The usual collection of personal notes on random hikes, runs and mountain bike rides. Pretty boring nonsense for anyone else.
Dec 31 / Bikey-Bikey with Jim & Mikey (11+)
On the way back from run, Jim called and asked about mountain biking, to which I said, “Uh, sure.” Much cycle-arity ensued. Did not die. 🙂 Now to eat things.
Dec 31 / Bend-Sycamore Jog (5+)
Actual jog with actual jogging like motions. Pretty weird. Tight and hinky, but it’s fun to be able to do it at all 🙂
Dec 30 / Willow Laps MB x3 (9+)
Did three laps until back started hurting. Might have had 1-2 more in me. Nice day out even if no one wears masks anymore. Pandemic, what pandemic? Mountains beautiful with snow on them. We should flock them in summer :). Rowing for the two days before bc parks closed due to rain / to protect trails.
Dec 26 / Palomar High Point via Oak Grove w/John (13)
Never done this trail before. Mostly a single track until it hits a dirt road about half-way up. Nice enough hike and not too crowded, bu not sure I’d ever do it again.
Dec 25 / Stagecoach-Serrano Loop (MB)
Whatever.
Dec 24 / Black Star to Tower MB (16+)
Really nice impromptu ride in cool weather with a smattering of air water. Forgot other water, so made it to Beek’s with no food or and barely any water in 1:13, a PR and under my goal for 1:15, which was pretty sweet. Wasn’t even trying 🙂 Putted up to radio tower and then cruised down. Very few people out, which was also nice. Tracking. Merry Christmas! 😉
Dec 23 / Little S – Serrano – Camarillo – Stage Jog – Hike (5)
Not bad. Really, really need to stretch hips and work on back. Oof.
Dec 22 / Willow x2 MB (6+)
Wasn’t planning to bike today, but…ADHD set in :). Fun up and down.
Dec 21 / Little S – Serrano – West – Stage Jog-Hike (4+)
Name longer than run / hike, but body feeling okay. Achilles actually a little tight ;|. Happy winter solstice!
Dec 20 / Somewhere with Jim MB (12+)
Fun day including Willow, T&A, Lizard, Bommer, etc. 🙂
Dec 19 / Black Star to Crest with John MB (9)
Fun little putter up the hill. Beautiful day.
Dec 18 / Black Star to Beek’s MB (16)
Kind of a crappy morning led to a spontaneous MB trip, which turned out oddly fun. Felt like workouts are supposed to feel — not perfect, but not blow outs, with energy left over at the end and no bonky-bonk in the middle. Wasn’t too careful on times, but I think 0:44 too the first crest and 1:18 to Beek’s, which is a PR. Never felt blown out of even that breathy. And nice mellow descent. Whee. Tracking.
Dec 17 / Willow-Sycamore Hike-Jog (4+)
Getting there…very…slowly
Dec 16 / Stagecoach-Serrano Loop (MB)
Getting there…very…slowly
Dec 14 / Bend Hike-Jog (3+)
Anxiety got me outside, and body seemed fine for 900′ quick gain, though somehow lost my facemask in a miracle of absentmindedness. Some days…
Dec 12 / SJ via Devil’s Slide with John
So, yeah, I don’t know what to say about this day. Good being outdoors and hanging with John. Beautiful views and weather. Foot mostly okay at slower pace. But body just doesn’t seem that into it. Slow, tired achy, bleh the whole day. Felt wrecked when done after lots of slipping around on icy trails. Don’t know. Still, nice 8.75 hrs slow hike with John in the wilderness…
Dec 10 / Something Lame MB
Never in the history of motivation has someone been less…
Dec 9 / Willow – Sycamore Loop
Feeling a bit stressed and went for hike. Foot is apparently also feeling stressed.
Dec 8 / Willow – Bend Loop (MB) (5)
Wasn’t going to go today, but got restless. Oof. Hot and tired, but got her done. Climbed the bit I wasn’t able to last time, but definitely winded afterward. Quick 1,000′. Now for a nap…
Dec 7 / Willow – Sycamore Loop Hike / Jog (5)
Really having trouble motivating, but did it and jogged a bit w/o foot pain, which is nice. I think mask compliance is actually decreasing with new mandate. People. 🙂
Dec 6 / Stagecoach – Serrano – Camarillo Loop MB (12)
Wasn’t really that into it, so just poked my way around. Actually had a pretty good time, even if my downhill was pretty sloppy. No bonk and aerobics better. Just nice to be out in the sun.
