Hiking and "trail" running in Irvine - PFTW

Last week....
Tuesday: 4 miles easy (actually, 4 miles with stupid fartleks because I was bored on the treadmill)
Wednesday: 4 miles with hills and it was hard and terrible
Saturday: 3 mile hike
Sunday: 8 miles on trails PLUS 40 minutes total body conditioning. {this was EXHAUSTING}

This week...
Monday: easy yoga
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: cross train
Thursday: 5 miles
Friday: ehhhhh
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: cross?

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On Saturday, Gabby asked to go hiking! We originally planned on hiking Laurel Canyon in Laguna Coast, but she's the slowest human ever in the morning, and by the time we left the house at 8:30, both the Laurel Canyon and Nix parking areas were packed full.

We ended up at the James Dilley Greenbelt Preserve across the street, and did a moderate, 3 mile loop to Barbara's Lake.

From the parking area ($3 parking fee, payable by card or cash), we took the Canyon Trail, to Edison, to Barbara's Lake, and Lake trail back to our car. It was slow going, because Gabby suddenly is obsessed with collecting every rock she sees, but she loved it.

If you love this, I have 15 more just like it.....

Super easy, moderate hill to the ridgeline, and only one steep-ish part.

There's some poison oak in the canyon, so just be aware.

They had a foot print guide and a poop guide available at the trailhead, so there was a lot of watching out....

The lake was not particularly exciting, but kind of pretty.

Super fun, and pretty easy for the kids. Try it.

On Sunday, I decided to do my "long" run outside (shocking, I know). I haven't been feeling the treadmill love lately, and I really liked being back on the dirt Saturday, so I hit an 8 mile loop from my house. The first 2-2.5 miles are paved trail, not particularly scenic, running alongside the 405 freeway.

At Shady Canyon and Quail Hill, where the dirt trail starts, there's a pretty rough hill, not particularly steep, but almost a mile long. After that, it's some pleasant rollers for about 2 miles, then into a residential neighborhood (Turtle Ridge), and back to my neighborhood.

I hesitate to call it "trail", because really, it's just a route that's partially unpaved. But, there are some good climbs, and I'm really surprised at how good I felt.

The views are not bad, too....

It's so hard living here.

Three Things Thursday

I ran 2 miles Wednesday night, and it was glorious. 2 mi, 21:51. 10:55 pace. Interesting....

My mom has been visiting, so instead of resting my Jerk Shin last weekend, I spent 4 days playing tourist and showing off all the glorious reasons I live in SoCal...

1. Hiking... We spent Friday afternoon hiking at Caspers Wilderness Park

2. The Beach!! Saturday afternoon was spent tide pooling in Laguna Beach...

Best of three attempts.....

3. And Sunday? Joshua Tree. I adore this place.

Three Things Thursday!

1. This is my average pace by week over the last 7 weeks since I started c25k:

I hear race pace is even faster, something about the "excitement" and "adrenaline". Helllloooo, Running Skirt.

2. I am currently plotting my Thanksgiving/Black Friday plan of attack. I am one of those crazies that shops on Black Friday. So far, this looks like my game plan: race at 7am. Collect my free stuff. Come home and watch a parade (heehee). Cook a bunch of stuff to undo the 7am race. Toys r us 10pm. Outlet mall at midnight. Coach around 2am. Home by 3. Macys at 4. Misc other shopping. Sleep. Eat pie for breakfast. Shop. Go see Tangled. Shop. Eat more pie.

It's going to be epic. I am sad My Sister won't be around to not sleep and eat pie and shop with.

3. I find that I am *really* missing hiking lately. I was considering a quick hike this weekend, but there's rain in our forecast. But soon, I think I have to. My trail shoes look sad and lonely. I've gotten so focused on sucking less at running, that everything is revolving around that, and I'm afraid I'll get burnt out. I've spent a small fortune on race registrations, so... burn out cannot happen. And, plus, variety is the spice of life and all that, right?! Besides, winter and spring are my favorite times to hike in SoCal - the air is cool and clean, everything is green and lovely. Sigh. Next weekend, for sure.

Between a round of pie and a nap.

Hiking - Eaton Falls

Inspired by Yosemite's prettiness, I made it a mission to stalk some local prettiness, and stumbled upon Eaton Falls on Yelp. It looked promising, really - wooded canyon trail, stream crossings, waterfalls at the end.

The drive was... l o n g. No matter what time, on what day, the 5 freeway thinks it's Monday at 7am. But we got there, found parking easily enough, and the trail head, even though it was shady looking and weird. But I do appreciate free, so I can't really complain.

