and stopped to pick some magic mushrooms to slip into Harrison's juice.

summit views

coffee pot

You really can't lose your way; there are cairns about every 30-40 feet that look like this:

If you still insist on losing your way, then go die quietly away from the trail where you won't bother the rest of us. This trail kinda reminded me of Southeast Utah: lot's of red dirt, rocky trails, slickrock runoffs, and Mormon girls showing their ankles to passing hikers.

I was thinking about using this route for the SYTO 5K this Saturday, but there is also a track down the road. Hmmmmm, flat, measured and fenced from predators vs. hilly/rocky and possibly Grizzlies........

On Vacation (?)

We drove up to the Sedona house on Sunday for couple of weeks, and Norman the dog finally decided that his neck problem needed to manifest itself in a big way. He looked like Stallone and Mike Tyson teamed up to pummel his jaw. He was so swollen and infected in his neck area that the vet said he would only have lived another three days or so.

Someone please fill this radar dish with hotdogs.

Norman

We submitted him to their surgical care and they found foreign objects lodged in his tonsil area. He chews on everything so it wasn't a total surprise. One of the objects was a piece of blue plastic and the other two were barbed seeds of some sort. They installed drainage tubes for the abscess and packed the area with antiseptic. So that has kind of thrown a damper on things but he is on heavy duty antibiotics now and is mending rapidly. The vet said that he is not allowed to run, jump, splash, or do anything else you would normally do her in the northern AZ area (he is already trying to do all of those things and trying to yank out his tubes and stitches). Crap. There are really beautiful trails that start out right at the top of our street. If you ever need a vet in Sedona, we have a great one.

from the patio

Coffee Pot in the distance

some crappy weeds that I need to get poisoned and bulldozed

Feeeeeeeeeeeel the crystals glowing in your vortex (twss)

I'll go out tomorrow and take some photos from a runner's perspective. Everything here is super hilly so the Garmin will have some elevation recording to do, and I'll be running the SYTO 5K from here on Saturday so there will not be a 5K PR this weekend, but I will be running it at temps 15 degrees cooler than Phx! Who cares about that because we all know Adam is going to win his precious little race again because Adam always gets whatever Adam wants! My route will incorporate some roads and some trails and did I say hills?? At elevation??? Enough excuses, you get the idea.

Face It RTP: You're Not an Olympian

During today's run, I came to the bold conclusion that I will most likely never compete at the Olympic level in running. I'm 44 years old, 25 pounds overweight, slow, and what I know about Greece could fit into an ant's rectum: I like feta and olives.... they have statues.... dungeons and dragons theology......and there was a hazy booze fueled 4.5 years on Greek row at James Madison University --that's pretty much it. I think if I lived at one of the training facilities and had time to devote my entire day to serious running, maybe, but most likely not even then. So now....... Acceptance.

There was a British study about rabbits and stress levels. They measured the physical stress of rabbits and found that they lived their lives at a cardio-fear threshold that would kill most of us humans. The hypothesis was that the constant 24 hour threat of hawks and owls was causing the stress, and indeed, the measurements showed a spike during a hunt, followed by a measurable relaxation whenever a bird of prey caught one of the rabbits. The rabbit was serene for the first time in its life because it didn't have to be afraid anymore. It had been caught. I'm caught, but I'm not relaxed. My calf is really killing me. Today it's the right calf. Meh.

Had a nice run with Johnson today out a scenic high rent area in Phx known as Arcadia and into the shopping/tourist center of Scottsdale. WHY are you buying turquoise Kokopeli's??? 
8 miles total and slow due to injury. This weekend as opposed to last weekend, the calf muscle did not work itself out. It went numb and stiff (tws.... never mind). Cardio is very good, and besides my usual black toenail conditions, everything else is in good shape. I suppose this is as good a time as any to be injured. No major races scheduled in the next couple of months. Rolling, stretching, warm-up, wheedling, and blogging are the components of my recovery plan, and there is a possible trip through the HMO land of horrors to eventually see a third-rate cash-only sports 'doctor' who will likely tell me that I need to choose lower intensity/impact aerobic activity. No. Save your breath, and I'm saving my cash, No.

10 Boring Miles

I got up early and drove out to Gilbert, a Phx suburb to the East. Who decides the names for all the suburb communities? They all sound like Shakespeare wrote them while under the influence: Stratford Fountains, Buggering Coven, Our Boxes are Bigger. I finally found Ashland Village and parked in front of Adam, The Boring Runner's house.

We were running together, not on the same path, but with the same finishing time and agreed to meet up at his house afterwards for coffee, pool time, and Parcheesi. We both rounded the corners onto his street at the same time and ran it in together. Adam claims his run was "shitty" but mine was good even though I did goof my math at one turnaround which resulted in a total run distance of just under ten miles.

