Sunshine Tuesday wasn't to be wasted. Matt and I decided to head to Trinidad Head State Park and Beach. Sunshine is the only thing that lures me to the beach. Otherwise, it tangles my hair and is too cold and windy to enjoy. Gotta be sunny.
Trinidad, a sleepy little town perched upon the cliffs, is about half an hour drive from my house. This time of year, it is merely dozens of brightly colored summer homes, just waiting for their affluent city owners to return. For a Tuesday, the beach was surprisingly crowded. Students from the nearby university, skipping their lectures for some hiking and lunch in the sunshine; retired couples walking hand-in-hand between the rocky pillars; an aging hippie artist, absorbed into his sketch pad; and us, a shift worker and his wife out to enjoy the sun on his "weekend".
This is what California is supposed to look like, I thought to myself. Ever since I was a child, the only thing I knew of California was what I saw in movies.
Expansive beaches, sunshine, golden sand, and bikinis. (This is what my friends back in the Midwest think, too. I've even been asked if I have an orange tree in my yard.) While some parts of California are like this, this area is more akin to the Oregon coast : fog, rain, and summertime temperatures that rarely break 70F. No bikinis here.
As we hiked higher above the beach on Trinidad Head, it hit me. Even though Eureka isn't "typical" California, the Redwood Coast holds her own magnificent beauty. Mostly raw and shaped only by nature, she is under-appreciated. Some days, it feels like she is all mine, even though thousands of people live just a few miles away. The deserted trail circled around, climbing higher and higher. Panoramic views of the ocean emerged from our fern encased trail. The blue water sparkled like sapphires, much the way it looks in photos of the Caribbean. The gray ocean had transformed herself to a tropical paradise, if only for one day.
We rounded the final corner and were facing town again. The illusion of solitary paradise evaporated into the humid air. We weren't alone. A family of five passed us on the trail and waved as they went by. Our descent back to the beach brought more and more people. Urban hiking isn't so bad. We had lunch at a hilltop park, overlooking the harbor, rays of sunshine soaking into my skin.
The beautiful day wasn't wasted. It was one of those much-needed mental recharge days. I tend to forget that running isn't the only thing that makes me happy. In fact, it seems to be the opposite. Whether it's hiking, gardening, or just enjoying a cup of coffee as the rain drums on my roof; it's occasionally taking advantage of these other activities that makes my running happy. And it seems to be making a difference.
Since abandoning the "more and faster is better" training philosophy, my pace has centered itself, I've enjoyed every run, and I have reached a happy balance again. I am still continuing my running plan as written, but I am slowing down my long runs to about 30 seconds slower than race pace, and doing tempos at 30 seconds faster, and you know what? I love running again. And I'm not cutting miles because of fatigue.
3 comments:
Nice! Looks like a beautiful area. I wish I could get the love of running back. Working on it.
I know this beach. It is magnificent.
And I am so with you with just enjoying running. It feels so liberating to just run without worrying much about the pace.
Our weather here is stormy. No CA sun till Monday, at least.
Mary, It is most beautiful when it isn't raining. We've had rain EVERY SINGLE DAY since Valentine's Day.... so it was extra pretty! Do you have somewhere pretty to run? That always seems to help me.
Ewa, I figured you would know it. :) I hope you're enjoying your blogging hiatus.
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