Sunday, July 15, 2007

Briones

the last time i ran here was by mistake. i was trying to hook-up with a trail running group after work and was annoyed at missing them and had to really fight the urge to just go home. today i wanted to be here and wanted to explore some new trails.

as i gathered my gear i realized i hadn't charged my ipod....surprisingly though i didn't panic and it didn't really phase me, though i did think for a split second that 15 miles might feel ALOT longer than normal without my tunes. onward and undaunted i hit the porta-potty grabbed a map and plotted my route.
the weather was pretty mild at this point, bright blue and sunny but not too hot...though that would change before too long.

Briones for the most part is hilly and very exposed with an occasional oak tree to offer a little respite from the sun. after Abrigo, then past Santos, the first major climb, you have a choice to stay to the right and follow Briones Crest or go to the left and follow Lagoon Trail, i veered left in favor of something new.

for a change of pace i ate half of a pb&j sandwich before on the drive in. i decided to give the sport beans another try...i don't really like them but i had more of them than gels. i tend to go overboard on the fluids, a hand-held and 2 more bottles in my waist pack but better than running out midrun as there are no faucets along the trail. the weather did start to get a bit hotter but i think the lack of shade was more of an issue than unbearable heat.

i was grateful when the seemingly endless Lagoon trail tapered off into a nice shady spot where i stopped to eat a few more sport beans....that seems to be the trick ...stopping and chewing them vs trying to keep running like you can with gels.

Lagoon eventually intersected with Black Diamond (i think) and then Mott's Peak....this is a fiercely long ass hill...again i was happy to be on the downside . after another seemingly endless descent i was through with hills in favor of the flat valley trail. i was disappointed when i saw the trail begin to ascend...i was through with hills for today and turned around in search of flatter ground. i had a few side stitches, nothing a short bit of walking didn't quell, i just felt hot and wanted to be done. ten hot hilly miles would have to suffice for today.

this was a good run, not as far as i needed to go today but i was glad to be running on dirt again. i missed not having my tunes, but it was good training out of my comfort zone.

2 comments:

Lara said...

Sounds like a run well executed. I'll admit that I've come to rely on my ipod quite alot for training runs (though I've never worn it in a race). For me, it would be a definite challenge to go 10 with no music or podcasts. So good for you!!

psbowe said...

I'm jealous of your run. If I run trails, I typically prefer to go without ipod, listen to nature at work instead.