Dec 5 / Laguna Area MB (12)
80% great day, 20% WTF. Went up Willow (argh to Sat parking and crowds), Bommer and down ? to Laguna, High St. and other fancy neighborhoods back to Boat ? trailhead, and climbed to crest. Felt pretty good. Shortly after that on set of hard little climbs back to Bommer, I cracked / bonked hard and ended up crawling down Bommer back to Willow (bypassing Bend to avoid last hard climb). Fun descent. All-in-all, feeling healthier, but damn, that bonk sucked. Maybe gel I took not the right thing, or need more gel, or…??? Bonks / heart / breating not at all like prior bonks (stevia ones), and felt fine at end of ride, but still need to work on it. 1,700-2,300′ elevation gain depending on whether you believe app or desktop version of Gaia :(.
Dec 2 / Stagecoach – Serrano Loop MB (7+)
Felt pretty wonky and not much better on rocky downhill, but energy recovered a bit after a gel. About an hour. Low calorie diet may require bigger breakfast before rides? Not sure. Food good. Jim as right about chain–lubed it and now it’s quiet as can be. Also need higher pressure in tires. Was getting too used to sloppy ride.
Nov 30 / Willow-Sycamore Loop (5)
Not bad. Foot a wee twingy, but all right otherwise. Nice ankle turn 🙂 Will need to do more biking / rowing with less force to allow foot to recover a bit?
Nov 28 / Laguna Area MB with Jim (10)
Fun ride in Laguna area with Jim and his friend Mike. Rattlesnake and Lizard trail. Lizard not that bad at all, but lots of rocky bits on Rattlesnake. Body okay, but damn I tired out fast :). About 10 miles and 1,900′, but hard to tell b/c Gaia GPS gives wrong ascent data in desktop version, so maybe less gain than that. Fun all around. Heart rushy feeling I used to get sometimes. Not sure if good or bad, but one of the climbs I was definitely sucking wind. Need to lube chain. And lose weight.
Nov 27 / Sycamore Walk
Bleh. Foot. Bleh.
Nov 26 / Black Star to Beek’s MB (16)
Low energy, tired legs and strong Santa Anas made for some great headwinds all the way up, good tailwind on the descent (PR) and felt pretty good all around. About 48:30 to first crest and 1:24:30 to Beek’s, which is pretty great considering the blowly / dusty conditions.Tight groin/hammies by top, and nearly ate it on decent in rut I’ve bypassed dozens of times 😐 but lucked out and made it down in one piece and didn’t feel too wiped. Happy Thanksgiving.Tracking.
Nov 25 / Sycamore – Stagecoach Loop (4.5) Hike / Jog
Not bad all things considered. Foot a wee twingy, legs tired and body whacked from insomnia the last few nights, but i’ll take it. About an hour.
Nov 24 / Willow Bend Loop + MB (5.5)
Unmotivated but went for ride up Willow and out Bommer a bit, then down Bend and back. Man, those steep sections make my lungs work hard. Took an hour largely due to hypetventilation. Foot good on steeps :). Legs tired from rowing yesterday, so that’s part of it. Not bonky, but tired…
Nov 22 / Local Bend Up/Down Hike (3)
Got antsy and went for walk. Not bad, but should have been nicer to foot.
Nov 21 / Black Star to Beek’s MB (16)
Low energy, probably due to low-cal diet as I try to drop some pounds, but not badly bonky until the end–mostly due to tired legs. Slow 1:27 to Beek’s. Breathing and HR fine. Funny how much faster the real cyclists are 🙂 Tracking. Slight groin tightness on left side.
Nov 20 / Short Local Hike Jog (5)
First exercise other than rowing yesterday (slowly) after dental surgery on Tuesday. Nice hike / slow jog (5m / 900′). I’m fat, but my foot hurts less and tooth seems fine with it. BTW, I haven’t had the bonky/chesty problem since I quit Stevia, and today I was totally fine w/o food or water. Hard to tell without harder or longer workouts, but I’m going to call this a win for now. TBV.
