Monday, February 23, 2015
Water
How much water do you drink? How much water should you drink? This is something I've been pondering at my desk job, feeling dehydrated from a long weekend. I've heard the 8 cups a day, but I've been doing research on how much our bodies really need, and have found the real recommendation is anywhere from a half an ounce to an ounce per pound of body weight. That's a lot of water! How much do you drink a day? Is it enough?
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Monthly Update
This year has been full of change. I started the year with a 50 mile run that pushed me to the limit of what I had. Almost a month later, my hip is still recovering. I've been doing more yoga, and less running. However, the main reason I haven't been running a ton of miles is because in January I bought a house. Yep. Big girl stuff. In Los Angeles, nonetheless.
For the past 7 years, I have been living in the South Bay of L.A., and commuting over an hour each way into DTLA to my job in L.A. City Hall. I've been spending at least 10 hours a week on the bus, if I'm lucky and there isn't traffic... and this is L.A.
My previous daily routine was to get up at 5 and get ready for the day, leave at 6, get to work at 7, leave at 4:30, get home hopefully before 6. I had to go to bed at 9, so I'd have 3 hours a day to do everything I wanted to do. I often had to choose between housework, my husband, and running. I never felt balanced.
Now, I'm living very close to work just East of DTLA near the Gold Line. My morning commute has been 10 minutes, and in the evening I walk over a mile and take the train for 30 minutes. I've reduced my commute from 2+ hours to around 40 minutes.
I haven't really noticed a difference yet, because I'm unpacking and moving. However, I have started incorporating some minor changes into my schedule.
- I have a yoga mat in the living room, and have been doing plank pose, bridge pose, and a few other yoga poses every morning - even if only for a few minutes.
- I've been taking the stairs to my 7th floor office in the morning, and back down.
- I've been walking at least 1.5 miles a day, as opposed to none before.
- I've been drinking more juice for snacks - mostly Bolthouse Farms.
- I've been stopping at the store on my way home and getting 2 days worth of veggies, and cooking more clean nutrient dense foods.
There are some things that I haven't been doing though, that I need to resume once the move is done:
- Getting enough rest and sleep, and letting my muscles recover.
- Taking my vitamins and supplements every day.
- Running more.
- Reading more.
My mother gifted me a subscription to Clean Eating Magazine, and since I've moved I've made kimchi tofu tacos from it, and cooked soyrizo tacos, and some other vegetarian food. I'm working through the meat in my fridge, and then will be buying much less of it.
This weekend I went to ROGA at the Santa Monica Pier with my friend Crystal. We ran 3 miles on the beach, then there was a beautiful yoga session at the very end of the pier. It was beautiful and calming. The Santa Monica pier is the finish line to the L.A. Marathon. Santa Monica is where my grandfather grew up. Doing Warrior 1 and 2 looking out at the beach stretching North was emotional and calming all at once. My yoga intention was recovery, and in more ways than one. As I walked off the pier my uncle e-mailed me some poetry my Grampa had written a while back. I thought it was fitting seeing it where he gallivanted about as a kid.
In 3 weeks I have the 30th L.A Marathon. My mom is coming down from Washington to run it with me. It will be our 6th consecutive LA Marathon, and we're looking forward to it. The goal is a PR for us both, so anything under 5:17 and we'll be more than happy... but honestly, we'll be running it together (and hopefully with our friend Leo who is awesome) and in the end we'd rather be able to say we ran together than ran fast... okay we're hoping for both though. Shoot for the moon!
Friday, January 16, 2015
Avalon 50 Mile Benefit Run
In 2013 I ran my first ultramarathon, and did 50 flat miles at a 24 hour even (Nanny Goat). In 2014 I ran my second ultra again at Nanny Goat. I ran 55 miles, took a nap, then woke up and ran to 62 miles. I'd been eyeing the Avalon 50 mile benefit run for a while. I have many friends who ran it and loved it, and convinced me it'd be a fun 50 to run, so many months ago I signed up. My mother, who is often my running partner, signed up too and we decided to make a vacation out of it. We had a training plan, a hotel booked, and were all set.
The 2015 Avalon 50 Mile Benefit run was on January 10, 2015. I made reservations for the 2pm Catalina Express to Avalon the Friday before the race. I met my Mom and Dad at the terminal around noon, luggage in hand. I had an IPA with my friend Daniel Guzman in the terminal. My friends Liz, Danny, and Jeff (Liu) were on the ship with us, and since the weather was nice we found a spot up top after we stowed our luggage.
The ride was about an hour long. We stayed at the Pavillion Hotel in Avalon, checked in, dropped our luggage, and went to Antonio's for some Italian food before the race. I had their Alfredo pasta and it was very good. So was the Guinness. From the restaurant I walked to the expo down the street.
The expo was no frills. You wait in line, sign a waiver, get your bib, get your shirt. You leave your drop bag there that night. I used a sharpie to write my name and bib number on my duffle bag before I left it in the pile. So much work went into planning what went into that bag.
At 6:30 the race director had a quick talk about the race. He went over the rules, the course, told us to check in before the start so they knew we were there (no frills). He also announced no early start. My heart sank.
I've read, to estimate your time for Avalon, double your LA (or other road race) Marathon time, and add two hours. For me, that would be around 14 hours. The cutoff for Avalon is 12. My friend Danny talked to a man who'd ran many Avalon runs before. This man was Kent Holder, and it was his 33rd time running Avalon. I laughed and told him I'm 32, so I better listen to his advice. He told me I'd make it, and if not before the cutoff I would be close enough that I would be fine. I appreciated all his advice, and went back to the hotel and sketched out a pace plan to get us in before the cutoffs.
Five A.M came too soon. I suppose that was better than the early start, though. I had coffee with Liz and Danny. Jeff came by to have coffee. We all moseyed to the start. I was chatting away with some other runners from LA and before I knew it the crowd started running! I quickly turned on my Garmin and off we went.
We spent the first mile or two with my friend Wilmer, who was running his first 50. It was pitch black out, and our Black Diamond headlamps were on guiding us. We started to climb, climb, climb. This was rough because our legs weren't warmed up yet, but I was happy with our steady pace. At mile 5 you reach the top of the hill. The sun was rising through the clouds at this point, and I had to stop and take some pictures.
So did Chris Frost, the Mayor of Malibu. Well, he said he's not really the mayor, but that's his nickname. We ran together for a mile or two talking about phones and the Santa Monica Mountains. At mile 6ish we reached the first aid station. I looked at my Garmin and saw we were making damn good time, but knew it was early in the game. We each grabbed a water, some pretzles, and kept going. It started drizzling on us, so we kept our Nike Cyclone rain jackets on, thinking it'd let up. HA.
