"Not all those who wander are lost." -- J.R.R. Tolkien

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." --  Robert Frost

I couldn't say if the trail was any more or less traveled than other trails.  I saw the staggered blue rectangles, the one on top a little to the left, and went straight.  Yeah, yeah, those of you who KNOW about trail marking would have known.  I thought someone was just touching up the trail markers!

My goal was to run what is called "Sanctuary Outer Trail" (the red one on the trail map) and dumps into the Vin Gormley/Yellow Dot trail (orange on the trail map) in Burlingame.  The Sanctuary Outer Trail also follows the Blue Dot North South Trail hence me following blue markers. Should be about 3 miles added to the 7 miles of the Vin Gormley, a respectable run in the woods I really really really needed.  Just call me grouchy!

It went a little sideways when I realized I had run into the camp ground.  I ran around in the camp ground trying to get my bearings.  Someone on a Sunday drive through the campground stopped to ask me for directions.  HA!  I said, I really wasn't sure, go that way and find the hard top road.  Walking dogs and running around town I'm used to people stopping me to ask for directions.  I'm far more OK with it when I am walking.  Stopping a runner to ask directions, that is just mean.  And when you stop me, expect girl directions, I find and remember things by land marks.

Hubb Monday morning quarterbacked the GPS read out and suggested I try back tracking the next time I get lost? Or perhaps try a left hand turn as the blazes pointed out?  In our relationship, he is the one that stops for directions, I'm the one who will drive around in circles, turning right the entire time.

Left - Trail map    Right - GPS readout

I got in 6 miles of the 10 I started out for.  I simply got frustrated, eventually finding the camp store, and ran in a circle debating if I wanted to just run the VG or give up.  I gave up and went back to the pond parking lot quite a lot happier than when I left and in no pain.  First run in many months where I didn't end with some nagging ache in my hip, knee, or heel.  Huh...

Hubb on the other hand is hogging all the ice writhing on the couch with a sprained ankle wondering if we have any Tramadol in the house.  He had a group ride on the North South trail from Burlingame to Arcadia, and apparently there was a little tumble, I'm sure the story will come out at some point?

Meanwhile how does one plug courses into the Garmin 410 Forerunner from another GPS map?  Is that even possible?  Would that even help this direction challenged runner?  It sure would take a lot of fun out of my runs!

Sincerely,
Beth, surprisingly not needing ice post run, and trying to remember where she stashed the Tramadol

An Experiment and Worm Holes

Hubb called me around 9 and asked if I was still planning on running Burlingame this afternoon.  I answered in the affirmative.  He was going to meet a biker friend out there and wondered if we could go together to see if this idea we've had about him riding and me running would work.  Obviously I wasn't going to keep up with the guys on their bikes he figured a 2 hour ride and I can run about 10 trail miles in 2 hours.  So then the question was what route.  We discussed the options on the drive over to the park.  The main loop is 8 miles and I could take a spur down to the lake and back. He suggested I try the Sammy C and I knew from his directions how to get to one of the end/beginning points.   He gave me his nicely laminated trail map, to help in the event I get lost on the mostly unmarked trails, aww what a guy!  I did pretty ok with a couple of oh shit moments where the trail ended up on a big piece of ledge and it took a bit to figure out which way the trail went.  Fortunately there were some bike chain scratches on the ledge that helped guide me.  One venture to the right ended me up on a muddy section (puffy heart) but that ended at a road, with no marked directions to go back to the trail, so I turned around.  That spur wasn't on the map, doh... Then I completely lost the trail, ledge again, and backtracked to an intersection and that led to the main trail around Watchaug Pond.

I logged 6.2 miles (1:24), took the opportunity to stretch, hydrate, poke around in the truck to see if hubb had any honey stinger waffles stashed in the glove box (no, damn), and catch up on Words With Friends!  His buddy came back first, said there was an equipment problem and hubb wasn't hurt, he'd be along shortly.  Buddy couldn't stick around he had a family commitment.  I said, ah ok, no worries, he will be along.  His buddy said again he isn't hurt.  I said, I didn't figure you'd leave him out there bleeding!  We exchanged pleasantries about his ride my run and he was off.  Hubb appeared 20 minutes later, bike fixed.  Problem with the derailleur.  He had just finished building the bike last night, new frame with components from the not so old one with the carbon fiber frame that just wasn't working out. 

