Weekend of Trails

This past weekend, I joined a few friends for a weekend of trail running.  It was awesome!  The weather couldn’t have been more perfect – cool, but not cold (yeah, SoCal weather), and the trails were challenging, not scary (I’m not there yet).  On Saturday, we went over to Griffith Park to do a little exploring.  Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in the world, with over 4,000 acres.  Inside, you will find a golf course, the Griffith Observatory, a merry-go-round, a train museum, and lots and lots of trails.  We simply parked and started running.  Three hours later, and a lot of climbing and descending, we finally re-emerged at our cars.  Fun, fun stuff!  I can’t wait to go back!

Sunday, we decided to run to Cherry Canyon, a nice, slightly technical 12 mile out-and-back.  This is probably one of my favorite runs EVER.  It starts in the Arroyo, but then begins a nice ascent up to Cherry Canyon, with great panoramic views.

My big race in December (The Desert Solstice 24 Hours) is on a track (yikes!), so why I keep running trails makes so sense, but I LOVE THEM!  I know they slow me down, but really, I’m like an addict – I just keep going back!

I’m also taking a Fit Body class at the gym with Erin O’Brien, and I believe she is trying to kill me.  I have no balance or flexibility (hello? I’m a runner!), but she insists on making me stand on one foot, on a step, while lifting weights.  What?!  Then, she wants me to hop off and hop back on.  Really.  We need to have some sort of understanding.  I’m about as graceful as an armadillo in high heels.  This better get easier because my ego is taking a beating!

All in all, training feels great, just intense.  I’m pretty tired and hungry, so I hope I will see a payoff at the end of the year.  I’m not expecting a PR, but it would be great not to embarrass myself since this race is invitation only.  I’d hate for them to regret inviting me!

Happy Running!