The course is all fire road, with some patches of pavement. It kept raining on us off and on until about mile 10, when it really started and never let up. After a nice downhill We hit the Whacko Cafe Aid Station. We refilled our water, grabbed some oreos and a pb+j, and off we went.
Then we hit the mud. There was a nice uphill section that was not runable, because of the mud. It was sticking to our shoes, and we were sliding every which way on the course. At one point I did the splits from my legs sliding out from under me. I also pulled a muscle in my hip, trying to stabilize myself. Damn mud. I later heard one woman fell and dislocated her shoulder, and many others had some sliding issues. The worst part of the mud was the downhill portions. I love to fly downhill. I slid downhill like a penguin.
This was where I ran into my friend, and other gal who also trains with Keira Henninger's Dirt Divas, Miranda and her friend Adrian who were running together. It was so special sharing the course with such strong runners who are even stronger people. Congratulations Miranda on your first 50! After a while I embraced it, when I could, and just bombed down in the mud hoping and praying I didn't eat it with every step. There were parts where I couldn't run though, and I was really worried that would slow us down too much. Surprisingly, we made it to the halfway point in good time.
To get to the turnaround you run down to Two Harbors, across the Isthmus, and back up to the Sign. You're supposed to mark your bib with something special there, but that special something wasn't working in the rain. I took a picture of us there instead, as proof we made it!
On the way back we hit the Aid Station, and I downed a beer (thank you!) and took what little food they had left. We were getting to be the back of the pack, so it seemed, so off we went. Back up the hill. We were worried about our time so we ran everything we could - uphill and downhill. It was very difficult. Mud stuck to our shoes, we slid, we screamed and laughed. I'll admit, for as much as I love running with my mom, we didn't talk much during this run. It was very hard. We had to focus on not falling. The rain was pouring and we were drenched, so we kept our faces down to keep the rain off. I couldn't really see, either, as my glasses were wet and foggy. We trudged on.
We made it back to the Whacko Cafe well before the cutoff. We took some pb+j and more oreo cookies, quickly downed hot miso soup, and moved on again. It was so wet at this point the poor volunteers at the AS were using palm fronds as planks in the water. We gave up on dodging the puddles of water and streams. Every time we tried to dodge the water we'd get stuck in mud, so we decided to stop going around and just take the path of least resistance. this really mattered in the end.
From Whacko Cafe was my least favorite part of the course, where it seems flat, but is a gradual uphill. I didn't realize it was uphill, so we ran it as much as we could but we started getting sore around mile 35 from all the mud.
We made it to the Eagles Nest Aid Station before the cutoff. We were drenched, and starting to get cold. We just chugged some gingerale and kept moving. They let us know from this point it was 6 miles of flat, so we had to haul to get there in time. It hurt, but we ran. It wasn't much of a run. I've never spent so much time with my mom not talking to her. The mud was still bad, but it was runable. We were so tired we even ran up some hills, because we couldn't feel it anymore. At the pumphouse AS they were taking our numbers to let the finish line know we were 6 miles. They said "one more hill, then downhill." That trek was a pain. I don't even think we took any food. If we did, I don't remember. We just rolled through to finish.
When we got to the top of the hill, I looked at my mom, and we started running. We ran our hearts out. After about a mile I needed to walk for a minute to catch my breath. We were sprinting with all our might. I walked for about 10 seconds then we resumed the bombing downhill. We passed a ton of runners walking down the hill. It was paved, which made it easy to navigate. My glasses were fogged up and wet, though, so I couldn't see well. One runner asked how we could be running, and didn't it hurt? Well, yes I told them - everything hurt so we might as well run. We knew when we ran past the gate we had less than a mile. I was so excited. I was going to finish this! I told my mom I'd cry if I weren't so tired. We were at 12ish hours.
I saw a red blur, and it was our friend Danny, waiting for us. He ran us in to the finish line. I felt bad I couldn't see and puddlestomped next to him a few times. It was very nice of him to bring us in!
My dad was at the finish line, too. I didn't see him until after we finished, but it was a nice surprise. Success!
Reflecting back on why it went as well as it did, I ate really well the whole week leading up to the race. I got plenty of sleep, especially the Thursday night before. I drank lots of coconut water every day leading up to the event. The night before I had fettuccine Alfredo with artichokes for dinner, and a Guinness or two. I ate my inari for breakfast an hour before the race. I had my Hammer Endurolytes every 45 minutes to an hour, and honey stinger chews when I got snacky. I was very lucky I felt so good. It was a good day.
After the race I went with Liz to get a glass of wine, then I showered and we were off to Luau Larry's for buffalo burgers and some IPA! Good times with good friends. Results were we came in in 12:22 and change.
I want to break 12 hours next year.
The 2015 Avalon 50 Mile Benefit run was on January 10, 2015. I made reservations for the 2pm Catalina Express to Avalon the Friday before the race. I met my Mom and Dad at the terminal around noon, luggage in hand. I had an IPA with my friend Daniel Guzman in the terminal. My friends Liz, Danny, and Jeff (Liu) were on the ship with us, and since the weather was nice we found a spot up top after we stowed our luggage.
The ride was about an hour long. We stayed at the Pavillion Hotel in Avalon, checked in, dropped our luggage, and went to Antonio's for some Italian food before the race. I had their Alfredo pasta and it was very good. So was the Guinness. From the restaurant I walked to the expo down the street.
The expo was no frills. You wait in line, sign a waiver, get your bib, get your shirt. You leave your drop bag there that night. I used a sharpie to write my name and bib number on my duffle bag before I left it in the pile. So much work went into planning what went into that bag.
At 6:30 the race director had a quick talk about the race. He went over the rules, the course, told us to check in before the start so they knew we were there (no frills). He also announced no early start. My heart sank.
I've read, to estimate your time for Avalon, double your LA (or other road race) Marathon time, and add two hours. For me, that would be around 14 hours. The cutoff for Avalon is 12. My friend Danny talked to a man who'd ran many Avalon runs before. This man was Kent Holder, and it was his 33rd time running Avalon. I laughed and told him I'm 32, so I better listen to his advice. He told me I'd make it, and if not before the cutoff I would be close enough that I would be fine. I appreciated all his advice, and went back to the hotel and sketched out a pace plan to get us in before the cutoffs.
