Terrible Analogies

In preparation for my Mt. Whitney attack next month I did my yearly run up Mt. Baldy to see what I need to tweak prior to taking the trip up to Lone Pine.

It’s nice to know that I need to concentrate on squats and lunges at the gym, and that I have time to round out my training and improve what needs improving. The run up Baldy this year was rougher than I expected. My legs felt like they were filled with lead during the final 700 foot scamper up the steep trail. I’m now beginning to doubt that I’ll break my 8 hour runtime goal up and down Mt. Whitney.

But then again I felt the same way last year and did quite well on Whitney. I guess it’s all a state of mind…

"The Devil's Backbone"

Looking down at the I-15 Freeways as they snake their way towards Las Vegas

Running Running

The blur that is the weekend doesn’t linger around long enough to wipe away the stink of the work week, but doing what I could with those fleeting hours that bookmark the drudgery of Monday to Friday I managed to:

Go running at my favorite training trail.  Me and my mutated right foot had a great time running the Ellie Lane trail at Iron Mountain.

Cleaned up the house.  In this picture, Nemesis takes up a defensive position to guard herself against her sworn enemy…the vacuum cleaner.

Started and completed the collected series of Concrete.  If you haven’t read Concrete, I highly suggest that you take a peek.  It’s one of the finest examples of independent comics from back in the day when the word “independent” really meant something.

Started and am now halfway through Chuck Palahniuk’s newest novel, Tell-All.  Man, that Hazie Coogan sure is one possessive, controlling woman.  If you’re an aging movie star, for God’s sake steer clear of her.

Got in a few sessions of running through all of the Cubes.  I geeked out hard on this, but I find it relaxing.

Played a round of Arkham Horror.  My poor investigators never stood a chance againt the onslaught of ancient horrors that infested the good town.  Chalk one up for the bad guys…

Watched a few movies from the collection.  Managed to squeeze in Green Zone (Bourne IV it is not), The Book Of Eli (chock full of post-apocalyptic goodness), and Shutter Island (this movie requires multiple viewings).

And to top it all off…bath time!

And that, my friends, was my weekend.  Hope yours was just as relaxing and enjoyable!

Books, Movies, Running Books, Chuck Palahniuk, Movies, Running

I finally managed to remember to bring my camera during my latest run up Mt. Woodson this past weekend.  It was perfect weather for an assault on the hill, and my time of 85 minutes was acceptable, though I could have hit the middle section of the uphill a bit harder.

Hey, they finally got around to filling up the potholes that litter the paved section of this trail.  I was wondering how the guys who staff the relay towers at the peak were able to navigate around and through this mess.

The sign at the base of the peak after leaving the paved section and moving on to the dirt.

Excellent!  This old Fry Koegel trail is now marked with a brand spankin’ new sign.  Upkeep on this trail has picked up a bit with a new stair section, several dips have been filled with scree, and one of the hairier slippery bits has been mellowed out.  My ankles thank the people who continue to clean up this trail.

Looking up the mountain at the base of trail I spotted a nifty sign that points out all of the converging trails.  There’s no way you’re going to get lost now.

So…what are you waiting for?  Get out on the trail and get dirty!

NOTE: Link to my original Mt. Woodson post (with map to trail head) can be found here.

Running Running

I finally received my Mt. Whitney permit for this year.  Seems the original copy either got lost in the mail or an unscrupulous neighbor absconded with my letter.  I became fed up with waiting and gave a call to the Whitney permit office, where they verified that my permit request had been accepted and that a replacement letter would be sent right away.

And whatdoyaknow…it arrived!

This year I’ll be taking altitude sickness medication, which I hope will help me cut two hours from my time last year.

See you on the mountain in September!

Running Running

It looks like my previous theory that a parking lot was under construction at Iron Mountain proved to be true.

Pulling up to IM this past weekend I was greeted with a nice right turn only lane which fed directly into a brand spanking new dirt parking lot complete with bathrooms:

No longer will you have park along side the freeway, hoping that a careless driver doesn’t decide to take you out as you exit your vehicle.

A nice touch to this new lot is the bride that leads you to the trail head.  And…as you exit the parking lot there’s a new stop light that will allow you to safely cross the freeway.  No more jumping into 80MPH traffic!

Kudos to whomever made this possible!

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