Stevens Trail Hike, 2010-05-30

Bathed my feet in the north fork of the American River this afternoon. It drops 1,300 feet in about 4.5 miles. And then you walk out. A few hair-raising steps across waterfalls but for the most part it was fairly good trail. I am really proud of Dawn for making the full, impromptu trip.

Took us 90 minutes to reach the bottom, and about 135 minutes to hike out. Packed way too much gear and too little water and food. The timing, however, was just right; started at 4:00 p.m. and ended about 7:15 p.m. The heat of the day was waning by then and walking in the shadow of the Sierra Nevadas was a luxury. The trail was fairly deserted. We passed about 10 groups on the way down and only three or four groups on the way out. Everyone was pleasant.

Photos (not mine): http://www.pbase.com/jenn_dox/stevens_trail

Running Journal, Saturday, 2010-05-29

Running Journal, Saturday, 2010-05-29
Resting heart rate: 87 bpm (60 second test about two hours after exercise)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 23.55
Weather: pleasant, sunny
Temp: 27 C (80.6 F)
Time: 6:15-8:05 p.m. (1:50:00)
Distance: eight miles
Terrain: flat

Comments: We passed a mother wild turkey and her flock of eight children on the trip down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the American River. I turned down the car fan and we listened to the noises of the chicks walking through the straw on the hillside. On Jim's Bridge a line of fishers plied the waters. A small boy, pants and lower shirt wet, charged into the water to chase the mallard ducks away from shore. No Dutchman's Pipe that I could see. I ran about eight miles today, from mile 20.0 to 24.0 and back. They (SACDOT) are really tearing up the Hazel Avenue bridge; it will be completely shut down from June 11-14. The run up the bridge over the American River is challenging but the run up to the top coming back even more so; really steep those last few meters. On Nimbus Lake a row of white pitched canopies was the only thing left of the NCAA Women's National Rowing Championships, which concluded today. The bluffs of the American River are such dramatic backdrops for training. After turning around, running back down the Hazel Avenue bridge felt great. I coasted across to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and mile marker 22.5 and kept going, thinking my legs would last forever. For one four-minute block of time, I ran a half-mile. The next half-mile, not so much--about six minutes. At that point my calves were killing me, so I slowed it way down and coasted. At mile 20.5 I thought, screw it, I'm going to finish strong, and ran all-out for the last half-mile, completing it in four minutes. My calves were killing me but walking to Sunrise Bar and across Jim's Bridge helped. The bugs were out tonight after the sun set. A small girl walking across Jim's Bridge noticed a great egret near the shore and exclaimed, "Daddy, look, a swan! Can I go down there?" Responding to her father's denial, she responded, "There are probably sharks and stuff down there, right?" Her father and I laughed. The fishers were swarmed by bugs as I walked past. An young asian girl asked her partner, "Hey, check if The Karate Kid opens tonight!" (it doesn't; June 11). On the north shore, two Slavic fishers were returning and exchanging parting farewells. The water fountains was not connected at Sunrise Bar, so I had to wait until I got home before refilling. So glad I did not do 10 miles; it would have been really late and I probably would have been locked in again by the rangers, not to mention how crappy I would have felt with two additional miles on my poor out-of-shape legs. I am really getting interested in identifying all the various flora and fauna around the parkway.

Weight (after exercise): 80.6 kg (177.69 lb), 18% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Sore calves
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins + banana, multi-vitamin, grapefruit, cottage cheese, pumpkin-filled bolani, spinach salad with non-fat feta cheese + pear vinaigrette dressing + shredded carrots + cherry tomatoes + cheesy-garlic croutons + sprouts + sunflower microgreens, orange juice + vanilla whey protein powder, Siggi's Orange and Ginger skyr yogurt (Icelandic; holy 16g of protein, Batman)

1,000 Posts

Wow.