We spent the first mile or two with my friend Wilmer, who was running his first 50. It was pitch black out, and our Black Diamond headlamps were on guiding us. We started to climb, climb, climb. This was rough because our legs weren't warmed up yet, but I was happy with our steady pace. At mile 5 you reach the top of the hill. The sun was rising through the clouds at this point, and I had to stop and take some pictures.
So did Chris Frost, the Mayor of Malibu. Well, he said he's not really the mayor, but that's his nickname. We ran together for a mile or two talking about phones and the Santa Monica Mountains. At mile 6ish we reached the first aid station. I looked at my Garmin and saw we were making damn good time, but knew it was early in the game. We each grabbed a water, some pretzles, and kept going. It started drizzling on us, so we kept our Nike Cyclone rain jackets on, thinking it'd let up. HA.
The course is all fire road, with some patches of pavement. It kept raining on us off and on until about mile 10, when it really started and never let up. After a nice downhill We hit the Whacko Cafe Aid Station. We refilled our water, grabbed some oreos and a pb+j, and off we went.
This was where I ran into my friend, and other gal who also trains with Keira Henninger's Dirt Divas, Miranda and her friend Adrian who were running together. It was so special sharing the course with such strong runners who are even stronger people. Congratulations Miranda on your first 50! After a while I embraced it, when I could, and just bombed down in the mud hoping and praying I didn't eat it with every step. There were parts where I couldn't run though, and I was really worried that would slow us down too much. Surprisingly, we made it to the halfway point in good time.
To get to the turnaround you run down to Two Harbors, across the Isthmus, and back up to the Sign. You're supposed to mark your bib with something special there, but that special something wasn't working in the rain. I took a picture of us there instead, as proof we made it!
On the way back we hit the Aid Station, and I downed a beer (thank you!) and took what little food they had left. We were getting to be the back of the pack, so it seemed, so off we went. Back up the hill. We were worried about our time so we ran everything we could - uphill and downhill. It was very difficult. Mud stuck to our shoes, we slid, we screamed and laughed. I'll admit, for as much as I love running with my mom, we didn't talk much during this run. It was very hard. We had to focus on not falling. The rain was pouring and we were drenched, so we kept our faces down to keep the rain off. I couldn't really see, either, as my glasses were wet and foggy. We trudged on.
We made it back to the Whacko Cafe well before the cutoff. We took some pb+j and more oreo cookies, quickly downed hot miso soup, and moved on again. It was so wet at this point the poor volunteers at the AS were using palm fronds as planks in the water. We gave up on dodging the puddles of water and streams. Every time we tried to dodge the water we'd get stuck in mud, so we decided to stop going around and just take the path of least resistance. this really mattered in the end.
From Whacko Cafe was my least favorite part of the course, where it seems flat, but is a gradual uphill. I didn't realize it was uphill, so we ran it as much as we could but we started getting sore around mile 35 from all the mud.
We made it to the Eagles Nest Aid Station before the cutoff. We were drenched, and starting to get cold. We just chugged some gingerale and kept moving. They let us know from this point it was 6 miles of flat, so we had to haul to get there in time. It hurt, but we ran. It wasn't much of a run. I've never spent so much time with my mom not talking to her. The mud was still bad, but it was runable. We were so tired we even ran up some hills, because we couldn't feel it anymore. At the pumphouse AS they were taking our numbers to let the finish line know we were 6 miles. They said "one more hill, then downhill." That trek was a pain. I don't even think we took any food. If we did, I don't remember. We just rolled through to finish.
When we got to the top of the hill, I looked at my mom, and we started running. We ran our hearts out. After about a mile I needed to walk for a minute to catch my breath. We were sprinting with all our might. I walked for about 10 seconds then we resumed the bombing downhill. We passed a ton of runners walking down the hill. It was paved, which made it easy to navigate. My glasses were fogged up and wet, though, so I couldn't see well. One runner asked how we could be running, and didn't it hurt? Well, yes I told them - everything hurt so we might as well run. We knew when we ran past the gate we had less than a mile. I was so excited. I was going to finish this! I told my mom I'd cry if I weren't so tired. We were at 12ish hours.
I saw a red blur, and it was our friend Danny, waiting for us. He ran us in to the finish line. I felt bad I couldn't see and puddlestomped next to him a few times. It was very nice of him to bring us in!
My dad was at the finish line, too. I didn't see him until after we finished, but it was a nice surprise. Success!
Reflecting back on why it went as well as it did, I ate really well the whole week leading up to the race. I got plenty of sleep, especially the Thursday night before. I drank lots of coconut water every day leading up to the event. The night before I had fettuccine Alfredo with artichokes for dinner, and a Guinness or two. I ate my inari for breakfast an hour before the race. I had my Hammer Endurolytes every 45 minutes to an hour, and honey stinger chews when I got snacky. I was very lucky I felt so good. It was a good day.
After the race I went with Liz to get a glass of wine, then I showered and we were off to Luau Larry's for buffalo burgers and some IPA! Good times with good friends. Results were we came in in 12:22 and change.
I want to break 12 hours next year.
After the race on Sunday I took an epsom salt bath with a lush bath bomb. I finally cleaned my shoes. yikes!
Friday, January 9, 2015
Surf City Marathon Ambassador
I recently found out that I was lucky enough to be chosen to be an ambassador for the Surf City Marathon, held February 1st, 2015 in Huntington Beach, CA. The Surf City Half Marathon was my 2nd half marathon I ever ran, and also used it as a training run for my first full marathon later that year in LA. To read my silly newbie runner blog post about my first Surf City Half Marathon see it here.
I remember not knowing where to put my bib or timing chip, how to pace myself, prepare for sunny weather, and so many things. The first time I ran Surf City I didn't know what I was doing. Looking back it was pretty cute, knowing what I know now. 5 years later, and I'm excited and ready to run the Full marathon, and try to run my fastest marathon there.
The Surf City Marathon and Half course is a flat and fast course along the beach. It's great for a fast time. Currently the Full Marathon is sold out, and the Half Marathon is at 93% capacity. If you're on the fence about signing up, please use the discount code SCAPKITCH for $10 off. I'll tell you more about my experiences with this race below.
In 2014 I was gunning for a PR, which is a personal record or your fastest time. I had been sick, so I brought my hydration pack with some coconut water in it. This year I will just bring a handheld to cut back on that weight. There are more than enough water stops on the course, that if you have special fuel you can carry it or rely on their aid alone. I forgot my sunglasses. I had my husband drop me off at the start, and I forgot to leave my jacket in his car, so I ran the whole race with it tied around my waist. These are mistakes I won't make again. The race was beautiful. Here is a picture a friend took of me heading towards the finish line.
