It was a great weekend - just what I needed to fully re-energize and recover from all of the travels and to begin to focus on the 2012-2013 academic year. To kick off the weekend, I managed my first post-Boulder race work-out on Friday with a spinning class, which was the perfect reintroduction to the wide world of sports/fitness. During the school year, I can't normally go to an 8:30 am spin class during the week, so this was a last hurrah for the summer, and Rod, the instructor, had us working with heart rate monitors. Obviously this is an effective tool for training, and it made me think about yet another investment for the future but not the present. I definitely pushed myself during the class, but focusing on my heart rate was a change, rather than just try to decide what it meant to me when the instructor says "You should be at a 5 in intensity".
The spinning class set a nice tone for a weekend full of cycling adventures. And some misadventures with the news about Lance Armstrong breaking and dominating much of the cycling world news, despite the fact that 2 major races were going on (the USA Pro Challenge and the Vuelta a España). I think that I read all of my free articles at NYTimes.com between Friday and Saturday just to see what experts had to say, and obviously there is no consensus but plenty of buzz about it with opinions all over the place. We also spent many hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday watching coverage of the USA Pro Challenge which concluded yesterday. Saturday's race ended in Boulder, and we wished that we could have been a part of the throngs of people out cheering for the cyclists (Michael's brothers were there - I was rather envious!). I've become a huge Jens Voigt fan, not because of this Road ID commercial (although I do like it), but his tenacity and his motto "Shut up legs".
In addition to reacquainting myself with certain muscles that I hadn't used in awhile, we satisfied our Mexican craving on Friday at Amigo's, a favorite, especially because of their pitchers of margaritas. We celebrated the birth of a special little lady, and we also celebrated the fact that her mom could drink with us again! Over the pitchers (as usual), a friend proposed the idea of joining him on his weekly Sunday morning brunch ride. It seemed like a great way to get back on the bike - a no-pressure, social ride. Yes, please, sign me up! Yesterday morning, we rolled out around 9:00 am, heading east to Pasadena and then further east to the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area, a part of LA that we had never, to my embarrassment, explored. I knew of its whereabouts, that it did exist, but biking there - that never crossed my narrow-bike-experience-mind. Rob led the way, fortunately, because we traveled along surface streets, through towns that I usually associate with an exit on the freeway: Arcadia, Temple City, Irwindale - where were we?! And then, after hitting a fairly industrialized part of the eastern landscape of the LA area, we made a few turns and suddenly connected to a bike trail! It was a great day for a ride - calm, for the most part, and I saw, in much closer detail, parts of LA that I usually ignore or dismiss. The bike trail around the Santa Fe Dam was a beauty - well-maintained and also well-used. On the return, we traveled a different course, hugging a bit closer the Angeles National Forest as we headed to Pasadena via Sierra Madre. Our lunch destination was another old favorite: Lucky Baldwin's where we restored our energy with some food and brew! I also learned that a post-ride IPA beer is a great recovery drink, but then the 5-miles or so uphill to get back home don't feel quite so good.
The Sunday ride was the perfect way for me to enjoy Sunshine again and to get my legs spinning without too much pushing and pulling thanks to a relatively flat route. Rob, our fearless leader, kept a kind tempo - he stressed that it was a relaxed ride which I appreciated. For me, this might be one of my favorite rides of the summer, probably because I had such a different attitude going into it. I have enjoyed the fact that Michael and I spent time on our bikes when we were in Oregon and Colorado, and we loved our explorations up and down PCH this summer. However, many (all) of those rides served a fairly singular purpose - train, train, train. I focused on speed, mph, elevation gain and loss, and on miles, mainly on miles, as I needed to add more each week to feel prepared. So, the rides had more to do with going a certain speed and distance and less to do with enjoying the experience of riding. Yesterday's ride was truly about exploring the city and sharing a Sunday morning (and part of the afternoon) ride with friends. It made me think about cycling in a different way, one that is less about using it to push myself and more about fun. I would like to add miles this fall, but more than anything, I'd like to shift my approach to cycling in general and go on rides not because I *have* to but merely because they offer possibilities of fun, socializing and exploration.
So, it is good to be back in the saddle, in both a literal and figurative sense, and I can't wait for my next ride!
Showing posts with label Amigo's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amigo's. Show all posts
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Happy three-day weekend!
