M.O.R.E.: Hard Work

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Hard Work

I have run for the last two days, and I am finally getting around to posting about the running. Yesterday, I met Sea and Sun, and C at Cheesepark and we ran on the Albertson's side of the trail. The hardest part for me was remembering to turn the GPS on at the right time. Sea and Sun was trying to calibrate her watch, and I wasn't much help with the mileage. We ran the trail at a pace just under 10 min. and that was tough, but we picked it up in the last half mile and ended our 4.25 miles at around a 9.35 pace. The weather has been very unpredictable, the heat has really been hard to deal with, but since it had been cloudy and rainy all day, I thought it would be cool, cold even. No such luck, it got pretty hot, but we did it!

Today I met Marathon Mom at Bridgeport and we ran the route that we came up with last week, toward Helmers but instead of the switchbacks, we took the paseo toward McBean, through Heritage Park, and back to Bridgeport. Luckily today there was no GPS, and we dragged the whole way. It was HOT again, and there was just nothing in the legs. We just missed a snake, and I am sure that I saw a rat scurry into the bushes while we stretched (ugh). We both agreed that when the run is so hard to get through, we get twice as much benifit, because we seem to work harder to just keep running! Maybe it is just hard listening to me gripe about how stressed I am about all that is going on in my life right now. I have been accused of being "grumpy" lately and I am sure that is true. I know that my mood will change, and I hope the running will improve, but for today, this is all I have to say.

3 comments:

marathon mom said...: Today was really hot and windy too, but thankfully we finished before it got really windy. This heat is bringing all kinds of critters out, one of which my cat ate for his dinner tonight (yuk). I noticed during our run that we were really fighting the wind for more than half of our run. I was expecting the heat, but not the wind. I think it took the wind out of me.

We always talk about how to shed those unwanted pounds, but it seems impossible to do while trying to run. I wish I knew what that perfect balance is. When I try to watch what I am eating, there just doesn't seem to be enough energy to run. I supposed it is hard work to try to balance the two and that's why we all don't have the perfect body.; May 19, 2010 at 10:20 PM
marathon mom said...: Okay, this is getting annoying. I posted and it says it has one post, but then when I click on what I wrote, there's nothing there. I can't even remember what I wrote before. I think I was mainly complaining about the heat and the wind, pretty much the same thing as always. I was feeling sluggish due to not eating enough today. It is really hard trying to figure that balance between eating just enough to shed a few pounds and still having enough energy to run on.

I am depressed because the "hot guy" got voted off American Idol tonight. Oh well, I guess they're all good and I like all of them.; May 19, 2010 at 10:57 PM
Patty said...: Both comments posted, so it makes it look like we have more readers. At least the "hot" guy stuck around until the end, the other guy should win though.; May 20, 2010 at 6:48 AM

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Favorite Trails

South Fork 3.1: Start from dirt parking lot on Magic Mtn Pkway and run to the loop at Wiley Bridge and return the same way.

Tesoro 3.25: Start in Albertson parking lot and take sidewalk/trail until it ends and then enter the water tower road to the top two towers where the ends. Return the same way.

Chesebrough 3.25/4.60: From Chesebrough Park, N. to Copperhill, So. on Bike Trail, turn around at Decoro, back up trail to power lines to bridge at park. Turn around at Heritage will give you 4.6 miles.

Chesebrough 3.5: Chesebrough Park down to McBean, south to Northpark Dr., the paseo trailhead. Take the paseo to Helmers and back. Very hilly.

Bridgeport 4.0: Fairly flat, run toward Lowes and under Bouquet bridge to RiverPark community until you reach the closed gates and return. For a hilly run, go north into Helmers and run up the paseo switchbacks into Northpark where the paseo ends and return the same way.

Chesebrough 4.0: N. to Copperhill to west side of river trail, run S. on Bike Trail past Decoro bridge, across Decoro to the east side of river trail, up back to power lines trail, back to park.

Chesebrough 4.0: From park down power line trail to Heritage Park and back same way.

Bridgeport 4.0: From School, cross McBean via bridge or street and head into industrial center on Ave. Scott Bridge and enter bike trail going south toward the train bridge. Turn around at train bridge and return same way or cross the bridge and head toward Peet's after crossing train bridge and back onto the Lowes Trail.

Heritage 4.0: From park, run up bike trail to Decoro, over McBean Bridge into Helmers, and into Bridgeport through lake trail back to park. Can be done in reverse. Moderately hilly.

Chesebrough 4.25: Chesebrough north to Copperhill, left to Albertson side of bike trail. Run south on trail to Decoro and cross over bridge and head north all the way to Copperhill on east side of river trail and back to the park the same way as started.

Cheese/Decoro/Helmers 4.25: From the park, down dirt trail to bike path, south to Decoro. Leave bike path at Decoro and cross paseo bridge at McBean. Stay on paseo up hill towards Helmers. Run up water tower trail once then continue on to switchbacks and paseos back to park.

Heritage/Bridgeport 3.3: Heritage Park south to McBean Bridge @ Panera. Cross and head toward Lowes bike trail and head east toward Bridgeport Park. Halfway mark is at park bathroom, head back by entering trail along the lake and back onto the bridge.

Lowes 4.25: Lowe's parking lot to McBean, cross the bridge and to South Fork. At Valencia Bridge, enter trail behind Hart Baseball diamonds. Continue on trail to Bouquet and across the bridge on the east side and back under the bridge again towards Lowes.

Peet's & Decoro 5.2: Peet's Coffee to train bridge path; to Decoro and across bridge; back down McBean side of bike trail back to Peete's.

Peet's & Wiley 6.0: Start at Peet's Coffee and head east toward South Fork trail and past the Wiley Bridge. Keep running another 200 yards to where the trail forks left and right. Turn back same way.

Peet's & Copperhill 6.0: From Peet's to bike trail heading north to Copperhill and back.

Albertson 7.0: From the Albertson parking lot on Copperhill, enter the westside bike trail and head south until the train bridge. Return the same way.

Peet's 8.5: Run to Copperhill on east side of river trail and return via train bridge on other side.

Lowes 10: Start in the Lowes parking lot. Enter the bike trail heading west. At McBean, cross the bridge and head east toward SouthFork trail. Continue on trail until you come to the Wiley bridge and head back the same way.

McBean 14: This route can be done from anywhere along the trail route. Starting from McDonald's across the post office, run to the end of the South Fork trail and return the same way, cross the McBean bridge and run on the Lowes trail until you hit Bridgeport Elementary and then cross Newhall Ranch via the bridge or street and run back towards McBean. Continue north on McBean until you hit Copperhill. At Copperhill, cross McBean and enter San Francisquito bike trail and run south on the trail until you are back at McDonalds.