My running friends have become another family to me. I remember in 2013 I was hauling while I was running, and my phone was butt dialing my friends. My friend Nancy got texted gibberish and I left her a few messages of my steady cadence. whooops! I was happy to see them at the finish line in 2014! Check out our cool surfboard medals!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Los Angeles Marathon Ambassador
I recently found out that I was lucky enough to be chosen as an ambassador for the LA Marathon. 2015 will be the 30th anniversary of what was my first marathon, and I couldn't be more excited to run my favorite road marathon and represent it. Thank you so much LA Marathon, for choosing me to represent you and your darling event. I won't let you down.
I moved to Los Angeles in 2007, after living 25 years in the Pacific Northwest. I got a desk job (that I love) and to relieve stress and stay healthy I started walking. In 2009 I noticed the walking wasn't doing it for my mental or physical health, so I started running.
When my mom was a teenager, she was a runner. In fact, she ran a few marathons... right up until she had me - and then her running career was over - or so she thought.
In August of 2009 I called her and told her I joined a running group, and they were training for the LA Marathon. I had no intention of running a marathon! I just wanted to learn how to run. I learned to hold my hands softly and pump my arms, not to take large steps, and pretend I was a road runner (like the little desert bird, with a high foot turnaround). I remember calling my mom one day saying "mom, guess what? I just ran 8 miles!" I was so proud of myself. Sure, I took walk breaks, but that didn't matter. "I just ran 10." Was her reply. Little did I know what was about to happen.
I tend to go home for Thanksgiving, and in November of 2009 I got an e-mail confirmation that someone had signed me up for the Seattle Half Marathon. It was my mother! Not only that, but she signed herself up too. I was nervous, and didn't know what I was doing, and that race report can be found elsewhere. When we got back from the race, my mom confessed to me "Diana, we're both signed up for the LA Marathon." Initially, the thought was horror. I had enjoyed the Seattle Half Marathon, but I was sore and tired, and I didn't think I could do twice the distance.
I went back to LA and I kept training. There were setbacks. I hurt my knee a month before and had to take 3 weeks off. I was able to run again a week before the Marathon.
On race day of my first ever full marathon, 26.2 miles, I was a nervous wreck. My mom was with me, and she hadn't ran a marathon in almost 30 years. She was excited. I'd learned not to wear cotton, and I had running shoes, but that was it. I was told not to go out too fast. I remember the thrill of crowds lining up, and how surprised I was to see all the clothes people ditched while they warmed up (which I later learned all gets donated to charity). I remember lining up around Dodger Stadium in a sea of people like me, who were nervous and excited to see the City on foot. We heard Randy Newman singing "I Love LA" and we started running.
That was my first marathon. LA in 2010. It was a great race. It was amazing for a first marathon. My race report can be found here. I'm honored to have been selected as an ambassador for this race, my first, my favorite. I want to share the experience with other people of the excitement of their first marathon, of training for a new experience, or for running it for a marathon PR (personal record - your fastest time ever), or just for fun to experience the camaraderie of an entire city. For whatever reason you want to run it, I'm honored to be here to help you see that finish line. If you decide to sign up, please let them know Diana Kitching referred you.
I moved to Los Angeles in 2007, after living 25 years in the Pacific Northwest. I got a desk job (that I love) and to relieve stress and stay healthy I started walking. In 2009 I noticed the walking wasn't doing it for my mental or physical health, so I started running.
When my mom was a teenager, she was a runner. In fact, she ran a few marathons... right up until she had me - and then her running career was over - or so she thought.
In August of 2009 I called her and told her I joined a running group, and they were training for the LA Marathon. I had no intention of running a marathon! I just wanted to learn how to run. I learned to hold my hands softly and pump my arms, not to take large steps, and pretend I was a road runner (like the little desert bird, with a high foot turnaround). I remember calling my mom one day saying "mom, guess what? I just ran 8 miles!" I was so proud of myself. Sure, I took walk breaks, but that didn't matter. "I just ran 10." Was her reply. Little did I know what was about to happen.
I tend to go home for Thanksgiving, and in November of 2009 I got an e-mail confirmation that someone had signed me up for the Seattle Half Marathon. It was my mother! Not only that, but she signed herself up too. I was nervous, and didn't know what I was doing, and that race report can be found elsewhere. When we got back from the race, my mom confessed to me "Diana, we're both signed up for the LA Marathon." Initially, the thought was horror. I had enjoyed the Seattle Half Marathon, but I was sore and tired, and I didn't think I could do twice the distance.
I went back to LA and I kept training. There were setbacks. I hurt my knee a month before and had to take 3 weeks off. I was able to run again a week before the Marathon.
On race day of my first ever full marathon, 26.2 miles, I was a nervous wreck. My mom was with me, and she hadn't ran a marathon in almost 30 years. She was excited. I'd learned not to wear cotton, and I had running shoes, but that was it. I was told not to go out too fast. I remember the thrill of crowds lining up, and how surprised I was to see all the clothes people ditched while they warmed up (which I later learned all gets donated to charity). I remember lining up around Dodger Stadium in a sea of people like me, who were nervous and excited to see the City on foot. We heard Randy Newman singing "I Love LA" and we started running.
That was my first marathon. LA in 2010. It was a great race. It was amazing for a first marathon. My race report can be found here. I'm honored to have been selected as an ambassador for this race, my first, my favorite. I want to share the experience with other people of the excitement of their first marathon, of training for a new experience, or for running it for a marathon PR (personal record - your fastest time ever), or just for fun to experience the camaraderie of an entire city. For whatever reason you want to run it, I'm honored to be here to help you see that finish line. If you decide to sign up, please let them know Diana Kitching referred you.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Saddleback Mountain Goat Marathon
Old Goat Trail Races are my favorite, and Steve and Annie Harvey are just the best you can get for race directors. Okay, there are some other amazing RD's too, but to start with the end, when I crossed the finish line of this race I ran into Steve's arms and gave him a big hug and thanked him and Annie for such a beautiful run and fantastic (but brutal) race.
The Saddleback Mountain Goat Marathon was bought by the Old Goats last year, and I volunteered to help at an aid station. I remember Steve coming up to me saying "you know how to drive." and handing me the keys to the Goatmobile. I got to drive up and down the Main Divide in style that day. I'll never forget driving up during the race briefing and Steve heckling me in his megaphone while I tried to drive through the start/finish line, tucking in mirrors. Who knew, a year later I'd be both wishing to be driving up Main Divide and thankful I was running at the same time.