Post outing discussions I'm still not completely sure where the trail actually went.  I'll noodle that on another outing.  Hubb studied the Garmin out put and the trail map and his memory of the trail and he sort of knew where things went askew.

Nice Map, eh?  Better laminate my own copy!

I'd say the experiment worked out well.  The bit of down time waiting for hubb to get back to the truck forced me to stretch; I'm not always great about that when I drive somewhere to run.  My left hip and calf are happy campers.

The most curious part was hubb and buddy rode the Sammy C, leaving about 10 minutes after I left, they never passed me.  Perhaps the muddy spur was where they passed me?  Or maybe there is just a worm hole out there in Burlingame?  I really think they would have passed me way before that spur at about mile 2.5...    but who knows, I'm going with worm hole!!

Sincerely,
Beth, calling the experiment a success!

That was fun!

Big River, trail half marathon with a 10K option, 11 a.m. final race in Off Rhode Racing South County Fourth Season Race Series.

Friday I was released from PT, the hips may never fully align, close enough works in this case.  I have plenty of strengthening and stretching exercises to do and the pain is mostly non-existent.  I'm good with that.  This made the prospect of this morning's trail race even more appealing.  Trail running is easier because it is softer and I generally go at a slower pace navigating the roots, rocks and hills; frankly I really enjoy being in the woods.

Saw two people I knew by more than just facial recognition!  So nice to have familiar friendly faces.  Met E's husband, P, they were doing the 10K. She is just starting out running and 10K is her furthest distance thus far.  We run at a comparable pace hopefully we can run some of the local trails in the near future.  Michael of Forward Momentum was there with his always encouraging words, thanks!! Hoping that you had a much more successful run!  Other faces I recognized but had no names for, so HI!

Mike Galoob, Race Director, introduced the course and mentioned that they did the best they could with marking and if you got lost track back to the trail, failing that just keep going down hill eventually you will hit Carr Pond and follow that till you find more orange flags.  If you are even more lost than that, well he really wasn't sure what advice to offer.  Giggle...

E and I ran pretty much the same pace for the first 3 miles where the 1/2 split from the 10K.  We wished each other well.  Me thinking, bloody hell I'm going to be out here for three hours at this pace...  well, it is what it is and damn this is so beautiful out here and it is a fantabulous day too.  Totally game for spending it in the woods.

I was doing just fine, passed the water station just after mile 4, passed mile marker 5.  Climbed up a nice rocky area and that is when I noticed I didn't see any orange flags.  I stopped for a little bit and looked around.  I went right, this is where I went wrong.  Eventually finding Carr Pond, and some orange markers, again another right turn.  Figured I missed a turn somewhere on that hill?  Then there were runners coming at me.  Huh... they said, "Turn around" so I did.  Trotted along and then saw some more orange flags and a mile marker.  Mile marker 4.  Huh...  Wait Mike said something about the 10K following the path around Carr pond.  Wonder if I've managed to find that trail.  Do I turn around and figure out where the 1/2 trail is or just keep going.  Considering it took me nearly an hour to get to mile marker 5, maybe this is a sign from above?  My guardian angel Eve?  My left calf said, "If you turn around I swear I am going to make you scream."  Hmmm...  Kind of a compelling argument, no?

Where it all went amiss:

Thankfully I am not the only one who got lost, some tried to find the trail, never making it to Carr Pond but finding the "10K return" signs and followed them to the finish line. I hung around at the end for about 15 minutes.  Looked like who ever was going to be done was done?

I can't stop laughing.  I giggled most of the way home.  Hubb was amused by my story; suggested he go with me next time and he can bike and I can run.  Seems fair enough.  But I'll keep the car keys, just in case!

Of course I took a hike back in to the trail to snap a few pictures.  This trail really is beautiful and had a few things that made me wonder.  I passed the time making up stories about things I saw.

Maybe this is where Jimmy Hoffa ended up?  I'm a Michigan, Motor City transplant, nuff said!

Was the rock split before the tree or did the tree split it?

And how fast is fast enough?

The sign says:  "You need to go MUCH faster than you THINK!!!"

Sincerely,
Beth, just makin' it up as she goes along.