I ran out of his subdivision and south along the canal. The scenery was typical South East Phoenix: bedroom communities, shopping malls, and Pima cotton fields. It really is beautiful out there. New development mixed with established agriculture and rural life. I passed a couple of blue tick hounds guarding a farm equipment yard and they were hoarse from barking (presumably) since Tuesday. On the way back, their barks were strong again. I can only assume they had received their weekly food and water rations.

I will also say that the canals out there are much nicer to run on than the canals in central Phoenix. The canal path was paved for about the first two miles then transitioned onto smooth dirt with very little canting. Almost no other runners out there, and I can't decide if that's good or bad. It depends o the day I suppose and yesterday there were just the right number of other people. If Sartre was right, and hell is other people, then yesterday was a bit of heaven. The weather was a cool 65 degrees and I felt strong all the way.

I've been concentrating on good form including a 180 cadence. I'm not wearing a metronome, but I do think about turnover and not slouching into a slow rhythm. After my run this past Sunday, I was extra cautious about my lean and did not have the back problems again. My scheduled pace was 11:08, but I ran at just over 10. Slower than I have been going lately, (I just can't make myself run in the 11's). I need to keep my LSR's at a slower pace, especially as I increase mileage. I have my first 20 miler from this plan in 5 weeks. Adam and I agreed that running too slow can cause gait issues and other related problems, so that's my justification.

We stood around in the pool for a while icing our feet, and Adam sloshed his Sony mp3 player around in the pool and and showed how it still worked (he was a little pushy but I didn't buy one), and then I made my way back home. It was nice to see some different land, spend some time with a neat running friend, and I hope to do it again sometime soon.

A Slight Change in Plan

Looks flat, it's not.

I'm running on a pirated version of the Runner's World 'Break 4:30' marathon training plan. Thanks to a local area fellow runner and blogger not named Adam or Lauren. The plans I have used in the past have really only included changes in distance as the M date approaches. This plan ups the distance but also incorporates hill work, Yassos, and a variety of speeds --all in a 4 run per week 16 week program that will spit me out on the starting line of the PF Chang's Rock n Roll AZ on Jan 16, 2011. I have my doubts about a sub 4:30, but dumber stranger things have happened. So far, the training is going well.

I'm in week #4 and I had 4 miles of hills scheduled this morning. Got 'er done. The plan asks me to find the hilliest course possible and try to maintain even pace on the ups as well as the downs. Not so even on the paces. I kept a fairly even sub 10 on the ups, and was much faster on the downs, and slowed as the miles progressed.

When I stopped at the crest of the final hill to photo journal for this blog, I tripped the stop button on my 305 and ended up not recording the final .21 of my route. I hate when that happens. Trust me, I finished the run and am not still up there.

The course of choice is the famous Curry Hills section of town over by ASU. Lauren, Adam, and I trampled this earth a few months back and the memories were fresh. The distance is nearly perfect for hill repeats and there is a park with water and bathrooms at one end of the route. And plenty of other runners and Ironman trainees out there for inspiration.

The hill rises from 1160 to almost 1275 feet in about a 1/4 mile, and back down again in a short .78 miles total. Then the idea is to turn around at the stop light and go back over. I did this twice for a three mile run, took a little walk break and then went up a bit past the top and back to the beginning for four total. This is a good workout and awakened a cardio-vascular me that I wasn't sure existed. Nearly barfed. Much different than the flat canals and neighborhood routes that have been my norm.

Looking South toward Tempe

I have hills once per week for the next 6 weeks then I start doing Yasso 800's instead of hills. This plan is cool and the variety is motivating.

Tonight I go to the Runners Den for a Good Form running class. They will video me twice and offer suggestions for improving my stride, cadence, and overall running form. Look for a blog post in the next couple of days.

Runner's Den Group Run #1

Got up this morning for my four miler and met Brian over at Runner's Den for their first Saturday morning group run. The intent is to provide group training for the January RnR marathon, but it is casual and open to whoever wants to join. Any distance and any pace is welcome. The store employees let us keep our keys and personal stuff there at the store, and there was ice water, juice, and donuts for after the run. They meet and start out from the store at 6:30 and there are a couple of mid-week runs also. As the groups start to become more regular, the store will be raffling running goodies to those who show up consistently.

America's Got Talent

Runner's Den is known to most Phoenix area runners. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful, the inventory covers most needs, and they will order whatever is not in stock. Lauren is still on the payroll, but only works as a backup now that she is engineering and setting PRs.

There were about 10-12 runners this morning and they set out in a group. 

Bryan is new to running so we stayed behind and watched the group start to spread out.