Last year I manned an aid station, but this year I ran. Both very hard things. Great thanks to all the amazing volunteers who make Old Goat races so fantastic! My husband, Omar, Volunteered at the first and last aid station. Whitney Shepard had pickle juice for me around mile 5. Tina Wallin did everything. All the volunteers are the best!
I'm currently training with Keira Henninger and her Ultra Ladies for the Whoo's in El Moro 50k. She wanted us to do this as a training run, and four of us from the group signed up. With some advice from Keira I anxiously signed up. My friend Freddy stayed at my house the night before and we did some good carbo-loading and had a nice vegan dinner. His hummus is delicious. Morning came too soon, and Omar, Freddy, and I climbed into my car and made the long drive out to Lake Elsinore to the Blue Jay Campground where race HQ was.
I found my other Dirt Diva Ultra Ladies, Vivienne, Kristy, and Meg. We huddled for good luck and at 7:45 there was a race briefing from the RD. This year was a reverse course from last year, and he gave us turn by turn directions and words of wisdom, then sent us on our way.
I was so very nervous. This race was touted as being the hardest marathon in California, with treacherous climbs and over 5,100 feet of elevation gain. There was an 8.5 hour cutoff, and not knowing my abilities I was worried. Keira had insisted after all our summer training we'd be okay though, so I had to trust her.
The first mile is on asphalt out of the campground to the Main Divide truck road where you turn up to the first climb. Main divide is wide and rutted. I ran the flats and small climbs, but powerhiked when it got steep because I don't normally warm up for a few miles.
At the top of Main Divide at mile 4ish was the first aid station, and my sweet husband was there. I didn't need anything so I kept going. I wasn't awake still so I vaguely remember reaching a swooping downhill and taking off, but trying to save myself, not knowing where the big climbs were. The swooping downhill in the woods was very rocky, with dark sharp rocks all over and very loose footing. I wanted to run faster, and heard my foot slip under me so I caught myself and slowed down just a little. I've taken 2 hard falls on the trails, and have been lucky not to hit any rocks - this was not the trail to fall on - you'd break something. Swooping downhill became swooping uphill, and I power hiked up quickly to the next aid station.
Whitney Shepard was at mile 5ish, with pickle juice! One of the gals here took my handheld and topped it off with water for me. I gave whitney a big hug and, feeling charged up, continued on my way. There were beautiful rollercoaster trails the next 5 miles, which offered amazing views of Lake Elsinore, the forest canopy, exposed trails to be traversed, and the clouds. We were running in the clouds. It was a great experience, and a beautiful day.
I hit another aid station, and was told to take an orange, so I did. It was delicious. I realized because of how cool it was I felt really good and wasn't fueling enough, so I ripped open my honey stinger chews on an uphill.
At mile 10 There was a man standing on the side of the trail cheering, then telling us "up this way." I looked, and the trail veered off straight up the side of a hill. "you're joking, right?" He laughed and shook his head no. "Oh my God." The sweet woman behind me, who I later learned her name is Kit, lamented behind me. Up we went. It was steep single track.
There was a groove the first litte stretch, so we put one foot on the side of the bank, and the other foot almost off the edge of the path, for a while. It really worked our hips, but as we groaned we talked about how pretty our secret path was. I don't know what this trail was called, maybe upper holy jim? It was so pretty. I can't stop saying that. There was hardpack dirt and a narrow trail under foot, and the shrubs only gave us elbow width room. It felt like a rabbit trail to wonderland.
In some spots at the switchback turns you could see over the bushes out across the mountain tops, and it would take your breath away (even more than it was). We commented that someone had made steps on the path, and how it was almost easier to go up the steps than the steep path. I did catch my breath a few times at the switchbacks. I needed salt, so I let Kit pass me. I took it all in. I drank some water, breathed deep, and started hiking up that steep hill with purpose.
Kit and I got to the top all of a sudden. Our sweet single track trail ended and hit truck trail again, and ribbons summoned us downward. We high-fived. I told her it was fun, but that I was running down the hill. I had no idea that hill was was 7 miles long. I turned a corner and the view was amazing. I said out loud "holy mackerel!" while I ran. I am not sure why that came out of my mouth. It's what my grandfather who we recently lost used to say. I started thinking of him and caught myself sobbing as I was bombing down this trail. I still miss him so very much, and every day still I think of him, but for some reason at mile 12 of my marathon I missed him so much I lost my shit. I told myself "pull it together, Diana, or you're going to eat shit and die. You can't run a marathon crying. Suck this shit up and be careful." So I sniffled my last sniffle, told my Grampa that I love him, and ran as hard as I could down the hill.
The truck trail here was nice, and not too rutted, so I was able to go full speed ahead. I dipped down into the trees, and found myself at Bear Springs aid station. The volunteers here were so nice. They gave me jelly beans. I actually stood there for a minute picking around the green and yellow ones. I joked about taking the time to pick out jelly beans in the middle of a marathon. It was silly, but oh well. They let me know I had over 5 more miles of downhill, and the next aid was at the bottom of the canyon at mile 18, and that the next couple hundred yards were loose.
I went down a little path and quickly discovered what they meant by loose. They ground was slipping out from under my feet, and I caught myself a few times, almost landing on my ass, raising up dark brown dust. This was deep in the woods and pretty dark, too. I was wearing my prescription sunglasses though, so I had to just be careful. After a little jaunt in the forest, the trail opened up to really rocky single track. It was steep, and I wanted to run fast. I felt like I was playing tetris with my feet: looking ahead for foot placement so I wouldn't trip. I was reaching level 50, 60, 70, 80... I caught a rock. I lept so far and took four giant steps to keep from crashing, and slowed down. Crisis averted. I found a safe pace that was pushing it, but was still like playing tetris at an early stage where you know you'll make it to the next. I'd look between rocks and stomp. Branches from the trees smacked my face a few times. I swallowed a gnat. I dropped further and further into the bottom of a canyon. The trail got rockier and rockier. At one point I found myself climbing over boulders through a wash, and then moments later crossing a rock bridge in an empty creekbed, and I had to grab some stones after a few feet to pull myself over a large rock. That really slowed down my pace, and I cursed my short legs.
Just before mile 18 at the bottom of the canyon the trail opens up to a little village of cabins. I thought I might be lost, but I pulled out the directions Steve and Annie had printed out for us, and kept going straight. I reached the mile 18 aid station. I opened up my hydration pack and refilled it myself, then I put my pack back on and refilled my handheld and left.
