Catch up

It's been an entire month of no blogging and commenting! I've never been so remiss, but when it came to a choice between sleeping and blogging, you will understand which direction I had to go. Besides, running has not been happening lately (it's injury time!), so I've got nothing to excite a running audience. There has been a lot of pool running, biking and hiking, however. I even found a pool running buddy, who helps make those long hours less mind-numbingly boring. But after several cycles of injury and non-injury, I finally I see the humor in it. Yeah, maybe I am cracking up.

Hacklebarney State Park Hike & Sourland Mountain Preserve Trail Run

Bulleted delivery over the essay form is hopefully one way I can still get a few blog posts in, while still struggling to adjust to my new work and running schedule.

Here are some random thoughts and goings-on:

* Why are we always complaining about the weather? I can understand that while running in 90 degree temperatures and 80% humidity, the weather might occupy the senses a bit more than usual, but when the skies are pouring down bountiful rain after 2 weeks of scorching heat, I would expect people to be grateful. But all I hear is how everyone misses the sun! Oh, come on!

* I am contemplating moving my long run day again, from Thursday to Sunday. I used to do my long runs on Saturdays. But I now run with the club on Saturdays, and Sundays have become my "explore trails/new running routes/hill running" day. Long runs got moved to Thursday. But that was before I acquired a 1 1/2 hour commute one way (in traffic). After a fitful, 4-hour sleep, waking up at 4 AM for a 16-mile run (painful, by the way - cramping, tightness and muscle pulls dominating most of it), rushing through breakfast and a shower, then sitting in traffic for an hour, rubbing my sore achilles, it finally dawned on me that the easier option would be to switch my long run days back to the weekend.

* Your helpful suggestions on speedwork are greatly appreciated. I tried a pyramid interval and a Yasso 800 workout. My view on speedwork? Disgusting, nauseating...and enormously gratifying! If only the muscles, tendons and knees would co-operate, I would like to squeeze in 1 day of speedwork every week.

* Saturday run at the towpath: The towpath runs are always fun and a great way to begin a Saturday. Yesterday's run was one of the best. DH & I were joining friends on a hike later, so I started the run a little earlier than usual, broke it down into sections, running the first 1 1/2 miles with an eager-beaver newcomer (who had begun his running journey to lose weight, lost 50 pounds in a few months and gained an addiction to running), the next 3 miles with the speedy girls, the next 2 miles chatting with Wenchi/Oleg, then wrapping up the last 1 1/2 miles on my own. Very balanced run. And more miles than I had planned for the day.

* Hacklebarney State Park in NJ's NorthWest Skylands: I can't get over the fact that a charming place like this exists just 20 minutes from home. We hiked an easy 2.8 miles surrounded by stunning scenery, followed by a lovely packed lunch.

I am already planning a trail run there, with a post-run dip in the trout-filled Black River. Ahhh!

* I have been able to get a few friends interested in group trail runs, so we ran the trails at Cheesequake State Park a couple of weeks ago and Sourland Mountain Preserve today.

We had a couple of drop-outs unfortunately, but 4 of us showed up at the trail head at Sourland Mountain Preserve in Hillsborough this morning, bright and chirpy, ready to tackle the hilly, rocky trail. These pics (stolen from the web) are deceptive.

The trail...
...looks more like THIS!
After manuevring hilly sections with boulders for a couple of miles, we came upon wide open space with a view...that looks a lot more beautiful in the pic than it did at the time, because the last thing we were focusing on was the scenery! The sun beat down furiously; we were sweating buckets and beyond exhausted. And we were making our way down a steep downhill portion with sharp rocks and gravel. One wrong step and we would be sprawled on the ground, face-down, with a mouth full of gravel and almost certainly, broken bones.

After a mile in open space,we had a choice to enter the woods again or stay in open space all the way. We decided that the forest with shady tree cover was preferrable.

But we separated as we made our way through the forest to the parking lot, and Glenn got out first, covering the trail once. The rest of us got lost in the woods, in a maze of white-blazed trails. It was hard to tell if we were heading toward or away from the parking lot! Prem and Sandy were able to make their way back through the woods with the help of another runner, while I ended up at the clearing again, doing the 1 mile steep downhill run again.