Yes, the ubiquitous it's "Memorial Day weekend and I have to write about it!" moment. Still, there is much to comment on - the end of school is very near and we had a great race yesterday. And it IS a three-day weekend. Life is pretty damn good!
Regarding school - before I slip into a state of "irrational exuberance" about the fact that classes ended on Thursday afternoon, I should remember the words with which someone cautioned me - the year isn't over yet. But, in terms of classes, it is! I said adiós to my classes on Thursday, and now all that remains of the year are exams to grade, a trip with the seniors, lots of ceremonial moments, and final meetings. See, almost done!
It is even more perfect that the last day of classes more or less coincides with this weekend which is a true three-day-weekend for me. I say "true", because I have almost zero work! This stands in stark contrast to last weekend, which was a three-day weekend for me because I took a personal day on Friday, but then I spent several hours at school on Saturday and Sunday. This weekend has involved and will continue to involve friends, food and fun. (Yay for alliteration; too bad that I'm using it at a first-grader's level) The fun truly began yesterday morning, if you can use that word to describe a killer 8.6 mile trail run.
Yes, after some training and plenty of anticipation, Michael and I woke up on the early side for a Saturday morning and headed to Sierra Madre for the Mt. Wilson Trail Race. It was a beautiful morning - the rain from yesterday cleared out the air, and it was sunny with wispy clouds still hanging a bit low. A perfect beginning for a race day! After my illegal running of the race last year, I had my sights set on a legitimate run this year. I feel like somewhat of an interloper because it's a race with a very long tradition, being the second oldest trail race in the state of CA, and I still consider myself a newbie to SoCal and hate to think that I might have taken someone's place who had raced it for 20 years straight. I did not, however, volunteer to give up my bib, and was excited to participate in the event, especially since Michael and some friends were running it, which lent the race experience a much more 'community-feel' than my usual races.
In terms of race strategy and expectations, I hadn't spent hours of agonizing over this race although I did feel plenty nervous as we lined up at the start. Nor had I given too much thought to my race strategy. A part of me was tempted to run slowly and just enjoy the experience, but then another part of me wanted to RACE it! The latter part seemed to have greater persuasion because once we started, I decided that I needed to push it up the initial uphill which leads to the trail, in order to be in a better position once I hit the trail, as passing requires some strategic maneuvering on the ascent and descent. At a certain point on the uphill, I began to worry that I was pushing it too much and would run out of energy. However, the incline surged up, so it then became a game of run when I could and walk to save energy, especially since walking was faster than running at many moments on the trail - at least for the group that I was with. As per usual, I passed plenty of people on the uphill. I wasn't sure what my time would be to reach the top, so hitting that point just under 60-minutes was a total surprise! Yes, 4.2 miles in 58 minutes isn't speedy, but considering the elevation gain, I was happy with it. Reaching the half-way point meant a nice, long descent with a few uphill bumps along the way. Also, people running downhill had the safer position of being on the mountain side which is also a major bonus! As for the descent, I got passed by probably 40 people that I had managed to crawl past on the uphill, but this race, for me, is not about ego, so I did not mind one bit that people passed me. I was actually very happy with my downhill run which, for me, was a good pace. Coming off the trail, we hit pavement - it is strange to suddenly find yourself on a street after the miles on a trail. The only issue I had at the end was the small uphill coming off the trail - my calves started to cramp up! I've never had cramping issues on a run, so that was not fun. It comforted me that I was not the only one experiencing issues, since another woman stopped and stretched out her calves. Once we turned the corner of the street and headed downhill again, the calf-cramping issue abated and it was run, run, run to the finish! I crossed at either 1:36 or 1:37 plus some seconds which was great - I had hoped to finish around 1:40, so that was a better race than expected!
After getting some water and an orange, I then waited for Michael whom I sighted once he was on the final downhill - I ran partly down with him and then peeled off to talk to some students who had gone to the race to cheer different teachers on. They had even made signs for me in español! Michael had a good race, and so did other friends - it was a good day for everyone! It only improved when we had a beer at the beer garden afterwards. Perhaps half-way through the beer, we decided to take the celebration on to Amigos, for Mexican food and, of course, margaritas.
