Monday, August 29, 2005
Bulldog
I did a trail run this weekend - the Bulldog Trail Run. 15.7 miles (25km) of trails in the Santa Monica Mountains. It was very hot. The scenery was fabulous. Since the mountain we ran up was one of the tall ones, we were able to see the surrounding mountains on one side and the Pacific on the other. I saw Catalina peeking above the clouds. Even though I had did a similar run previously, I had forgotten the beauty of the rock formations in the park. You get a glimpse of it as you enter the park by car. Don't be deceived though by this pretty-ness. It was a crazy race! We had to climb a 2,528 ft mountain, cross a stream, and run in a rocky, dried-up stream-bed. At several points, the trail narrows to one person wide. I felt like lemmings blindly following the person in front, barely able to see the step in front of me. Don't forget the small, nasty hill at the end that killed a couple of guys that I passed. I'm glad I didn't even consider doing the 50k, they do two loops!
This was the first race since my son Terran was born. It's been difficult getting my training in with school and caring for an infant. At times, I felt like running has become a very selfish thing. Since I come home tired from running, I don't have the energy level required to help my wife take care of the baby. It has been tough, but I might still continue some running because I think my stamina has been improving. At the same time, I have this huge push to finish up my dissertation before the year is up. Between training and the baby, some work days have shrunk to 4 hrs and lunch fits it there too! But, now the race is over and I won't have to take off two hours early on my training days. And, I have been leaving for work earlier and earlier as Terran sleeps more through the night (and so does my wife!) and morning childcare is shrinking.
This was the first race since my son Terran was born. It's been difficult getting my training in with school and caring for an infant. At times, I felt like running has become a very selfish thing. Since I come home tired from running, I don't have the energy level required to help my wife take care of the baby. It has been tough, but I might still continue some running because I think my stamina has been improving. At the same time, I have this huge push to finish up my dissertation before the year is up. Between training and the baby, some work days have shrunk to 4 hrs and lunch fits it there too! But, now the race is over and I won't have to take off two hours early on my training days. And, I have been leaving for work earlier and earlier as Terran sleeps more through the night (and so does my wife!) and morning childcare is shrinking.
