a banner year

i typically don't do the 'resolution' posts or the 'look back on x year' posts, but i was just thinking about 2007 and what an amazing year it was.  i think topping it will be hard.  i mean, for good reasons, 1994 was an epic year.  but the gestalt version of 2007 is pretty impressive.

first off, i ran my first 50k ultra in february, the twin peaks ultra, which was huge horizon expanding experience.

i followed that up in april with my second boston marathon, this time joining my good friend and coaching experiment, flipperhead.  in epic conditions too boot!

then tri season kicked in, and as i began ramping up my training for an intended fall ironman, i raced wildflower, my first half iron distance event, and successfully attacked the swim.

then late spring rolled around and the whole world changed with the birth of our son, thunderclap newman.  i've tried to put into words how incredible the experience has been and the closest thing i can compare it to is mountaineering.  the blood, sweat and tears necessary to get to the summit of a mountain are rewarded by a sensory overload of joy and beauty.

with a scaled back training season, i was still able to pull off a pr at the camp pendelton oly and a decent finish time at the long course tri in santa barbara.

to finish the year off, i ended up with my first set of stitches due to kissing quartzite while trail running in the arizona desert.

i can't think of a year that has been more jam packed with amazing experiences.  that really sets a high bar and i'll do my best to at least meet, if not exceed, it this year.

connecting the dots

while out on a run this past friday, i found a new route into the preserve that backs up to our community.  the new route starts a mere half mile from my front door, versus the two mile run to the preserve and another two miles to get back to the same spot that the new route takes me.  basically, i cut 3.5 miles off of the route.  this reduction in mileage makes running through the preserve and into laguna coast wilderness (which can then be linked to el moro and aliso creek/wood canyon) completely viable for everything from short to long runs.

sunday, i decided to try out the new route for my long run.  i headed out, hopped a fence and was greeted with lush, rolling green hills.  i headed up through the preserve past barbaras lake, under the 133 and into the newly opened nix center at little sycamore canyon.  i headed up the canyon and was impressed with the improvements to the trail that the park service had made.

after two tough climbs, i was up on serano ridge and headed out toward the ocean.  the rolling ridge line provided amazing views of the county, mountains and ocean.  after a couple more moderate climbs and a drop down under the toll road, i was in el moro.  the trail i had taken plopped me right smack dab in the middle of my favorite single track. 

i only had two hours, though, so i turned around and headed back the way i'd come.  establishing this route, though, now gives me an easy way to get into all of these parks without too many miles and hardly any road running.  now i can run from home, using this route and complete the el moro loop for a long run of 22 miles, or pop over into aliso, or explore the james dilley preserve, or, or, or...the options are endless!  i'm excited about this new development and anxious to start hosting octr runs from home!

here comes the sun

so, training continues at a moderate pace.  nothing crazy going on, no epic track workouts or all day trail runs and no races on the horizon.  just the left, right, left, right in an attempt to keep the blood flowing, to enjoy the outdoors, clear my head and keep a base intact for any fun events that may present themselves.

this sunday, though, my schedule let me meet up with the oc trail runners and get out for an early morning sunrise run.  i met up with pete, mike, lori, lisa and two of her friends for a 5am start in el moro.  it was a simple 10 mile loop with only one major climb [bfi].  the fun part, though was running for an hour with a headlamp in the pitch dark.  by the time we were up on the ridge and headed back toward the missing link single track, the sun was nearing it's crest of the mountains.

by the time we stopped at the singletrack for a break, the sun poked it's head up and greeted us.  watching the world wake up on the trails is a rare and beautiful thing.  what a blessing.

brainwash much?