Nine Miles, No Trail

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I was excited about my Saturday group-run because it was supposed to be a trail run. Well, due to all that "torrential" rain we had last week, the coaches decided to bypass the trail and stick to the paved roads. I was disappointed but I figure it's better than getting my new running shoes covered in mud.

This run was tough! At the start of the run, there was a hill that went on and on and on... I ran as much as I could. Walked. Ran. Walked. Sort of ran. Walked. And so on. I know hills are our friends but I don't like them.

When the route did flatten a bit, it was a little easier but I was probably taking it too easy in order to baby my ankles. For the whole nine miles, I alternated between running and walking. It wasn't the "high" I got after my 8-miler last Saturday, but it was still fun- and the longest route I've done so far.

For my mid-run "snack", I chose the Cliff Gel in Mocha flavor. It wasn't horrible... and it didn't make me gag like brussel sprouts and sushi do. It was difficult to get down, though. The gooey consistency was like nothing I've ever eaten.

Did it give me more energy? Eh, hard to tell. I did feel like I had more energy after the run. Usually I go home, kiss the kids & hubby, and crash on the living room couch for a while. This time, I went home and suggested we all go on a hike (I was still a little disappointed that our run was not a trail run). So, that's what we did.

We have lots of great hiking trails in our area. If you really wanted to, you could hike in the mountains and the desert on one day. The next day, you could hike in the California brush areas (that's the stuff responsible for a few of our more recent wildfires) and then take a stroll along the beach. I love this about San Diego!


Here are a few pictures from our hike in North Inland San Diego County, which is where we live:

The inland brush areas are pretty when green.
During the summer and fall, this is all brown and dry.

An old barn left over from when the property was a ranch.

Just when I was thinking this could be a great place to run, we encountered this hill.
Lots of people do run here, though. Maybe someday...

We figured this guy could be dinner if we got lost. Mmmm... lizard on a stick.

My wonderful men- none of whom like getting their picture taken.

Almost done after about 3 miles of hiking... I wore the boys out. All of them.