Nov 17 / Short Local Hike
Puttered for a few mile after quad tightness from the BS MB ride on Saturday. More importantly, managed to break freakin’ tooth on a nut in a bar on the way there. So, down to San Diego for surgery and bone graft on ANOTHER tooth. Hurray.
Nov 14 / Black Star to Beek’s MB (16)
Not too shabby. Bit tight and legs were tired, but no bonkitude or footniss, so that was nice. 1:21 to top. Tracking. Slight quad strain at end?
Nov 13 / Bend to Laurel Loop Hike (5?)
Short little local hike, about 5 miles / 800′. Foot mostly okay. Felt pretty good all around. Great to slowly jog even a little bit. 😉
Nov 11 / Black Start to Crest MB (9)
Felt okay, but didn’t want to go farther than crest. Probably usual 45 min on climb.
Nov 10 / Willow Loop Short Hike
Nice little hike on cool day, jogged down old-man style. Foot meh, but within parameters. I give it 1.2 thumbs up. Yesterday light rowing on the machine. This gut I’m carrying is pretty funny (argh).
Nov 8 / GC South Kaibab to O’Neill Butte
Yesterday, got a bit crazy in the head so drove to Prescott, AZ to surprise friends Joe and Kam and end of 91K ultra (yeah, weird distance), which they finished at 10/10:30 at night freezing cold with occasional snow flurries. Studs both. Drove to GC the this morning for short hike on SK trail just to see Canyon this year and see how foot does on that sort of trail. Not bad, not great. Definitely out of shape, but still fun to be there. Long drive back. Oof.
Nov 6 / Black Star to Beek’s MB (16+)
Pleasant ride on coolish morning with reasonable air quality. Never felt fresh or energetic (legs a bit off), but nothing bonky until after second crest. Definitely feeling it by Beek’s, including tight hammies, but still PR of 1:20 on ascent, which is nice. Absolutely dusted by a guy on the descent (clearly, he’s in way better shape for the short climbs / flats), and then coughing attack related to dust / smoke? Coughed so hard I nearly threw up, but whatever. Still a good day. Tracking
Nov 4 / Stagecoach Partial MB
Freaking terrible. Foot okay (harder on steeps), but hard bonk on a 45 min ride. Sucks. No idea what happened.
Nov 3 / Willow Hike (Short)
Not bad. Foot and hip meh.
Nov 2 / Mt. Baldy MB (Manker to Lodge)
After rowing yesterday for 30 min (which I’m always worried to do for hamstring reasons), headed up the hill again. A bit more tired this time, but to top 1 min faster in 00:54 and no foot pain to speak of (!), probably due to foot pointing. Greater fatigue likely due to less food, less sleep, prior day’s workout, etc., so all-in-all, not bad. Took a slightly different route on the downhill by circling around lodge first, which added some mild climbing. Hamstrings tight. Fun descent.
Oct 31 / Mt. Baldy Nothing (Boo)
Well, tried to walk road on foot. Nope. Sigh.
Oct 30 / Mt. Baldy MB (Manker to Lodge)
This was a surprisingly awesome experience, and probably the best I’ve felt in a month (mentally, physically, grammatically). Never really tired or out of breath, foot a bit sensitive but pointing toe seemed to help, nice day, nice weather, no attacks from random strangers. So, yeah. I’ll take more of that.
Oct 28 / Mt. Baldy Partial
Didn’t get far on foot (meaning, bad foot), but nice views.
Oct 27 / Woodson Partial
Dental appointment in San Diego, so thought I’d try Woodson. Made it about half way before foot pain was problematic. Sigh.