Then the climb out of the canyon began.
I caught up to a woman keeping a good pace, so I stayed behind her. We passed a few people in the bottom of the canyon. I saw a man, who I hear is called LSD (Long Slow Distance), sitting on a rock. I asked if he was okay. He looked at me and smiled like the Chesire cat. "I'm just enjoying the view, and taking a break before I make the climb." I asked if he needed anything. He smiled no, so I patted his shoulder and moseyed on.
This is where the real challenge began. This, mile 20, is where I have to say thank you to my coach, Keira Henninger (one of the other bestest race directors ever!) for training me this summer and guiding me through this race in spirit. Keira, you were there with me. I was delirious and was imagining you as a mountain fairy with fluttery wings carrying you across the trail in front of me, guiding me and telling me the things you tell me when we're on tough trails. I pumped my arms, I kept my head up, and I masochistically enjoyed it. Yes, I enjoyed climbing out of the canyon. Keira, what have you done to me? Whatever it is, you have my eternal gratitude. I felt so much love for my coach going up this neverending damn hill. I picked a few targets and slowly moved in to pass a few people, trying to keep my pace faster and faster. I chanted in my head her words of wisdom and hauled it as best as I could. Can't let my coach down! Keria, thank you.
I asked each fellow runner I passed how they were. We were all in it together. Everyone out there did fantastic, and I told them as much. I still pushed though to move it past a few strong folks. I even ran uphill a bit when I had the momentum.
Eventually I hit the top of the Trabuco Trail, and saw my loving husband. He was surprised to see me "Dude, you're here already?" he said. I didn't understand why he was surprised. "Freddy was only here a half an hour ago!" he told me. I didn't believe him and thought he was messing with me. My husband gave me some coke. I drank it and told him "You don't know how good this tastes. You must run 22 miles and then drink coke to understand." I was tired. Sorry for the crazy, O. I said thank you and went on my merry little way. I couldn't believe that this little uphill and I was still running. After all that! I was like "hey my legs still work! COOL!" So I pushed. I saw the runner who's heels I'd been on up Trabuco, and I ran up to her with some ease, and chatted with her for a minute, but then I felt like I could really cut loose. I was so afraid to push all the race because of the big climb... but it was over, and this was the time to expend my final energy. I had 4 miles to the finish, and I pushed. I ran all out down the hill, only slowing down for ruts and rocks. The last mile was that gross asphalt road through the Blue Jay campground. I took a 10 second walk break up a little hill. I saw the cars and knew I was coming into the finish. People started cheering for me! There is a tiny little hill at the finish line that felt like hell, but I ran in.
Steve was there holding out my medal. I ran into him and grabbed him, and gave him a big hug, hanging onto him for a second. I think I said "omg so tired!" and he laughed I think. I told him and Annie, thank you for a brutal as hell and the equally beautiful course. It really was a beautiful run. Freddy came up to me and was like "what the hell you're already done sub 7!" and I looked at my garmin, not knowing if that was good or bad. I guess that was pretty good. I later found out I was 5th in my age group, 60th out of 81 finishers, and 18th female. Not too shabby for 6,032 feet of gain!
I went and got my beer and recoverite, and hung out waiting for my friends to finish. Emil came in, and Jean Ho did fantastic! Vivienne powered through too and then Omar came down the mountain. We had burgers and I visited with my friends. Annie Harvey was adorable and told me I'd lost weight and got really strong since Nanny Goat. It made me laugh, she said "this morning I just thought you were dehydrated, but you've really lost weight!" I love it.
After some beer and food and relaxing, and waiting for the last runners to come through, we climbed in the car and headed for home.
I have to say a huge thank you to Steve and Annie! I just adore you guys so much, and you put on the best races (and hardest). This was by far the hardest marathon I've ever ran.
A huge thank you to Tina Wallin for taking some really amazing photos at the finish line! Beautiful photos.
I also have to thank Keira Henninger, my coach, for motivating me to sign up and assuring me I could do it, and being there with me in spirit while I ran. Keira, thank you for showing me what I'm capable of. You've made me a stronger, more confident, runner and woman.
I'm over the moon I did this. A few days later and I'm still sore, but it was worth it. I would recommend this marathon to anyone... Who can climb. It's beautiful and hard and not for the faint of heart or weak willed runner, you have to enjoy some pain to enjoy this, but if you're a masochist like me this is the race for you! Black IPA has never tasted as good as it does after this marathon.
Strava Data: http://www.strava.com/activities/200323879
Elevation climb 6,032 feet
Calories: 4,120
Hardest Marathon Ever.
 |
| Thank you Tina for the picture of me right after finishing. |
Last year I manned an aid station, but this year I ran. Both very hard things. Great thanks to all the amazing volunteers who make Old Goat races so fantastic! My husband, Omar, Volunteered at the first and last aid station. Whitney Shepard had pickle juice for me around mile 5. Tina Wallin did everything. All the volunteers are the best!
I'm currently training with Keira Henninger and her Ultra Ladies for the Whoo's in El Moro 50k. She wanted us to do this as a training run, and four of us from the group signed up. With some advice from Keira I anxiously signed up. My friend Freddy stayed at my house the night before and we did some good carbo-loading and had a nice vegan dinner. His hummus is delicious. Morning came too soon, and Omar, Freddy, and I climbed into my car and made the long drive out to Lake Elsinore to the Blue Jay Campground where race HQ was.
I found my other Dirt Diva Ultra Ladies, Vivienne, Kristy, and Meg. We huddled for good luck and at 7:45 there was a race briefing from the RD. This year was a reverse course from last year, and he gave us turn by turn directions and words of wisdom, then sent us on our way.
 |
| Keira's dirt divas. Not pictured is Tina Wallin, who volunteered and took this picture! |
 |
| My trail ninja friend. |
I was so very nervous. This race was touted as being the hardest marathon in California, with treacherous climbs and over 5,100 feet of elevation gain. There was an 8.5 hour cutoff, and not knowing my abilities I was worried. Keira had insisted after all our summer training we'd be okay though, so I had to trust her.
The first mile is on asphalt out of the campground to the Main Divide truck road where you turn up to the first climb. Main divide is wide and rutted. I ran the flats and small climbs, but powerhiked when it got steep because I don't normally warm up for a few miles.