Looking back, I think that the day might just meet my definition of a "perfect day". A hard but fun race with plenty of cheering on other people, shared food and drink, and finally a big fat nap in the afternoon. This definitely puts me in the mood for summer!
Regarding school - before I slip into a state of "irrational exuberance" about the fact that classes ended on Thursday afternoon, I should remember the words with which someone cautioned me - the year isn't over yet. But, in terms of classes, it is! I said adiós to my classes on Thursday, and now all that remains of the year are exams to grade, a trip with the seniors, lots of ceremonial moments, and final meetings. See, almost done!
It is even more perfect that the last day of classes more or less coincides with this weekend which is a true three-day-weekend for me. I say "true", because I have almost zero work! This stands in stark contrast to last weekend, which was a three-day weekend for me because I took a personal day on Friday, but then I spent several hours at school on Saturday and Sunday. This weekend has involved and will continue to involve friends, food and fun. (Yay for alliteration; too bad that I'm using it at a first-grader's level) The fun truly began yesterday morning, if you can use that word to describe a killer 8.6 mile trail run.
Yes, after some training and plenty of anticipation, Michael and I woke up on the early side for a Saturday morning and headed to Sierra Madre for the Mt. Wilson Trail Race. It was a beautiful morning - the rain from yesterday cleared out the air, and it was sunny with wispy clouds still hanging a bit low. A perfect beginning for a race day! After my illegal running of the race last year, I had my sights set on a legitimate run this year. I feel like somewhat of an interloper because it's a race with a very long tradition, being the second oldest trail race in the state of CA, and I still consider myself a newbie to SoCal and hate to think that I might have taken someone's place who had raced it for 20 years straight. I did not, however, volunteer to give up my bib, and was excited to participate in the event, especially since Michael and some friends were running it, which lent the race experience a much more 'community-feel' than my usual races.
In terms of race strategy and expectations, I hadn't spent hours of agonizing over this race although I did feel plenty nervous as we lined up at the start. Nor had I given too much thought to my race strategy. A part of me was tempted to run slowly and just enjoy the experience, but then another part of me wanted to RACE it! The latter part seemed to have greater persuasion because once we started, I decided that I needed to push it up the initial uphill which leads to the trail, in order to be in a better position once I hit the trail, as passing requires some strategic maneuvering on the ascent and descent. At a certain point on the uphill, I began to worry that I was pushing it too much and would run out of energy. However, the incline surged up, so it then became a game of run when I could and walk to save energy, especially since walking was faster than running at many moments on the trail - at least for the group that I was with. As per usual, I passed plenty of people on the uphill. I wasn't sure what my time would be to reach the top, so hitting that point just under 60-minutes was a total surprise! Yes, 4.2 miles in 58 minutes isn't speedy, but considering the elevation gain, I was happy with it. Reaching the half-way point meant a nice, long descent with a few uphill bumps along the way. Also, people running downhill had the safer position of being on the mountain side which is also a major bonus! As for the descent, I got passed by probably 40 people that I had managed to crawl past on the uphill, but this race, for me, is not about ego, so I did not mind one bit that people passed me. I was actually very happy with my downhill run which, for me, was a good pace. Coming off the trail, we hit pavement - it is strange to suddenly find yourself on a street after the miles on a trail. The only issue I had at the end was the small uphill coming off the trail - my calves started to cramp up! I've never had cramping issues on a run, so that was not fun. It comforted me that I was not the only one experiencing issues, since another woman stopped and stretched out her calves. Once we turned the corner of the street and headed downhill again, the calf-cramping issue abated and it was run, run, run to the finish! I crossed at either 1:36 or 1:37 plus some seconds which was great - I had hoped to finish around 1:40, so that was a better race than expected!
After getting some water and an orange, I then waited for Michael whom I sighted once he was on the final downhill - I ran partly down with him and then peeled off to talk to some students who had gone to the race to cheer different teachers on. They had even made signs for me in español! Michael had a good race, and so did other friends - it was a good day for everyone! It only improved when we had a beer at the beer garden afterwards. Perhaps half-way through the beer, we decided to take the celebration on to Amigos, for Mexican food and, of course, margaritas.