Running Journal, Thursday, 2010-05-27

Running Journal, Thursday, 2010-05-27
Resting heart rate: 90 bpm (60 second test about two hours after exercise)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 23.725
Weather: calm, ending with light rain
Temp: 13 C (55.4 F)
Time: 8:05-9:05 p.m.
Distance: four miles
Terrain: flat

Comments: The word of the evening is petrichor, the smell of nature following a rain shower. Breathing it all in at the American River Parkway was a glorious way to end the day. The air was cool and humid, the sun set, the clouds partly-sunny. Driving into the Bridge Street parking lot, we passed a few wild turkeys and a silflaying black-tailed deer. But for a pair of runners and a biker or two, we had the Parkway to ourselves. The ground was still wet and the water in the river is high. The channel built to give the returning salmon a nesting ground now has water flowing through it. It is a period of transition, expansion. The wildflowers are in full bloom: purple vetch, the last of the golden California poppy, Star thistle (purple, now), and something that looks like a yellow daisy. At mile 20.5, a flock of Canadian geese silflayed along the salmon channel. We ran together for one-half mile, then I continued alone. I forgot the mental challenges of the first 15 minutes of exertion, as the body exhausts its ready store of energy. It is after the first 15-20 minutes that fat-burning begins and things begin feeling good. The Parkway was quiet save the rushing water and birds roosting for the night. The sky got darker and darker as I headed east. At mile 21.0, an antlered black-tailed deer galloped across the bike path toward the river, maybe 100 feet ahead of me. At the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, I stopped to take a drink and noticed the parking lot gates were already shut. Run-roh. On the return trip I encountered a scampering skunk. Happily I saw it some distance off, approximately 30 feet or so. I stopped to see what it chose to do. After noticing me, it bounded back up the private Gold River walkway. At the 21 mile marker, my long-sleeve cotton shirt (which seemed like a good idea earlier, given the cool evening air) came off and I ran topless. By this time the illumination of the trail was more dark than light. I could barely distinguish the wildflowers I wanted to pick for Dawn. The clouds overhead, once illuminated by the sun, now took on an off-colored tint from the sodium lights coming on in the neighboring suburbs. Two events occurred in the stretch between the 21.5 and 21.0 mile markers: (1) I noticed someone with a bright halogen/xenon headlamp navigating a trail near the river; and (2) a jackrabbit nearly bowled me over as it dashed across the trail, nearly ten feet away. There are campsites between the bike path and the river along that stretch, so it may be the person was camping for the night. A few drops from the sky now turned into a light rain and continued for the remainder of the run. It was lovely, perfect. At mile 20.5, I stopped and walked back to the Bridge Street parking lot. The dark was nearly total. Dawn had turned on the interior car light and was listening to the radio. It was approximately 9:00 p.m. We got in the car, I handed Dawn wildflowers I had picked for her, and we headed to the entrance. Locked in! . The sign says 9:30 p.m., but at 9:05 p.m we found the gate locked. In fairness, it was well past sunset and quite dark. It would have been nice if the county employee had inquired with Dawn first, as they drove right past her as she sat in the car. After swallowing a moment of panic, we drove under Sunrise Avenue via connecting parking lots and exited via the Sunrise Bar parking lot, which was partially closed. They have one-way traffic control spikes to prevent ingress traffic. Whew. The rain had stopped and the ride home was cheerful. I ran on the balls of my feet tonight and really felt how out-of-shape I am. I stopped three or four times to take in water and relax. My right arm felt tight and my left leg felt a bit sore (perhaps from running on the uneven shoulder of the bike path). Dropping my arms and focusing on keeping them loose helped with the former issue significantly. This was a run I will never forget. It reminds me of when I first started, way back in spring of 2006, when the American River swelled past the banks and swallowed up whole sections of the bike path along mile 20-21.

Weight (after exercise): 81.2 kg (179.02 lb), 18% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins + banana, almonds, walnuts, multi-vitamin, hard-boiled egg (2), cup of green tea (2), low-sodium V-8, Costco chocolate weight-loss meal-replacement drink, spinach salad with non-fat feta cheese + pear vinaigrette dressing + shredded carrots + cherry tomatoes + cheesy-garlic croutons + sprouts, orange juice + vanilla whey protein powder, Greek Gods honey yogurt, mochi candy

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2010-05-26

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2010-05-26
Resting heart rate: 59 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 23.96
Weather: lightly raining, calm
Temp: n/a (indoor)
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Terrain: flat
Distance: one lap around the mall

Comments: "Never wear light pants to a potluck." Advice preferred by a fellow attendee at a potluck lunch where I piled way too much food on my plate. No accidents, happily. After work, Dawn and I visited the Fox & Goose pub and restaurant to belatedly celebrate Towel Day. I visit there so infrequently, I think I order the same thing each time, the vegetable pasty with beer-cheese sauce. It is delicious. No alcohol, unfortunately, as I was driving. Afterward, we stopped at the Arden Fair mall and walked for 45-60 minutes. Heart rate is down, which is good. Weight is up, which is bad.