The trail down is shady, and rocky. There are several stream crossings, but in mid-August the water level is pretty low - you can make it across easily playing Frogger across the rocks. Unlike my kids (who wore their Crocs), I wore my regular hiking boots, and hopped across just fine. Then, I got to a part that looked like it might get my feet wet if I missed. So, being the smart hiker that I am, I took the boots off to walk through the stream, and promptly dropped one of them right in the water. Because I'm awesome that way. Purpose = defeated. Sigh.

Kidlets decided that traversing straight up stream, rather than criss crossing and rock hopping, was the smart way to go.

After about a mile of this nonsense, you really do reach a small waterfall, with a cute little pool that you can wade in. Rather, that crazy people can wade in, because it's hella cold.

#2 likes to continue proving she's non-human.

Apparently, everyone in San Gabriel Valley had the same idea we had.

A picnic lunch woulda been pretty rad, and had I thought it would take me 2 hours to get there, and another hour to hike a mile (thanks, Baby), putting us at the falls at noon, I would have brought one.

The walk out of the canyon is lovely, until the very end and the little uphill action, but maybe I'm just a whiny hiker ;).

"All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own"

My Sister gave me this award... which involves me telling you all (that sounds so dramatic, doesn't it?!) 10 things that make me happy.

This is a toughie.

LOTS of things make me happy.

I'll try to contain myself.

1. Coffee. Or Chai. Soy, with no water. Mmmmmm.
2. Seasons... I love them all. Every time the season shifts, I start waxing philosophical about how utterly magical the "new" season is. The truth is, I love all of them, and the subtle shifts that I see in SoCal make me happy.
3. The people in my life. Family, friends, coworkers alike. I dig 'em all.
4. Driving with the windows down and loud music playing.
5. Hiking.
6. The Mall. I heart all of it... MAC, Macys, Nordstroms, Bloomies, shoes, Starbucks, Disney Store, Gap.....
7. The beach. Specifically, the SoCal beaches. The sand is different, the water is cold, the sun is bright, Catalina in the distance, tidepools, seals...
8. Tissues with lotion.
9. Cooking.
10. Disney!

Ta da! 10 things that make me happy.

Passing this along to.... Snork, as well as Stacy at Moderate Means.

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”

I heart spring.

In Florida, it's not such a big deal. There's kind of only two seasons - sucky (cold), and suckier (hot). In SoCal, at least, there's a hint of a change. Days are sunnier, everything is green. It's lovely.

This was our first Easter with just the kidlets, and no cousins around to share it with... so I decided to start our own traditions. We had small baskets for each of them - filled with goofy stuff that they like. No eggs were hidden, no bunnies, no ham. Just us.

Okay, so "traditions", is kind of a strong word for what we did. I mean, it could be a tradition, eventually, but for now, it was just "stuff we decided to do, and then realized it was Easter".

Anyway. We went hiking out at Joshua Tree. It is a bit of a drive from the OC, clocking in at just over 2 hours, but it was well worth it.

Kidlets did some mild rock climbing...

And the desert wildflowers were blooming like mad. I won't bore you with all of them, but.. the cactus are my favorite.


There've also been a variety of other awesome things going on....

For starters, I did make it to gym last night, and through both running AND yoga.

I've eaten lunch out of things I brought every day for the last 2 weeks - with the exception of someone buying pizza last Friday.

I am back to pre-cruise weight. I'm pretending this is awesome, even though it irritates me that 3 months of work was wiped out in 3 days, and took another 3 weeks to reverse. Curse you, unlimited free food!

The weather has been super great for hiking, so I've been able to go out the last 2 weekends, and intend to do the same this weekend as well.

Green Day/AFI are coming in a few months... I am considering taking #1 to go. Admittedly, I just really want to go myself... and #1 provides an excellent excuse. I'm a bit concerned that my interests are now overlapping my kid's, becuase.... I cannot possibly be old enough for that to happen yet, can I?

"A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else."

I had a pretty simple goal to Suck Less this year. I mean, really, it's not that hard to do, right? Just do ONE teeny thing better, and you've already accomplished it!

I've been pretty bummy lately... March was The Month of Sucking More. Gym was a fail, work was pretty sucky, frugality was non-existent. It was a pretty rough time, overall. I mean, Cruising with Snork was awesome, but the rest of the month? Suck.

So, right now, I'm going to to focus on what hasn't sucked this month. Focus on the little things, and eventually, they add up, right?