Looking back, I think that the day might just meet my definition of a "perfect day". A hard but fun race with plenty of cheering on other people, shared food and drink, and finally a big fat nap in the afternoon. This definitely puts me in the mood for summer!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Snakes on a trail - Mt. Wilson training run
I hope that someone picks up the obvious reference to a bad movie:
Other possible and perhaps better titles would be "One snake on a trail", "Margaritas - the perfect post-run recovery drink", or "Getting my running mo-jo back"! Our third and final Mt. Wilson training run lifted my spirits and and restored my faith in running to no end. What more could I ask for in a run and in a day?
I did find some irony in the experience - after a rough run last Sunday, I dreaded setting out Saturday morning at 10:45 am - definitely on the later side. For much of my spring running, I viewed the few Mt. Wilson training runs as good training for Wildflower. Yesterday, I realized that Wildflower may have been good training for Mt. Wilson! When we began the long ascent, I grumbled internally but soon found myself enjoying the trail, despite the challenge of it. I did not worry about my time or pace but just focused on footfall, how my body was responding to the trail, and passing hikers in a courteous way. The only glitch came close to the turn-around point, Orchard Camp. I had hit the part of the trail where it evens out and is nice and shady, so I started to pick up my pace a bit, and then a hiker, coming down trail, warned me about a rattlesnake on the trail. YIKES! Since our speedy running partner had already made it up, we couldn't let a snake deter us from making it to the turn-around point. I ran back to Michael who was a bit behind, and then we ran/walked the rest of the way - I hoped that there would be strength in numbers! No sight of the snake for us, nor did we hear a rattle, but Rob encountered him (or her?) on his way up - the snake separated the trail, creating a bit of a quandary for the people on the trail. Obviously we all made it up and took a bit of a break by an impressive tree before beginning the downward run.
Once we met up in the lovely town of Sierra Madre, we had to make a decision - what to do post-run. We considered a cafe, a bar, and then we settled on Amigo's! The afternoon unfolded as we shared good food, drink and conversation. I felt mellow and happy, surrounded by great energy and enjoying the post-run euphoria that I usually associate with runs. This wasn't, by any means, a fast run, but it was a good, hard run that allowed me to lose myself in the experience of running and then follow it up with a sense of a shared experience.
I'm not sure how I will "do" when it comes to the official Mt. Wilson trail race, but I'd like to hold on to this memory and to appreciate and respect the run, no matter what!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Good Friday run - Mt. Wilson, Take II
Good Friday seemed like the perfect time to hit the trails and do another Mt. Wilson practice run. Unlike some individuals, I have not been faithfully running the trail on a regular basis. In fact, this was the first time since February that I felt emboldened enough to tackle it again. Having signed up to run the race legally this year, I do want to get in a few more runs up the mountain before Memorial Day weekend so that I kind of 'race' it. We pretty much winged our first run, and found ourselves surprised at reaching the turn-around point for the race and then zooming (sort of) down the mountain.
Yesterday afternoon felt quite different. First of all, rather than meeting up on a grey, chilly morning, we opted for the afternoon which was sunny and full of light. I initially worried that it might be a warm trudge up the mountain, but the weather was pretty perfect - not too hot, not too cool. Just like the Baby Bear's porridge. However, I did not bring fresh legs to the mountain, and I knew that the run would be demanding. My partner in crime, Michael, has slacked off on most exercise lately, so the run would most definitely challenge him.
In hindsight, I would not quite describe it as "brutal", but the run up the mountain was definitely tough. I briefly contemplated the run-5-minutes-walk-1-minute strategy, but soon realized that I couldn't predict that the tough parts that I would naturally walk would fall into the 1-minute time-frame. So, I squashed that plan and just walked/ran according to what felt right. There were those moments when I could pick up the pace and really feel my legs taking off, but then the trail would surge upward or I would hit a rocky patch, and it would force me to walk. Once I hit the upper part of the trail, I then began to enjoy it - I ran through nice shade and the uphill grade evened out a bit. That was where I met up with our speedy friend who had already reached the turn-around once and then he returned with me. We headed back down, met Michael who was fairly near the 'top', and went back up with him! The descent was certainly quicker than the uphill trudge, and it did feel nice to gather some speed. However, I forget how deceptive the trail is. There is a certain point when I think that I must ALMOST be there, and yet the trail continues down, down, down. I was surprised at what a great time the afternoon was to run the trail. As I said, it was not too hot, and the afternoon light touched on all of the trees and plants and lent a lovely gold to the trail. Also, there were fewer people on the trail than on Saturday morning which made it easier, both going up and coming down.