Weight (after exercise): 82.6 kg (182.10 lb), 18% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins + banana, almonds, walnuts, multi-vitamin, Costco pizza (one slice), deviled egg, salad, bean salad, fruit, brownie, lemonade, fruit tart, crackers, pasta salad, apple sauce cup, Fox & Goose vegetable pasty, espresso cheesecake

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2010-05-25

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2010-05-25
Resting heart rate: 68 bpm (60 second test right after exercise)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 23.96
Weather: lightly raining, calm
Temp: 13 C (55.4 F)
Time: 9:00-9:45 p.m.
Terrain: flat
Distance: two laps running around the parking lot; two laps walking

Comments: Tying my shoes on the porch before the run, I listened to the sounds of water dripping down into the water barrel from the gutter drain. It was a peaceful, echoing, repetitive sound. Everything around was still in the dark; all the animals had bedded down to weather the extended shower this afternoon. At American River College, we discovered the stadium track entrance locked. A sign reads, "Track closed May 15 - June 10". So we walked and ran around the parking lot instead. My core itched as I began exercising the muscles I have not been using in so long. I still do not understand why they itch but sometimes they do until they have warmed up. I ran on the balls of my feet for two laps. It went well. Most of the water had drained from the surface of the parking lot and so my feet stayed relatively dry. After one lap, I took off my shirt and ran bare-chested in the night air, a very refreshing experience. The rain began lightly sprinkling again. We walked around one final lap to cool down, then drove home. A great experience and made me wish it rained in Sacramento more frequently.

Weight (after exercise): 82.0 kg (180.78 lb), 18% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins, cherry tomatoes, almonds, walnuts, low-sodium V-8, Annie Chun's Miso Soup, multi-vitamin, two hard-boiled eggs, fresh salad mix with butter lettuce + non-fat feta cheese + cilantro dressing + shredded carrots + cherry tomatoes + cheesy-garlic croutons + sprouts + sunflower sprouts, chocolate milk, mochi candy

Weekend Random Notes

The tallest bridge in California, Foresthill Bridge, near Auburn, CA, near the confluence of the North and South forks of the American River.

Summer is here! :o) School is out!

Today we visited the confluence of the North and South forks of the American River.

The confluence is a special place. We sat and read for over an hour after eating a picnic lunch. The Sierra Nevadas as a backdrop and rushing waters in the foreground. After hiking down to the riverbed and back, we discovered our keys locked in the car. Happily, a motorist offered us his jumper cables (!) which provided just enough extension for my hand to reach the door latch through the cracked window. :o) My forearm will be bruised for awhile, and from now on I will be carrying a key in my wallet. Afterward we walked around Auburn, stopping at Old Town Dessert Cafe.

Came home, made a gourmet meal: steamed beets and turnips plus greens; instant (ok, not that gourmet ;o) mashed potatoes with fresh chives and parsley from just outside our front door; stuffed bell peppers with a filling of mozzarella, one bulb of garlic (!), ketchup, stewed tomatoes, and fresh parsley; braised dino kale and chard. So full. x_x Millions of dishes to clean.

We were at REI on Friday evening looking at watches. The Timex Speed + Distance 5B501 I purchased in 2006 is pretty tired looking. The watch electronics work great but the resin case long ago lost its veneer. I also messed up one of the holes in the resin case while removing the watch band. :oX I am going to call Timex this week to see what they can do. One of the coolest things about this watch is (was) the GPS unit which provides the aforementioned speed/distance in real time. Unfortunately, a thief made off with mine in 2008 while I participated in a highway cleanup. >:( So I need a new one of those too. All in all, in seems like time for a new watch. I got the Timex Speed + Distance 5B501 combo for $75 new, and I doubt I can find that price again.

Heard on Click and Clack this morning a caller remarked about how they are wondering if they should go to a rebuilt engine for their 1993 Miata. They had three leaks (rear main seal, valve cover gasket, oil can gasket). Since our car currently has nearly 190,000 miles, that got me to thinking about rebuilding our engine. One quote comes in at $1,800.

Also looking for a purple bike for Dawn. The color is very important. ;o)

Whole Foods Best Deal

Whole Foods (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/) half-sandwich and soup for supper:

spinach
grilled onion
tomatoes
cucumbers
roasted peppers
pickles
pepper jack
sun-dried tomato aioli spread

toasted in a panini press. Yummmmmm. :o)

For $5, the woman at the grill claimed it was the best deal in the entire store. After tasting it I think she is quite right!