Merril Barefoot
It’s been many years since I ventured out barefoot on a run. For the record, it wasn’t a great experience both times, whether on sand or asphalt. The soles of my feet felt like they’d been massaged with a belt sander. Yet, I’ve been running a fair amount on grass lately and decided to give the barefoot option another go. Outside of a few errant pebbles penetrating several nerve endings, it actually felt good to be free of shoes. I then turned to a pair of Merrill Barefoot’s that I had in my rack for years but have never used. They worked perfectly on the grass. Everything barefoot except the pebbles and nerve endings!
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Bell View Trail - This Spring
Coming off one of its wettest winters in recent memory, the parched state of California is starting to show some signs of old - green grass, wildflowers, robust foliage. Yesterday I ventured down Bell View Trail toward Casper’s Park off of Ortega Highway. My favorite thing about this trail is that I usually encounter less than one human being per 5 miles, and even fewer mountain bikers. Not sure why, but the hordes stay away from this place…maybe because it isn’t the easiest to access, it’s relatively flat and it turns into a furnace in the summer time.
Below is a picture taken last year, virtually from the same spot as the above picture. Nice to see some green after so much brown!
nBell View Trail - Last Spring
Starting at a mere 500 feet in a Palm Springs parking lot and rising to 10,500 feet at the top of San Jacinto peak, the Cactus to Cloud trail is something to reckon with. Given its extreme ascent (10,000 feet in 16 miles, or 625’ per mile) it’s been dubbed in some quarters one of the hardest trails in the world.
Another component of this trail’s prowess is the temperature swings it can throw at you. At the base, temps climb as high has 115+ degrees and, at the summit, plummet to as low as sub zero.
Today i took a little spin on the Cactus to Cloud trail. It was my first time on the beast so i chose to experience some of its grandeur by climbing 4,000 feet in 5 miles, just enough to get taste of what the full enchilada might taste like. I must say that the flavor was enticing and spiced with magnificent views of neighboring San Gorgonio, the Coachella Valley, cactus and wildflowers.
I’m looking forward to returning for the full course.
P.S. If you’re looking for the other kind of Enchilada, check out Las Casuelas in downtown Palm Springs. They make a fine one that goes down very well with a Cadillac Margarita.
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Sugar Moon
Was on my way home tonite and noticed at the top of the hill a large, full moon rising in the night’s sky. I quickly assembled my Nikon DSLR and 600mm telephoto lens to capture the moment. Turns out the Sugar Moon gets its name because it coincides with the tapping of the sweet sap of maple trees, and is symbolic of a lot of good to come.
nSnow Blanket - Big Bear Lake, CA
With the official start of spring occurring this week, I must say that I for one will miss winter, especially this winter, which brought more snow than we’ve seen in Southern California in many years. My best day was a four hour snowshoe trek through knee deep powder in the the San Bernardino National Forest followed closely by several ski runs on untracked powder.
“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Jack London
nGetting from place to place is always more interesting in the mountains. Here is a shot from Harding Truck Trail on my descent from Modjeska Peak, the lower of the two peaks that are Saddleback Mt. Not a bad place to be when trying to escape from the OC’s 3.2 million people….
nYou walk out to the edge of cliff. You look down. One hundred feet below you, waves are crashing against the cliff and on jagged rocks. Currents of foam and rip tides surge in and out with the heavy surf. The problem is your life boat is anchored beyond the waves, and the only way to get to it is to jump into the abyss and swim for it. If you don’t jump, you will soon be consumed by the angst ridden Troll of Runner’s Doom. The ghost that haunts you everyday.
But when do you jump? Jump too early and you get hurled against the imposing cliff by a crushing wave. Jump too late and you’ll be dragged over the jagged rocks under the receding swell. The only choice is to jump at the exact right time, then be carried to safety beyond the violent break.
I’ve come to learn that training for ultramarathons is a lot like jumping into the abyss. Jump in too early and you get crushed month after month by energy sapping workouts, burn-out and eventually injury. Start too late and you’ll be battered at the race by showing up unfit with miserable race results and possibly staring at a DNF. The only choice is to start just at the right time.
These days, my modus operandi is to start 4 to 5 months before a race, but proceed in two phases: 1) a general aerobic and strengthening phase and 2) a running phase.
Phase one consists of all kinds of aerobic workouts including hiking, elliptical, spinning, cycling, snowshoeing, running. It also includes strength training including upper and lower body weight training, core work, climbing with weight vest etc. The key here is to keep things diverse and lively. Don’t get stuck on one or two activities, mix it up! This phase is helpful because it builds your aerobic base without the constant pounding from running and therefore minimizes burn out and injury.
Phase two consists of some of the aerobic work above, but a greater and greater emphasis on running. This is when you get to start tracking your weekly miles or hours running, and build toward race day. It is important to stress here however that, while running is the focus at this stage, there is still a benefit to supplementing all the running with running oriented aerobic workouts. I’m suggesting 20% of your miles (even in this phase) are running-related including climbing big hills and mountains, climbing on treadmill with weight vest, elliptical etc.
That is it for now. I’m falling, I’m falling….
Keep it real runners!
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San G on a Winter’s Day
The sound of the mountain resort at Snow Summit was still loitering in the air over the tall pine trees to my left. A man’s voice was droning on and on over a loudspeaker of some sort. Why on a Sunday morning do they have to do that?
I just kept climbing, up the steep grade, in deep powder cutting what felt like one hundred switchbacks just to manage from sliding backwards head over heels on this near vertical snowfield. Just when I thought I had this snow-trudge figured out, my snowshoe would plunge deep into an abyss. Getting out of these contorted positions I’m guessing was as good as attending an advanced yoga class with ski pants and poles. No preparation possible here folks.
When I crested the main vert section, I was welcomed by a blistering alpine wind that sent hardened specs of snow into the frozen skin on my nose. I’m not complaining here, mainly because I’m always looking for a lesson or a new experience of some kind to log into my bag of tricks, to take with me on my next big adventure. Given I’m signed up for a 50 mile, a 100 mile and a 200 mile race this year, I’ve felt a draw to get into the elements again. This day being a good reminder that nature is always there with a surprise for me, as long as I’m willing to venture into it. Seek and ye shall find, as it were.
This four hour effort felt hastened by a book I listened to the entire way, mainly because I couldn’t stop listening. Her colorful and descriptive story of descending into neurosis was only bearable to listen to because she told it in such a relatable way. But then I found out that she (the author) didn’t have much of a happy ending, and she didn’t survive the success of her own hard lived experiences that she so ably transcribed into this indictment on contemporary mores.
On snowshoes…and mores…keeping it real.
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