Sensory Trail Run In The Mist

I went to bed late on Friday thinking that it would be raining too hard on Saturday morning to get a nice trail run in.  Never make that assumption!  I woke up at 0400 hours feeling quite refreshed.  There was only a slight drip-drip noise outside-not the constant pitter patter of rain.

I was excited since I had not been on the Mission Peak trail for 3 weeks.  I arrived a little past 0500 hours at Mission Coffee to meet with my running buddy Dan.  The stars were twinkling over head.  Jupiter was high in the sky facing off with a full moon.  Silver steam rose from the ground from the nocturnal showers.

With flashlights on, we progressed up the trail until we were slowed by slippery wet clay.  We moved off the main trail to the grass for more traction.  I always enjoy obstacles like mud, snow, rocks, and whatever God throws at me.  Dan likes things cleaner.  He is an engineer and lives a very orderly life despite the fact that he is the father of 8 children.

The sounds, smells, and sights on this run were extraordinary.  The moon and the stars gave us a natural light show which was quickly dissipated by an early sun rise which gave way to red pastel wisps of fog and silver clouds blanketing the valleys.

When we crossed the gate at the end of  Mill Creek Road, we were amazed at the rapid wing flapping of the native grouse zipping in and out of the trees.  Wild turkeys move about the trees and lower grounds but were not as successful as the grouse at rapid movement.  Could be the difference between a fifteen pound bird versus a 15 ounce bird?

We were greeted with smells of eucalyptus, bay laurel, anise, and vanilla.  Herds of wild turkeys were dilly dallying around on the grassy hill sides.  A  few male turkeys faced each other in fighting postures.  Some made daring assaults only to by blocked by other fighting birds.  While all this was going on, 2 deer passed by quietly with no concern for anything except to forage on the grass.

While making our final descent of the trail run down Mill Creek road, Dan explained with some excitement to listen to the present quietness and compare it to the noises that were going to hear once we had a view of the Bay Area.  Once we rounded a corner that shrouded the city noises, we  were greeted with a wall of buzzing freeway noise, distant train whistles, diesel trucks down shifting, and chain saws ripping through wood.  It was barely 0700 hours and we wondered what happened to all of our peace and quiet. 

What a reality check!  We live in a world with so many noises, it's a wonder that we hear what our children or loved ones say to  us.  Then maybe we don't.

Trail Run In The Heat

I don't think I will complain about cold weather running for a long time.  Cold weather running is far easier to prepare for than hot weather running.  This week has been Al Gore's dream came true with temps in the 80's all week in the Bay area.  Global warming revisited us after a cooling trend.  We had a few days above 90.  Today felt like 100 or so.

However, I cannot complain about the heat either.  It was great starting out our run at 6 AM scantely dressed in a mesh t-shirt and shorts.  I had 40 ounces of water and was well hydrated before the run.  Mr. Bradley checked the Rose Peak (elevation 3000 ft.) weather station on the net before we left and it was 80 degrees at 530 AM.  It reached a high of 94 degrees today.

We ran up Monument and Mission Peak this morning.  It probably only reached 93 degrees because of the cooling effect of the Bay.

I went through 60 ounces of water on the run and had to drink at least that much when I arrived at home. 

The weather was actually perfect.  It probably did not break 70 degrees for our run.  There was hardly a breeze.  It was beautiful fall weather.  Venus was riding high in the sky brightly.  The moon was not quite half.  We both savored the warm morning knowing that in a week or 2 we would be donning both jackets and gloves.  The prospect of an early fall dusting of snow is a good possibility.

Steve and I never have bad runs.  Each run has it's special place in time for us.  Some are just more epic than others.

Trail Running at first light

I finished running my first trail run of the fall this morning at first light up near Mission Peak in the Bay Area of California. It was cold and windy. I had on a hat, a long sleeve t-shirt, and gloves. I have not had a decent trail run in 2 months since I had been over seas for 5 weeks. It felt so good to be home just for the decent running. I love starting out before sun rise because the color changes are so dramatic. You can see the stars, moon, and planets. It's really night time. I often see "shooting stars". It's hard to believe that the sky can be so black being so close to San Francisco.

I live in the East Bay and I just cannot get enough of trail running. I use an extensive network of trails that is literally hundreds of miles. The terrain is often rocky and can challenge your footwork. Some areas are open and exposed grasslands. My favorite areas to run in the summer are in the cool shaded bay tree hill side draws and canyons. I always grab a handful of bay leaves and roll them in my hands to smell the aromatic bay smell.