Bryan

Not sure what pace groups they ended up with or what distances, but I was first back to the store after 4 miles. One of the store employees was right behind me-- I think he went 10 miles in the time it took me to go four, and that really killed the buzz of my 1st place happy dance. Bryan needed a slow pace and we ran together, but he let me go after 2, and I was able to run my fourth mile at 9:30 and getting faster. My long runs are scheduled for Sundays and so far I like an easy Sat run.

Next Sat is the Moon Valley Grasshopper Bridge 5K, and I am hoping to finish sub 30:00. I need to have nice strong runs on Tuesday and Thursday this week and it should happen.

That Was Different

Literally, the rectum of Phoenix

Got up and ran at a track today with my buddy Chris who is new to running. We found this track in Peoria that measures a mile in 4.25 laps. Almost nobody out there and we had a pleasant 4 mile run scheduled at 11:18 pace. We came in ahead of that and I was able to run the final mile at 9:15. My body wanted to run fast this morning and it was nice to still have that feeling after three warm-up miles.

This track is open to the public and has a typical soft surface, 4 lanes, nice grass, and some bleachers and tables so you can set your gear down while you donkey around in circles.

Chris got his new Timex and promptly set it for a sub 3:00 26.2 pace. I have referred him again to Runners Den for new shoes, Target for some tech fabric, and Fascinations for a massage stick.

This was a good week for running. Our 2YO kept us up Wednesday night so I didn't go out the next morning as planned, but did run Thursday evening, so I have kept to the plan. There is an idea floating around about strengthening my core. I just wish there were some website or blog or something with a plan for core workouts...... DING! Need to get back here and jump in. Seven miles on schedule for tomorrow morning, then a loop back through this weeks plan for two weeks before going ahead towards January RnR AZ. Happy Saturday!!

Marathon Plan Decision Time

A little melodramatic don't you think?

Trying to decide which plan to go with as I prepare for January RnR AZ. I have the Hal Higdon Intermediate I plan and the Runners World Break 4:30 plan. They are both fairly conservative ordinary plans, but the RW plan seems to offer more variety including runs that I have not experienced before like Yasso 800's (which I'm sure could be abbreviated into Ass 400's), Time trials, hill work (hills make me yell), strides, LSD's, and tempo runs.

Both plans crank up to 2 twenty mile runs with 37 mile weeks. But I'm favoring the RW plan because of the added array of runs, and also I don’t have to run until Thursday. I have a two week window to decide. My short slow runs this week remind me why we shouldn’t take breaks from running unless we are injured, but I already felt stronger again this morning.

I’m a little miffed that my spouse is taking my socks M/W/Friday for her runs with our neighbor. Need to get to the running store and get me/us some new socks. Runner's world has an ad this month for some free Coolmax socks, but the link isn't working.

I may have a free entry into RnR AZ this coming January, which means I could use the money that would have covered that to enter into the Lost Dutchman marathon. This race features some of the best desert scenery in the southwest, and it happens in February so the temps are near perfect. Some rolling hills, some dirt track, and some short bearded gold-miners --what else could I ask for? Besides a lucid linear train of thought. Note to self--don't use your blog as a mental barf bag. Oh, you published it anyway? Hmmmm, how about a little nightmare or erectile dysfunction to snap you back into compliance. Who are you? Your conscience. Ummmmm guys? They can all see this..........

My Olde Friend 'The Canal'

Went for a short run this morning and found myself on the AZ canal. I haven't been on the canal in my neighborhood for almost 6 months and it brought back fond memories from when I was a more active runner. This system of waterways was originally engineered by the Hohokam native americans about 1,000 years ago. They stood on top of the mountains surrounding our valley and surveyed with amazing accuracy. Much of the original system is still in place, though fortified with modern materials. I have done most of my canal running over in Scottsdale, but these paths are all interconnected and one with the Phoenix water tables.

Most Phoenix runners use these paths for obvious reasons --they are flat, stretch a long distance, they have soft gravel, have lots of places to pull over and poop and they are frequented by lots of other runners.

I chose to listen to some podcasts since I have gotten behind on almost everything in life these past three weeks. I'm a Principal in a K-8 school and everyday so far this year has been like one big Beatles concert. My podcast of choice this morning was The Boring Runner and it was all I could do to keep from throwing my ipod in the canal  and I was able to catch both of his latest productions which means I'm going f'ing slow these days. As always when I make myself run, I have a good time, feel rejuvenated, and vow to knock out  20+ miles each day of the week and start eating oatmeal starting......... Tomorrow. Adam is a good friend, a soon to be father, and a tremendous runner. Read his blog here and I promise entertainment!

In the meantime, I have been contacted by two former colleagues who want to start running. They want ME to help them. So, as they say at my local convenience store, "it is on like that animal with the legs you know his name it is the king of donky a boy you know?" Have a great week!!