Oct 24 / Black Star Partial MB (13+)
So, intention was to ride to Beek’s for the first time in a while while not injuring or bonking myself. Started off well enough until one of the many unleashed dogs on the road (dogs are supposed to be leashed) ran in front of my bike. I asked the owner to call off his dogs. He said, “What the hell did you say to me?” and I said, “Please leash your dogs” and he then shoved me / tried to knock me off my bike. Much stupidity ensued including a threat to “knock my other teeth out” (I guess he noticed my pre-implant smile. What a sweet guy). Anyway, that was 2+ minutes of my life I’ll never get back, and I still made it to the crest in 45, so 00:43 if you take out those two minutes. So, adrenaline helps. After that felt fine until hamstrings got a bit tight, so i turned around at the last saddle and cruised down. Not a bad day, and non-bonking was very nice, but damn, I’m glad I didn’t get killed…
Oct 22 / Silverado Trail Partial Hike (3.5) + Jim MB (14)
Up Silverado Trail at decent pace until felt bonky (35 min) and foot hurt (40 min), so turned around. About 1,350 elevation gain. I’ll take it. Mellow walk / jog down with usual ankle twisting silliness. Spontaneous bike ride with Jim in the evening, around 14 miles and 2,000′ elevation gain and loss. Tired legs and lotsa sweat, but no bonk, which was nice.
Oct 21 / Black Star to Crest (9)
Well, not as bonky as before, but still. Crest in 00:47. One very odd light-headed episode that was concerning. I’m going to try not using Ultima electrolytes for a while. I didn’t realize they are sweetened with a Stevia extract, so it might be spiking my glucose levels and impeding glycogen storage. Honestly, just guessing. Nice cool day overall.
Oct 20 / Local Hike (Willow)
Felt pretty good, no bonk, even jogged very slowly down 🙂 . We’ll see how foot feels tomorrow. Realized a lot of stevia in my electrolytes. May back off of that and see if insulin response is tied to bonking the next day (just won’t drink for a while).
Oct 18 / Black Star 7 MB
Well, poo. Felt terrible and seemed to have lightly strained something else in left quad or groin area. Seriously think my muscles are made of tissue paper. ;(
Oct 17 / Black Star 7 MB with John
Put John on my old bike and we putted up the hill until he putted no more. Very mellow. All seems okay with body.
Oct 16 / Black Star to Crest (9)
Wow, that was terrible. Felty bonky from start and crawled to the crest (0:54). So low energy I couldn’t even breathe hard. Also, foot started hurting below Mariposa sign. So…AAAAAAARGH!!! 100 degrees more or less at the car. Joy level -1.
Oct 15 / Local Hike
Up Willow, down Laurel and out Laurel Spur. Kinda liked the outbound single track. Pretty wiped (little sleep) and careful, but injuries didn’t bother me except foot. So…meh.
Oct 13 / Local Hike
Up Big Bend over Bommer down Willow. Bend is steep, man. Damn. Don’t know if I could bike up that, but downhill would be…terrifying (or funny). Just too much pulverized dirt for traction. Foot hurt, hamstring tight, but mostly ok.
Oct 10 – 12 / Whatever
Don’t really remember. Bike ride with weird stabby thigh pain, so turned around. Also a hike up something from Stagecoach trailhead. Mostly hot and dusty.
Oct 9 / Black Star to Crest (9)
A bit bonky, but basically just out of shape. Foot likes easier grade much better…
Oct 8 / Local Short MB
Not bad. Foot hurts on steeper stuff. Out of shape. But not bad.
Oct 7 / Local Short Hike
I’m old! But, not dead yet. Walked up Willow. Be fun to MB when foot can handle steeper stuff.
Oct 6 / Local MB
Bit longer than 2nd, quad mostly okay, and now I think maybe it’s tendons? Heck if I know. Chesty / bonky is back, but now that iron and electrolytes are checked, this must something else. Possible crappy diet day before? Hmm. Hmm!
Oct 3 / Local Mini Hike
A bit under an hour. Quad feeling it again. Bleh.
Oct 2 / Local MB
Quick 30 min (until I felt anything that might be an injury) ride, feeling okay. A bit nauseated and sore-throated for the past few days, but only mild quad twinge. I shall heal…soon!
Oct 1 / Local Hiking Trail
Less than an hour testing out quad, calf, body, air and other nonsense. Hot and boring, but body is healing. Still can’t jog on foot, but that’ll be a while. Definitely lost some fitness, but whatever…
More Hiking & Running
Peace.
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