At the top of Main Divide at mile 4ish was the first aid station, and my sweet husband was there. I didn't need anything so I kept going. I wasn't awake still so I vaguely remember reaching a swooping downhill and taking off, but trying to save myself, not knowing where the big climbs were. The swooping downhill in the woods was very rocky, with dark sharp rocks all over and very loose footing. I wanted to run faster, and heard my foot slip under me so I caught myself and slowed down just a little. I've taken 2 hard falls on the trails, and have been lucky not to hit any rocks - this was not the trail to fall on - you'd break something. Swooping downhill became swooping uphill, and I power hiked up quickly to the next aid station.
Whitney Shepard was at mile 5ish, with pickle juice! One of the gals here took my handheld and topped it off with water for me. I gave whitney a big hug and, feeling charged up, continued on my way. There were beautiful rollercoaster trails the next 5 miles, which offered amazing views of Lake Elsinore, the forest canopy, exposed trails to be traversed, and the clouds. We were running in the clouds. It was a great experience, and a beautiful day.
 |
| Photo taken by my buddy Freddy aka Cliff aka Bronco |
I hit another aid station, and was told to take an orange, so I did. It was delicious. I realized because of how cool it was I felt really good and wasn't fueling enough, so I ripped open my honey stinger chews on an uphill.
 |
| Photo compliments of Cherry Cheng who's a badass. |
At mile 10 There was a man standing on the side of the trail cheering, then telling us "up this way." I looked, and the trail veered off straight up the side of a hill. "you're joking, right?" He laughed and shook his head no. "Oh my God." The sweet woman behind me, who I later learned her name is Kit, lamented behind me. Up we went. It was steep single track.
 |
| photo compliments of Cherry Cheng |
There was a groove the first litte stretch, so we put one foot on the side of the bank, and the other foot almost off the edge of the path, for a while. It really worked our hips, but as we groaned we talked about how pretty our secret path was. I don't know what this trail was called, maybe upper holy jim? It was so pretty. I can't stop saying that. There was hardpack dirt and a narrow trail under foot, and the shrubs only gave us elbow width room. It felt like a rabbit trail to wonderland.
 |
| Photo compliments of Cherry Cheng |
In some spots at the switchback turns you could see over the bushes out across the mountain tops, and it would take your breath away (even more than it was). We commented that someone had made steps on the path, and how it was almost easier to go up the steps than the steep path. I did catch my breath a few times at the switchbacks. I needed salt, so I let Kit pass me. I took it all in. I drank some water, breathed deep, and started hiking up that steep hill with purpose.
 |
| Photo by Cherry Cheng, aka Turbo Cherry |
Kit and I got to the top all of a sudden. Our sweet single track trail ended and hit truck trail again, and ribbons summoned us downward. We high-fived. I told her it was fun, but that I was running down the hill. I had no idea that hill was was 7 miles long. I turned a corner and the view was amazing. I said out loud "holy mackerel!" while I ran. I am not sure why that came out of my mouth. It's what my grandfather who we recently lost used to say. I started thinking of him and caught myself sobbing as I was bombing down this trail. I still miss him so very much, and every day still I think of him, but for some reason at mile 12 of my marathon I missed him so much I lost my shit. I told myself "pull it together, Diana, or you're going to eat shit and die. You can't run a marathon crying. Suck this shit up and be careful." So I sniffled my last sniffle, told my Grampa that I love him, and ran as hard as I could down the hill.
 |
| okay this was last year, so ignore the dude running uphill, but this was the hill i bombed down! |
The truck trail here was nice, and not too rutted, so I was able to go full speed ahead. I dipped down into the trees, and found myself at Bear Springs aid station. The volunteers here were so nice. They gave me jelly beans. I actually stood there for a minute picking around the green and yellow ones. I joked about taking the time to pick out jelly beans in the middle of a marathon. It was silly, but oh well. They let me know I had over 5 more miles of downhill, and the next aid was at the bottom of the canyon at mile 18, and that the next couple hundred yards were loose.
I went down a little path and quickly discovered what they meant by loose. They ground was slipping out from under my feet, and I caught myself a few times, almost landing on my ass, raising up dark brown dust. This was deep in the woods and pretty dark, too. I was wearing my prescription sunglasses though, so I had to just be careful. After a little jaunt in the forest, the trail opened up to really rocky single track. It was steep, and I wanted to run fast. I felt like I was playing tetris with my feet: looking ahead for foot placement so I wouldn't trip. I was reaching level 50, 60, 70, 80... I caught a rock. I lept so far and took four giant steps to keep from crashing, and slowed down. Crisis averted. I found a safe pace that was pushing it, but was still like playing tetris at an early stage where you know you'll make it to the next. I'd look between rocks and stomp. Branches from the trees smacked my face a few times. I swallowed a gnat. I dropped further and further into the bottom of a canyon. The trail got rockier and rockier. At one point I found myself climbing over boulders through a wash, and then moments later crossing a rock bridge in an empty creekbed, and I had to grab some stones after a few feet to pull myself over a large rock. That really slowed down my pace, and I cursed my short legs.
Just before mile 18 at the bottom of the canyon the trail opens up to a little village of cabins. I thought I might be lost, but I pulled out the directions Steve and Annie had printed out for us, and kept going straight. I reached the mile 18 aid station. I opened up my hydration pack and refilled it myself, then I put my pack back on and refilled my handheld and left.
Then the climb out of the canyon began.
I caught up to a woman keeping a good pace, so I stayed behind her. We passed a few people in the bottom of the canyon. I saw a man, who I hear is called LSD (Long Slow Distance), sitting on a rock. I asked if he was okay. He looked at me and smiled like the Chesire cat. "I'm just enjoying the view, and taking a break before I make the climb." I asked if he needed anything. He smiled no, so I patted his shoulder and moseyed on.
 |
| Freddy felt like a champ at mile 20. |
This is where the real challenge began. This, mile 20, is where I have to say thank you to my coach, Keira Henninger (one of the other bestest race directors ever!) for training me this summer and guiding me through this race in spirit. Keira, you were there with me. I was delirious and was imagining you as a mountain fairy with fluttery wings carrying you across the trail in front of me, guiding me and telling me the things you tell me when we're on tough trails. I pumped my arms, I kept my head up, and I masochistically enjoyed it. Yes, I enjoyed climbing out of the canyon. Keira, what have you done to me? Whatever it is, you have my eternal gratitude. I felt so much love for my coach going up this neverending damn hill. I picked a few targets and slowly moved in to pass a few people, trying to keep my pace faster and faster. I chanted in my head her words of wisdom and hauled it as best as I could. Can't let my coach down! Keria, thank you.