Awesome recent events, things, thoughts, etc:

REI dividends went out last week, along with the member 20% off coupon.... which equals new hiking shoes for me! Woot!They're actually trail running shoes, because I have this idea that I might... run? On trails? Laughable, I realize, but it could happen.
But they're pretty rad. I think. I haven't tried them out yet, 'cause I just got them yesterday, but I wore them to work today (yes, they looked at me funny), and I think we have a winner!

We went to Disneyland a few weekends ago, and it.was.packed. We did hit up King Arthur's Carousel, which Baby is a big fan of....
She suddenly decided - despite dozens of previous rides - that she's terrified of Pirates of the Caribbean.... Sigh. She'll have to just suffer, 'cause I heart that one. She'll get over it, right?

I mentioned before that I found this super rad farmers market, really close to my house, with all types of locally grown goodies... such as these blue pumpkins.
I have no clue what they taste like, if they're worth trying, but I love finding fun, new produce, particularly if it's a fun color... like blue.

I finally got some decent hiking in last weekend. The H and I hit the Laurel Canyon trail at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. It isn't my most favorite trail ever, but it's close, and parking is $3 (vs. $15 at Crystal Cove - which IS my fave). The good news is, it's wildflower season, so even this mediocre hike was saved by... POPPIES!!
I cannot express, in words, how much I adore poppies. For no real reason, really, but they look so fresh, and happy, all floating about colorful-like.

I also found these super pretty things, which are apparently called Lupines? Thanks, random hiking dude.
I'm trying to get out to Joshua Tree this weekend, so hopefully the flowers will still be in bloom, and my shoes will be awesome!

My friend Squirrel has booked a trip for Weekend of Awesome Part 2 in May... I couldn't be more psyched about that!

I actually made my lunch at work, even though I really, REALLY wanted to buy something warm and toasty off of the lunch truck today. Instead, I chowed down on some salad and half a turkey sandwich on wheat. Downside to this, is after tomorrow my heavenly goat cheese will be gone. Upside, it gives me a reason to hit the farmers market this weekend.

I'm going to post out here, for the world (or, like, all 10 of you reading this, including my sister) to see.... tomorrow, I am Gymming with Snork.... Thursday too. But Friday, and any other day that I can't (kidlet issues), I will pack my gym stuff, and ACTUALLY use it during my lunch hour. It's a radical idea, I know, but it could just work. I mean, that 5K isn't gonna run itself, right?!

Suck less, Heather. Suck.Less.

“Joy is not in things; it is in us”

Cheesy, I know. But. Sometimes it helps to be reminded.

We found out last weekend (while I was cruising) that The H's job is being eliminated, sometime between May and July. The good news is, he'd be eligible for unemployment (woohoo?).

So, my frugality stint that had been sort of a game for me previously, is back with a vengence today. I'm eating a super awesome turkey sandwich on wheat, no mayo. If I'd packed smarter, I'd have had lettuce and goat cheese on it, but I forgot both at home. Sigh.

Cable is still gone, so nothing has changed there, except I realized I don't miss it, and all of my panicking when we dropped it was for naught!

In recent awesome news...

I discovered the most awesome farmers market near UCI. It had a great variety of organic/non-organic produce - most of it grown locally. Some of the smaller vendors seemed like they do grow organically, just haven't been certified. There was a chick selling fresh garlic and herb goat cheese... which was pretty heavenly. Fresh baguettes, grass-fed beef... all pretty great.

And then there was this beauty.

Quite honestly, the hats were weird, but not anything too exciting... and then I saw The Face. And I had to have a picture to share. And dude... the chick running the booth?! You would have thought I whipped out a crochet hook and started dismantling her hats right there, with the fit she threw about me taking that picture. Honestly, had she just been like, "Hey, could you not?"... this picture would have been deleted. However, she was a bitch, and now, this picture graces everything I can think of to post it on.

Cruising last weekend was super awesome, and Snork was heaps of fun. Plus, she brought the rum, so... Kisses! Someday I'll post pics.

I took kidlets to Dland Sunday and renewed my annual pass. For just $18 a month, I can enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth every day, excpet black out dates! Woot!

It's springtime in SoCal, which means it's wildflower season! I haven't gotten to get much hiking in lately, since it was raining, and raining, and then cruising, etc. We did hit Caspers Wilderness park this past weekend, and I think we're doing Crystal Cove next weekend, so I'm pretty psyched. Baby was NOT a good hiker at Caspers, though, so we may have to stay away from the Wilderness Park until she learns that she cannot, in fact, run ahead in a park with mountain lions. I know, I'm a mean mommy.

Sprouts has berries on sale this week... Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries... all for $1.49 a container! Sweet! I'm eating blueberries currently like my life depends on it.

