Dev et al.
Firstly, thanks again to everyone who is in on "the streak" this year. I love the motivation.
This is year 7 or 8 of the 100/100 for me and I've spent the first 15 days of this year's challenge on a remote cattle ranch in Central California. I grew up in Michigan and Colorado so "winter" here is more like spring in the rest of the US. We've had some rain so the green is starting to breakthrough in December.
I devised a trail run here that utilized the paths that the cattle made in the canyon. It was a stunning way to log the miles and I wanted to tell the tale with images.
My runs started out this gate here - you can see a concerned cow just over the post in the background...
The trail is narrow and there's lots of dead mustard stalks still hanging in form last season...
The big reveal is ~300m into the run, I come around the shoulder of the hillside and can see a mile and half down the valley to the Pacific Ocean.
I have perhaps a dozen favorite segments of this rather short run but this one is likely the best. The soil is smooth here and the grass short and tight - it's like a putting green. I'm able to let me feet fall where they like while I look to the beach, the bluff, the height of the tide, and the pool table surface gives me time to judge if I can run around the point. Tide was low enough on this day to skirt the beach.
After the beach section I have to climb a game trial (no cows in this area) through some sage. The base is littered with drift wood, and this time, a scull and spine from recent victim of the natural food chain.
At the top of this cut, my heart rate is always higher than I like, and I pop out onto the rail road tracks
Then I have 800m to run on the right-of-way
When it's dry I'll run the clay on the edge. After a rain the mud is brutal so I'll run the ties - they are spaced in a way that it feels like doing a quick-feet drill on an agility ladder. The ballast (stones that cradle the ties) are nearly the size of a lacrosse ball with sharp edges. It takes concentration not to roll an ankle on this stuff. There's always deer prints in the mud here and one time I saw a bobcat on this section. There was a heavy headwind that allowed me to go unheard and unscented as I got to within 10m of the cat.
Of course there's a stream crossing - how can you have a post-worthy trial run with no stream crossing!?!!
The developmental years of my athletic life where in the Rockies so I feel extra welcome as I run over the dry needles and under this one and only pine tree on the whole route.
Live Oaks are the primary trees in this area and this one requires jumping a huge, low lying limb. Also, there was swarm of bees occupying a Boo Radley knothole the last few times I ran this which demanded perfect execution of the hurdle.
Bees aren't the only hazard when you're running on a cattle ranch.
Some 3-4 week old calves watch on as I huff and puff back up the canyon.
Sage waiting to brush my thighs as I float by.
The final push.
I'm back home in Los Angeles now and it's a shock. I'm here with 4 million of my closest, most personal friends. I've got 22,000 miles of paved roads that are runable. I also have a dreadmill in a nearby gym. I'll be running an out-n-back, coastal route for perhaps 40 of the remaining runs of the Challenge. Maybe I'll bring my phone and grab some pics of what I see on my "urban" route too.
All the best, Ian
Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan