The other good news is that the abbreviated running schedule combined with spring break has allowed me to write a major 45 paper. The biggest assignment between me and graduation is almost complete! The 25 page paper is also coming along well and I can smell the finish line. The general idea is that by doing the work now, I will have free time in April to do fun things, and hopefully by then my groin will be 100%.

My hopes came to fruition and I was able to run the shore path in Pacific Grove again today. The fresh ocean breeze under sunny skies was awesome! Every time I run this awesome path I feel like I am getting a treat. The run basically covered all the paths from the Monterey Bay Aquarium to Asilomar State Beach and the Links at Spanish Bay. The run was 50 minutes and around 8 miles. The groin has been cooperating on these easy runs but tomorrow I am either going to take the day off or do a super short run so I don’t get ahead of myself on the recovery. My groin it is still a bit tight and I do not want to hinder the progress. Plus, I have got to be fresh for the skiing next week in North Lake Tahoe!!

Today was also my sister’s birthday so Happy Birthday Talli! The celebration with tea and a delicious chocolate torte was fun! Talli’s new baby boy of one month, Bram, seemed to be enjoying the event as well

Yesterday we celebrated my friend Scott’s Birthday with a pub crawl in downtown San Francisco. We started the night off at the (apparently) famous Nick’s Crispy Tacos and I got a Chicken Burrito that was indeed tasty. We then hit the bars, including an Irish Pub, an elegant Wine Bar, a Log Cabin Bar called Bigfoot Lodge with animal heads on the wall and a giant wooden sasquatch, a tribal themed bar called Vertigo with cool masks and statues, and a grundge/emo bar. The sharp contrasts between the bars, from the decorations to the patrons, was very interesting and fun.

As far running, my groin still feels tight. It’s not very painful, but I notice it enough to the point where running doesn’t seem like a great idea. I’ve got no pressing races or goals in the near future so I am going to play it safe and wait this out. The result is days off the past couple days and more days off in the future until it heals. It would be nice to be running again on Tuesday when I head down to Pacific Grove to visit my sister, her husband, and my new nephew, Bram (the seashore path right by their home is sweet!).

Instead of running I hit Arrillaga Gym for some quality weight lifting. I did some benching today and got back to 10 reps of 150 pounds. I think at my peak when I was lifting routinely I was doing 10 reps of 160, only ten pounds more, so I am happy the muscles are still there

I updated my Adventure Running website so check it out! I changed the name to “Adventure Running” because it is a better description of what I do in the mountains.

Despite having tons of fun on these hilly trails in the woods, I am going to re-insert some of the more moderate runs on flatter surface and try to limit the “tough” runs to three days a week. Instead of running today, I went to Arrillaga gym to lift weights so at least my upper body got a workout! I also plan on inserting some leg weights into the routine, particularly the hip adductor and hip abductor machines, to strengthen those muscles that are so important on the hills.

The Preserve is off the western side of Skyline Blvd. and provides a feeling of remoteness and wilderness, especially on the weekdays – the only people I saw were a couple mountain bikers in the last couple minutes of the run. The setting is great with some awesome single track in thick redwood forest, cascading streams, and wildlife. One constant on all the trails in this park is hills!

Today’s run in comparison to yesterday manifests just how much hills slow the forward motion of the runner, especially for humans. Today’s run was easier both mentally and physically but yet I was running over one minute faster per mile. Four legged mammals seem to have far lesser reduction in efficiency with their lower center of gravity and more parallel movement to the ground. Humans, meanwhile, have a higher center of gravity which inherently places the body in a more perpendicular position to the hill. Oh well, I’m glad I’m just racing humans up the hills!

I pegged the loop to be a 90 minute affair so I didn’t feel the need to carry water – mistake! After feeling ok through the cool forest of the French Trail, it started to unravel on the Golden Spike Trail and especially going up the Toyon Trail where direct sunlight was beating me. My quads were also still “pumped” (i.e. tired) from the Foothills Park run on Thursday. I was getting dehydrated and there was no water source making the hill more laborious. It wasn’t that bad, but I definitely finished more tired than usual. The lack of proper hydration and nutrition before the run due to the test in the morning probably had an effect too. Total running time ended up being 1:38 and distance covered was 13.5 miles with about 2,400 feet of elevation gain.

The good news is that the loop provided a great overview of the park environs with the redwoods along the French Trail being totally awesome, as usual. I wanted to check out Black Mountain via Rhus Ridge tomorrow, but I think my legs need a hill break so I hope to do it sometimes early next week.

This was a highly enjoyable loop that provides some challenging (steep) ascents, but a great setting. I’ll definitely be back here soon to try the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve extension.

Image Courtesy of The Friends of Foothills Park