After what seemed like ages, I got to the parking lot and as I was guzzling water, saw Sandy and Prem make their way out of the forest. I was a little relieved I was not the only one who got a little disoriented! I have been running trails for a little while now, but my sense of direction has not improved. I covered 5.75 miles in total (walking and running). This was definitely one of the toughest trails I have done so far, but also a lot of fun.

So much for a bulleted post, eh? Hope you had a wonderful and eventful weekend!

Ramapo Valley Reservation Hike

I know I sound annoyingly repetitive, but blogging has become a luxury I can hardly afford these days.
Here are some pics from our Memorial weekend hike at the Ramapo Valley Reservation. We hiked the Schuber trail (orange blaze) and the Yellow-Silver trail (yellow blaze)...
...a total of 8.5 miles; ending with a beautiful cool swim in MacMillan Reservoir.

Scarlet Oak Pond Stretching before the hike

Reptilian sightings have become common on hikes!

An abandoned cabin

Summit...and the Manhattan skyline...can you see it?

I will try to be a bit more verbose next time! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Watchung Reservation Hike

It's been a rather long silence on my part. Apologies are in order, for completely burying myself in the busi(y)ness of life and disappearing from the blogging world. Every time my mind turns to blogging, I feel the pain of nothing running-related to write about.

My tendon is still troubling me (as in no pain while resting or even while running, but tenderness and soreness a day after a run or long walk), so I have not been walking a lot, much less running. I still feel lucky...things could be a lot worse. But occasionally I feel the need to vent...like now (consider yourself warned).

I long to get back to running. I have been able to ward off the longing by slaving away at the elliptical, bike, stairmaster and the rowing machine at the gym. But when I think of blogging, it hurts that I have nothing to report on the running front. I am an outdoor person and part of the appeal in running is to be able to spend time outdoors in all types of weather. Ah...to run again! I don't even want to train for a marathon or do any speed work. Just to be able to run again would be blissful. I miss my running route, watching the sun rise mid-run, trail runs with Glenn (Glenn's been really sweet and offered to walk with me when I feel like it), everything about my normal routine.

I did go on an organized hike yesterday with the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club). I am not a member but was able to join them as a guest. I joined a relaxed pace hike; I didn't want to kill myself and do permanent damage to my tendon. There were 18 of us, including the trip leader.

We hiked 7 miles of the 10-11 mile Sierra Loop Trail in Watchung Reservation, where Glenn and I ran a few weeks ago. It was in the 60's...lovely weather for a hike.

The hike had a little bit of everything...flat trails in the wood...

...short, steep climbs...
...chicken of the woods (would you pick this for supper?)

a well-preserved historical 1840s village,

even a hair-raising experience, induced by this fella (who we later found out was dead) on the path, inches away from our feet.

We had a great time; I am looking up more AMC events this fall.

My tendon was a little sore at the end of it, but is feeling better today, so I did 10 minutes of stationary running (on the carpet).

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

I'm coming back, Colorado

DH and I spent a magical weekend in Colorado visiting my brother. This was my third visit to Colorado, and each time, my heart grows fonder of the place. Every time, it's been more magnificient than the last. And no matter how fit I imagined I was, the elevation kicked my butt every single time.

My brother, having climbed all the 14ers, most of them in winter, has now taken up rock climbing, ice climbing, white water kayaking, mountain biking and skiing. When in Colorado, he describes the place with passion, and when he is away, he speaks of it with longing. The majestic mountains, the rugged, untouched landscape and the friendly people are just a few of the things that make this state a heaven on earth. You can go about with a smile etched all over your face the entire time you are there, and have no doubt that it will be enthusiastically returned by every single person you come across. Of course they'll look at you pityingly when you tell them you're from NJ or just about anywhere else in the world...but you'll let it slide when you realize they are genuinely sorry that you are wasting your life living anywhere else.

My brother had planned a beautiful getaway. We landed in Denver Thursday night, after a little in-flight hassle made me decide never to fly Continental Airlines again, if I can help it (no need to go into detail), spent the night at my brother's pad in Boulder, and left early Friday morning on the long drive

to a scenic, out-of-the-way town Crystal, via Independence Passand Aspen. At Aspen, we saw a strapping big bear casually lounging in a tree, unaware that he was creating quite a stir.

