(Skip the story and look at pictures)
Another wonderful weekend on the west coast! After leaving a hot and humid Dallas, we landed in Burbank to 45 degree temperatures and rain. (oh no - not again!). It cleared up, but I was really concerned that I would have to run in the mud again.
Thursday, after a short hilly run with Ken, Doug and I drove to Newport Beach to meet with some friends/clients. We had a lovely lunch, and then went with them to their soon-to-be new beachfront home - it is beautiful, and includes a totally xeriscaped lawn and a spiral slide from the second floor down to the back yard lawn.
Friday while Doug was in business meetings, I took a quick trip to Towsley Canyon and went for a short hike to take some pictures. The day was very bright, so the light wasn't great for panoramics, but I got a few cool close-ups of the area. The canyon was very peaceful and a nice way to spend a quite morning. That evening we had a nice pasta load at a local Italian joint, and tried to make an early evening of it.
Saturday came very early - 5 am wakeup call. After a cup of coffee, we hit the road for our drive to Malibu Canyon State Park and our 14 mile trail run. Once at the park, we were amazed to find that there was frost on the ground! It was a bit colder than I had expected, but we knew it would warm up soon, so we just tried to follow the sunshine as it peeked over the surrounding hills. After we picked up our race packets and heard the last minute instructions (which mostly went "it's hilly, slow down, don't get hurt") we walked about 1/4 mile down the road to the start.
All of a sudden we were off. No "ready set go" that I could hear, no national anthem. It was a small crowd and we all started pretty much together. The race was uphill the first 6 miles, and the second 3 miles was pretty steep (see the elevation profile). We were glad the sun was out, but knew that if it was much hotter we would have really suffered on this climb. Right before the major climb, we ran past the area where the TV series "MASH" was filmed. I didn't recognize the site, but I guess they finished filming 25 years ago so *perhaps* it looks different now!
After we got to the high point on the course, it was pretty cruisey. There was a section where we ran along the surface of a sandstone outcrop, and a part that was really steep downhill single-track through the shrubbery. The views from up here were fantastic - ocean to one side, and the LA metro area to the other. There were still two uphills that needed to be contended with, including one right before the finish, but they were blessedly sweet compared to the initial climb.
We finished in 2:40 - about 10 minutes slower than my "big time" goal, but 5 minutes faster than I expected realistically. Our two mile splits were:19:56, 22:48, 29:10 (end of the steep climb), 27:48 (steep downhill), 23:52, 19:29, 17:19. (avg pace of 11:27 according to my pace calculator). At the finish, there was plenty of water and gatorade, some snacks, lots of fruit, and our support crew, with whom all things are possible. Thanks to Doug, Deb, Mel, Anna and Paul. They took very good care of us. Ken was approaching a full-body cramp at the end, but after lying very still and taking on lots of water he recovered just fine. Anna and Deb did great in the 4 mile race - they had some pretty good climbing too, so I hope they are proud of their accomplishments!
After the race, and the traditional post-run Starbuck's stop, we made our way back to Ken and Betty-Lou's house for an all-day feed. Betty-Lou had a big spread waiting for us, so we ate and lounged around in the hot tub and drank for several hours until dinner arrived (carne asada!). Needless to say we were doing our best to fat replace after the race (you know - carbo load before, fat replace after!).
Sunday everyone had a nice sleep in, and Ken with assistance from Betty-Lou cooked up another feast for us - pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, bagels, cinnamon rolls, muffins, fruit, and lots of coffee. Run to Eat. Eat to Run! We needed wheelchair assistance to board the plane!
So short version: perfect weather, fantastic company, gracious and accommodating hosts, and a wonderful scenic race. Next stop: Ashland Oregon - Siskiyou Out Back 50K.