This run was slower than my first attempt at Mt. Wilson in February which may not be a bad thing as it reminds me of how challenging the trail is and how I should never take it for granted! I might have quit before the top, but there was a major reward awaiting us at the end: A strong margarita and a veggie burrito at one of our old favorites in Pasadena, Amigo's. Somehow it wouldn't have seemed right to go and have a drink and a huge platter of food if we hadn't all made it to the turn-around point! So, tired, stinky and sore, we all revived when we were ensconced in a comfortable booth and a pitcher of margaritas magically appeared at our table. Bliss!
By 7:30 pm, we had satisfied all of our cravings, and we commented that we'd be home by 8:00 and in bed by 8:30. It didn't quite work out like that because on the drive home, I decided that watching just a bit of "The Big Lebowski" would be the perfect end to an already perfect day. I have NO idea why that thought took hold, but it did, so we enjoyed about 30 minutes of that crazy mess of a movie. And then I went to sleep, dreaming of trails and of "The Dude".
One final note - I felt surprisingly good this morning, bounced out of bed and hit the pool for a very easy swim. This afternoon, however, my legs are suffering from yesterday's adventure. I am, as John Goodman's character from "The Big Lebowski" says, "in a world of pain".
Yesterday afternoon felt quite different. First of all, rather than meeting up on a grey, chilly morning, we opted for the afternoon which was sunny and full of light. I initially worried that it might be a warm trudge up the mountain, but the weather was pretty perfect - not too hot, not too cool. Just like the Baby Bear's porridge. However, I did not bring fresh legs to the mountain, and I knew that the run would be demanding. My partner in crime, Michael, has slacked off on most exercise lately, so the run would most definitely challenge him.
In hindsight, I would not quite describe it as "brutal", but the run up the mountain was definitely tough. I briefly contemplated the run-5-minutes-walk-1-minute strategy, but soon realized that I couldn't predict that the tough parts that I would naturally walk would fall into the 1-minute time-frame. So, I squashed that plan and just walked/ran according to what felt right. There were those moments when I could pick up the pace and really feel my legs taking off, but then the trail would surge upward or I would hit a rocky patch, and it would force me to walk. Once I hit the upper part of the trail, I then began to enjoy it - I ran through nice shade and the uphill grade evened out a bit. That was where I met up with our speedy friend who had already reached the turn-around once and then he returned with me. We headed back down, met Michael who was fairly near the 'top', and went back up with him! The descent was certainly quicker than the uphill trudge, and it did feel nice to gather some speed. However, I forget how deceptive the trail is. There is a certain point when I think that I must ALMOST be there, and yet the trail continues down, down, down. I was surprised at what a great time the afternoon was to run the trail. As I said, it was not too hot, and the afternoon light touched on all of the trees and plants and lent a lovely gold to the trail. Also, there were fewer people on the trail than on Saturday morning which made it easier, both going up and coming down.
This run was slower than my first attempt at Mt. Wilson in February which may not be a bad thing as it reminds me of how challenging the trail is and how I should never take it for granted! I might have quit before the top, but there was a major reward awaiting us at the end: A strong margarita and a veggie burrito at one of our old favorites in Pasadena, Amigo's. Somehow it wouldn't have seemed right to go and have a drink and a huge platter of food if we hadn't all made it to the turn-around point! So, tired, stinky and sore, we all revived when we were ensconced in a comfortable booth and a pitcher of margaritas magically appeared at our table. Bliss!
By 7:30 pm, we had satisfied all of our cravings, and we commented that we'd be home by 8:00 and in bed by 8:30. It didn't quite work out like that because on the drive home, I decided that watching just a bit of "The Big Lebowski" would be the perfect end to an already perfect day. I have NO idea why that thought took hold, but it did, so we enjoyed about 30 minutes of that crazy mess of a movie. And then I went to sleep, dreaming of trails and of "The Dude".
One final note - I felt surprisingly good this morning, bounced out of bed and hit the pool for a very easy swim. This afternoon, however, my legs are suffering from yesterday's adventure. I am, as John Goodman's character from "The Big Lebowski" says, "in a world of pain".
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