We were supposed to be back-country camping, but my brother had a surprise for us. He had booked a cabin in the little town of Crystal. 'Little' is an overstatement...Crystal (supposedly a ghost town), 6 miles away from the nearest town Marble and surrounded by mountains, is home to exactly 2 families. There are a couple of ancient but well-maintained cabins that are rented out to visitors who come to get their fill of fresh mountain air. The town is deserted 8 months in the year, when snow covers the precipitous off-road path, cutting off the town from civilization. Even in summer, only vehicles with 4-wheel drive can make it across the rocky road.

To a plain-dweller like me, every encounter with another vehicle on this narrow path was hair-raising.

The fact that my brother was whistling as he maneuvred his jeep over boulders didn't do much to steady the nerves, nor did it help seeing a capsized truck at the bottom of the ravine.

Though rough, the entire 6 miles (a 45-minute drive) were beautiful beyond description.

We passed Beaver Lake at the foot of the mountain

and Lizard Lake about halfway up.

There is something about Colorado that takes your breath away. It is just as much in the rugged, untamed nature...

...as in the breathtaking beauty of the place.

Right outside Crystal, we stopped to admire the old, abandoned mining building

sitting atop the pristine Crystal Creek. The cabin was perfect,

with mountains on all sides

and a creek in our backyard.

The cabin was more than a century old and very well-preserved. No electricity or indoor plumbing, but we had beds, a gas range powered by propane and even a little refrigerator. We were told there were bats in the attic...we just hoped they were accommodating to human roommates.

Once settled, we fired up the grill...and soon realized that at an elevation of 9000 feet, charcoal is not the most effective way to cook. We met the owners of the cabin (who lived in California, but were visiting for a week)...Dail, Hanucha and their son Jason, who were very friendly and invited us to share their dinner. We took our smoky, semi-cooked chicken and stove-sauteed tomato and peppers (we were relieved we also had a bottle of wine!). As we were enjoying dinner (crepes, fresh fruit and hot tea) in their warm and cozy cabin, a friend of theirs, Allison and her dog Pepper dropped in for a visit. Allison and Pepper had hiked up the narrow road in the dark, with only the moon lighting the path...not out of the ordinary at all for someone from Colorado.

The agenda was to spend a relaxing weekend in the mountains, so no strenuous hikes were planned. I would have enjoyed climbing, but my foot was still tender and DH had a weak knee. We did do a short hike up to Lead King Basin, a mile and a half above Crystal. My brother pointed out SnowMass and Hagerman peaks, which he had climbed. As we were enjoying the views, we heard gunshots and hoped we were well out of range of hunters. We learned later that the "hunter" was white-bearded Lead King Paul, who had lived in the area almost all his life (even when snowed in, in winter) and took potshots at anyone who dared come anywhere near his property (he considered all of Lead King Basin as his property, apparently). We spent the rest of the afternoon in the cabin, watching the rain beat down on the mountains. Rain was forecasted for the entire weekend, so we didn't mind dealing with just a couple of hours of it. Instead of a shower, we took a very quick dip in Crystal Creek (the water was freezing, but so refreshing).

Next morning, we drove down to Redstone, about an hour away. After pottering about at an art exhibition that was in progress, we rented mountain bikes and puffed a mile or 2 up the steep road in White River National Forest, which led to the trails. My brother and I intended to bike up the trails, but I chickened out after covering a few 100 yards of rugged, steep trail. The rest of the day was spent driving back, lazing around and chatting with Ginger, the elderly caretaker at Crystal, who had been an avid rock-climber when she was younger. She said that every year, she thought of retiring...it was getting tough to spend 4 months of every year in the isolated town of Crystal. But when spring came around, the pull of the mountains was too hard to resist. We spent part of the night narrating ghost stories, in keeping with the spirit of the town.

All too soon, it was time to head back. We did the touristy thing on the way back...took the tour bus from Aspen to the much-photographed Maroon Bells,

getting educated on local flora and fauna along the way. We didn't have time to hit the trails, but we stayed long enough for DH to capture the scenery at different angles with his new Nikon D90.

The only cardio last week was swimming...1250 yards on Monday and 2250 yards on Wednesday, apart from the half-hearted attempts at hiking and mountain biking. And my brother assures me I burned a lot of calories just downing beer at 9000 feet.

My foot feels rested after our vacation and didn't hurt during or after a slow 3-mile run this morning. Hope it stays this way.

Finally, check out the Lift Your Soul giveaway on Mel - Tall Mom on the Run. Very cool stuff.