Mushroom Run 18.5 Mi

Matt and I hoped to get in 10 road miles on Saturday. By midday, Matt had taken a long nap, come down with a fever, and lost all motivation. The wind was whipping and I was feeling less than enthusiastic about running. We decided to go to church and then pick up a movie on the way home, spending the night snuggled under blankets on the couch. We made a frozen DiGiorno pizza, watched two movies and took a soak in the hot tub. This type of day is so incredibly rare for us that it decadent in every way, even though this is what some people do on a weekly basis.

Sunday morning, Matt's mini-flu was over and we were ready to run long. Since the 90 mi week, my feet were still protesting the long effort. The arch of my foot felt tight (plantar fascia) and ached as well as a few of my toes. If we were going to long, I needed a forgiving surface to run on.

"What do you want me to pack for you?" I shouted from the kitchen to Matt across the house, searching for his running shoes. "We've got....", I said, opening the fridge, "...umm..leftover pizza. We're out of 7-Layer Bars."

I decided against the Garmin, since the dense tree cover never accurately measures the distance anyway. We took off slowly. It felt great and super-easy. I didn't want to push myself too much, seeing that I was basically still recovering from the 50K a week ago.

The Redwoods along Bull Creek looked different from our previous visit. It took me awhile to figure out what the difference was, but then it hit me : needles had fallen from the trees with recent rains and that strong wind yesterday. The forest floor was covered in a fresh red carpet. Fall had come to the Redwoods! Interspersed with the needle carpet were golden maple leaves. Some of the ferns had turned white. The poison oak, a bright yellow, almost shouting out "CAUTION STAY AWAY!!". I glanced down at the crimson rash on my thigh: oh yeah, too late. It seems like every time I run a 50K, I get poison oak. I'm hoping the frozen Lil Su will break that streak. :)

Another thing that was different : mushrooms. Everywhere. So many different shapes and sizes. My favorites were neon yellow.

We ran along the north side of Bull Creek and through the Redwood groves until we reached Grasshopper Road. As we climbed higher and higher toward Grasshopper Peak, the trees got smaller and more spindly. Then they switched to Madrone, Oak, and Maple. Long, green streamers hung from their branches. Old Man's Beard, I think I remember that being called. So plentiful in color and quantity, it almost looked as someone had tried to drown the trees in Silly String.

The climb to halfway along our run was really slow. Reduced to a brisk walk, it was incredibly enjoyable. We thought back to our first run in this park, up the very same trail. That day, we gave it everything we had, complete with wheezing and burning legs. Today, moving at about the same pace, breathing normally, and perfectly happy legs, we recognized the progress. Progress feels good.

When we reached the Johnson Camp Trail junction, we headed back down. This is absolutely my favorite trail in the park. I love running down it, for a few reasons: 1. No toe bashing on the gentle downhill. 2. Views just keep getting better and better as the trees grow larger and more lush. 3. There are few tree roots so I can enjoy those views. Today, it also happened to signal that the toughest part of the run was over. Only moderate climbs near the end, otherwise it was downhill or flat.

We stopped a few miles into the descent, taking in a snack.

I've never run with leftover pizza before, but oh my!, it was pretty amazing. I had accidentally put warm water in Matt's backpack, so when I removed the pizza from next to the bladder, it was warm. AWESOME!!! After a granola bar and some fruit snacks, something REAL sounded downright heavenly. As we started running again moments later, we thought of other things we should try. Matt thought it would be fun to wrap tacos in some chemical hand warmers and run the Lil Su with those. He also suggested the ice cream Snickers bars. Wouldn't be as hard to eat as the real Snickers. Not sure how my body runs on ice cream though. We've tried many different types of fuel, some more successful than others. My least favorite is anything that is sticky or requires a lot of chewing. I almost choked on Rice Krispie Bar pieces on one run when breathing and swallowing were happening down the wrong tubes.

With pizza sauce still smeared on my face (I never claimed to be a dainty eater), we came upon a few hikers. Two middle-aged hikers, appearing to have stopped for a beer break. As one took a swig, he asked, "Did you come all the way from Johnson Camp?" "Sure did," Matt replied, "We came up Grasshopper Road". "Then you've been out here for awhile, huh?" He continued on commenting on how he couldn't believe we were running the trail. Catching us on a downhill section meant that most of the fatigue had drained from our faces and only blissful grins remained. Of course we looked strong running downhill. :) As we continued along the trail, Matt mentioned that those guys probably thought they were badass, hiking in the winter (yeah, at 45F), because as we approached, smug looks fell from their faces as they saw us approach. I don't think that I'm anything special as a trail runner. If anything, I'm freakin' slow. But if they think I'm badass? That's cool by me.

When we returned to Bull Creek, we were worried that time was getting away from us and we were going too slow. Matt had forgotten his watch, so we had no idea of the time other than the camera's time. Matt had to work at 4pm. It was a 40 min. drive. And by our camera's clock, we had 30 minutes to cover 5 miles. Pretty darn impossible, especially on a trail. I ain't no 6-minute-miler, even on my best day. I pushed the pace for the last five miles, took far fewer photos, and just ran. In the last half mile, we had to ford the Bull Creek. Seasonal bridges were now removed. The icy water felt great on my sore toes and feet. I also paused to take a moment and rub down my legs. Maybe that'll keep any new poison oak away. Soggy shoes and shorts (the water came to my waist), it was fun to run on legs I couldn't feel. "No wonder you're running so fast," Matt replied, after I told him that my legs were numb. We made it back to the car at 3pm. Turns out the watch was ahead by over 15 minutes. We made it home just in time for me to unpack the car, load up Matt's lunch, and send him off to work. I hope his co-workers don't mind that he's a little stinky and covered in trail muck. :)

The Math :
18.5 miles.
1,900 ft of elevation gain.
4:18
13:56/mi.


And one rockin' Sunday afternoon!

What's the most unusual thing you have tried to use as running fuel? How did it work out?

Do you feel a little awkward when people are surprised you're out running?