I have kind of sucked at gym going. Which is exponentially suckier, considering the amount of food consumed over Cruise weekend. Tomorrow, though. Tomorrow. That gym is my bitch.

“In the name of the hungry, of the naked, of the crippled, of the homeless, of the blind, in their name, I accept the award.”

My friend Snork at Once upon a Snork gave me an award, which she rightfully predicted, I LOVE. I might even make her some cookies :)
So, the deal is that I have to spill 10 things that people probably don't know about me.

I'll try, but the truth is, I'm painfully boring most of the time. But, we can give it a shot, yes?

1. I read Gone with the Wind in 4th Grade. My gifted class was watching the movie, and it bored me, so... I read the book. I don't know that it's age appropriate, or that I really "got it", but... I read that sucker, cover to cover.

2. I haven't been my "natural" hair color in almost 18 years. I don't even remember what it really is. I once colored my hair a color that I *thought* was close.... then the roots started growing in. Not close, not at all.

3. I have an unnatural hatred of all chicks named "Jennifer". Sorry, it's nothing personal.

4. I am still not sure that I want to have kids. (did I say that out loud?)

5. I once went hiking in a super, super scary valley, that was all overgrown with trees, and there were caves, and THINGS stomping about in the woods, and scary. I would have taken pictures, because it was REALLY pretty, but I literally thought I was going to die, and I never, ever went back to that spot again.

6. I love organizing pot-lucks at work, because I get first dibs at bringing "Drinks!".

7. I'd like to be a chef, instead of a Customer Service Manager.

8. I joined the Marine Biology Club AND took marine biology my senior year in high school because they went on the most field trips.

9. I really like my IL's, despite the hassle I give The H about them ;).

10. I had to take Personal Fitness twice in high school becuase I failed the first time.

There you have it - 10 random facts about me!


In other, super SUPER awesome news, Snork and I are CRUISING this weekend! 36 hours from now, I intend to be waist deep in margaritas and floating in a hot tub!!!

I've also graduated to week 4 of the Couch 2 5K program. I registered for the Corona Del Mar 5K in June, and that race? Is gonna be my bish. Yep.

I found a neat farmers market near my house that is open on Saturday's, instead of weird things like Tuesday or Wednesday - I'm pretty psyched about that.

Some big changes happened for me at work the last few weeks, and it seems like it's for the better... it's an exciting challenge :)

Anyway, I'll pass this baby along to... Random Apples :)

“There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California.”

Awesome thing #2: So Cal

Heaps of my FB friends are melting down because - gasp! - it's cold right now. In all fairness... -19 degrees?! Seriously?! No thanks. 73 and sunny? Yes, please!

I currently live in Southern California, and LOVE it.

Yeah, we have traffic, Hollywood, smog, taxes like no OTHER.... but you know what we also have??

The most beautiful beaches. We spent Christmas Day on the beach, sipping Starbucks Hot Chocolate (or Caramel Brulee, if you're the mommy), jumping in waves, chasing crabs, and digging giant sand holes to... break ankles, or something.

Sunny, clear skies 330 days of the year*. When we DO have rain, it's pretty relentless for a few days, but then? It.is.glorious. The sun reappears, the smog is cleared out, and we can see the beautiful, snowy mountains hanging out to the north.

Lovely, snow-capped mountains that... y'know, should I lose my mind and WANT to be in the snow, I can within hours. I live in OC, so it's about a 2 hour trip, but it certainly beats the hell out of needing to own and USE an ICE SCRAPER!

A plethora of ethnically diverse areas, including the most AWESOMEST DutchIndo store that I love shopping at. My grandparents were Dutch-Indonesian, and I love scoping out all the goodies they used to bring home after trips to Holland. Spekkoek - while I *could* make it - why would I when I can run up there and pick some up!?

Super great hiking spots. I took up hiking when I moved here, because... I had six months alone, and no kidlets, so... this killed time. In the process, it gave me killer calves! Win!

Disneyland! So, it's certainly no Disney World, but... it'll do.

Super fresh produce, super cheap. I have this grand idea - and I try REALLY hard at it, honestly! - that we will become locavores. I love fresh produce, and it's SO affordable here. Pink Lady apples? 49 cents a pound. Tangerines so fresh they have bright green leaves still!? I think I will!

The super awesome thing is, my kids love SoCal as much as I do... which I was kind of concerned with when I moved them here. But, they've adapted amazingly well, made friends, and dig it as much as I do. They were kinda bummed that we couldn't make it to their cousin's birthday party in Florida, but they're totally psyched to show them how great it is here when they come visit.

*I have no idea if that's an accurate number. I made it up. It sounds about right though.