I asked each fellow runner I passed how they were. We were all in it together. Everyone out there did fantastic, and I told them as much. I still pushed though to move it past a few strong folks. I even ran uphill a bit when I had the momentum.
 |
| Freddy's pic! |
Steve was there holding out my medal. I ran into him and grabbed him, and gave him a big hug, hanging onto him for a second. I think I said "omg so tired!" and he laughed I think. I told him and Annie, thank you for a brutal as hell and the equally beautiful course. It really was a beautiful run. Freddy came up to me and was like "what the hell you're already done sub 7!" and I looked at my garmin, not knowing if that was good or bad. I guess that was pretty good. I later found out I was 5th in my age group, 60th out of 81 finishers, and 18th female. Not too shabby for 6,032 feet of gain!
 |
| Thanks for my finisher pic Tina Wallin! |
 |
| Me and the infamous Freddy. Thanks Tina W. for the pic! |
I went and got my beer and recoverite, and hung out waiting for my friends to finish. Emil came in, and Jean Ho did fantastic! Vivienne powered through too and then Omar came down the mountain. We had burgers and I visited with my friends. Annie Harvey was adorable and told me I'd lost weight and got really strong since Nanny Goat. It made me laugh, she said "this morning I just thought you were dehydrated, but you've really lost weight!" I love it.
After some beer and food and relaxing, and waiting for the last runners to come through, we climbed in the car and headed for home.
I have to say a huge thank you to Steve and Annie! I just adore you guys so much, and you put on the best races (and hardest). This was by far the hardest marathon I've ever ran.
A huge thank you to Tina Wallin for taking some really amazing photos at the finish line! Beautiful photos.
I also have to thank Keira Henninger, my coach, for motivating me to sign up and assuring me I could do it, and being there with me in spirit while I ran. Keira, thank you for showing me what I'm capable of. You've made me a stronger, more confident, runner and woman.
I'm over the moon I did this. A few days later and I'm still sore, but it was worth it. I would recommend this marathon to anyone... Who can climb. It's beautiful and hard and not for the faint of heart or weak willed runner, you have to enjoy some pain to enjoy this, but if you're a masochist like me this is the race for you! Black IPA has never tasted as good as it does after this marathon.
Strava Data: http://www.strava.com/activities/200323879
Elevation climb 6,032 feet
Calories: 4,120
Hardest Marathon Ever.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Raptor Ridge Run
Raptor Ridge Run
I bought a new pair of shoes at Fairhaven Runners and Walkers while visiting my home of Bellingham, Washington, from L.A., California. I picked out a pair of Altra Lone Peak 2.0 shoes. My mom and I ran a marathon on Saturday, but Tuesday morning we changed into injinji socks and put our shoes on...
I parked at my favorite part of Bellingham, at Arroyo Park. This trail drops down into a canyon and crosses a wooden bridge before a set of switchbacks bring you up to a junction where you choose your own adventure. We went left. This took us to the Hemlock Trail. It was misty and dark from thick cloud cover, and with how thick the trees are here in the Chuckanut Mountains very little light gets in as it is. It is a mossy fern filled forest. We weren't a mile in and climbing. I said, jokingly, "What trail just keeps going up? Oh, we must be on Hemlock."
I wish I had taken pictures, but I had no camera. It was in the low '60's, but felt warm once you started moving. From below your feet was deep dark brown soil that was bouncy and solid, with a thick layer of broke up maple leaf detritus padding your steps. The path was wide enough for two people, with the occasional fern or felled tree in the pathway. You kick pine cones about as you kick your feet forward. It smells like wood turning into soil. Fresh dirt. It's a beautiful natural smell. You can only see a few feet either way into the woods, as the trail twists and turns. On either side of you are giant boulders with sheer faces and large sheets of moss growing up and hanging off of them. Sometimes, you have to climb over a set of boulders. The canopy cover today seems like 90%, but it's the gray clouds keeping it dark. You get to the top of the trial and choose which adventure you want today. You read the wooden post sign with trail names etched into the sign and little arrows and distances on it. You go left again, up to the Raptor Ridge Viewpoint. It gets a little steeper, and every two feet you turn and twist around another tree trunk until you step into a small opening that looks as if it just takes you running off a cliff. Past the door made of Doug Fir needles is a giant rockface you find yourself on. Hundreds of feet down past the rocks you see treetops below. Looking out you see the Trees move up and down on Chuckanut Mountain and are mesmerized by the arbor topography.
Then you turn around.
I bought a new pair of shoes at Fairhaven Runners and Walkers while visiting my home of Bellingham, Washington, from L.A., California. I picked out a pair of Altra Lone Peak 2.0 shoes. My mom and I ran a marathon on Saturday, but Tuesday morning we changed into injinji socks and put our shoes on...
I parked at my favorite part of Bellingham, at Arroyo Park. This trail drops down into a canyon and crosses a wooden bridge before a set of switchbacks bring you up to a junction where you choose your own adventure. We went left. This took us to the Hemlock Trail. It was misty and dark from thick cloud cover, and with how thick the trees are here in the Chuckanut Mountains very little light gets in as it is. It is a mossy fern filled forest. We weren't a mile in and climbing. I said, jokingly, "What trail just keeps going up? Oh, we must be on Hemlock."
I wish I had taken pictures, but I had no camera. It was in the low '60's, but felt warm once you started moving. From below your feet was deep dark brown soil that was bouncy and solid, with a thick layer of broke up maple leaf detritus padding your steps. The path was wide enough for two people, with the occasional fern or felled tree in the pathway. You kick pine cones about as you kick your feet forward. It smells like wood turning into soil. Fresh dirt. It's a beautiful natural smell. You can only see a few feet either way into the woods, as the trail twists and turns. On either side of you are giant boulders with sheer faces and large sheets of moss growing up and hanging off of them. Sometimes, you have to climb over a set of boulders. The canopy cover today seems like 90%, but it's the gray clouds keeping it dark. You get to the top of the trial and choose which adventure you want today. You read the wooden post sign with trail names etched into the sign and little arrows and distances on it. You go left again, up to the Raptor Ridge Viewpoint. It gets a little steeper, and every two feet you turn and twist around another tree trunk until you step into a small opening that looks as if it just takes you running off a cliff. Past the door made of Doug Fir needles is a giant rockface you find yourself on. Hundreds of feet down past the rocks you see treetops below. Looking out you see the Trees move up and down on Chuckanut Mountain and are mesmerized by the arbor topography.
Then you turn around.
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