Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas! I hope that Santa was nice to you and that you remembered the batteries. Here in California we are all pretty jealous of you Easterners and Midwesterners enjoying a White Christmas. It's just another boring winter day here in Southern California (snicker).

On the running front, I kicked my own butt yesterday. I did an 8 mile tempo run. One mile warm up, six miles at 10K pace, one mile warm down. A few observations:

1. Tough workout!
2. My middle six miles were at an 8:53 pace (10K pace minus ten seconds). If I would have done that on December 13th, I would have had a 10K PR.
3. Wow. Tough workout!
4. So *that's* the way that pain is supposed to feel.
5. I finished the six miles with absolutely nothing left in the tank. Had to search for quarters on the ground for a minute or two to make sure there wasn't going to be spewage.
6. After all that, I still brought in my warm down mile in 10:20 - that's a 4:30 marathon pace
7. Did I say wow! Tough workout!

I *loved* this workout. Hard hard hard. It pushed me. Yet when all was done and I was on my way back to my car the pace was pedestrian. A pace that would put me at a 4:30 marathon. I am getting a feel for what I am capable of doing. Now it's just a matter of being able to do it for 26.2.

On another note, I emptied my camera and thought I would share some photos of Wednesday's run through Shady Canyon. Here's the entry to this pretty community:

Luckily, when developers were allowed to build in this canyon, the City of Irvine and Orange County stipulated that an easement for a multi-use trail be provided. As a result, we have this great trail though the hilly and beautiful terrain in Shady Canyon:

Hope you are having a safe and happy Christmas!

On the schedule today - rest. Whew!

Note on the battery reference: When I was a kid, I would get so frustrated going with my dad searching for batteries on Christmas day. Face it, new toys without batteries aren't very exciting.

A Photo Tour - Shady Canyon

Unlike Saturday - I did get out for my 15 mile run yesterday (yeah!). I needed to freshen things up a bit, so I decided to try a new route. What I found was a bit of a hilly challenge, but one of the prettiest runs I've been on in quite a while. I though I would spend today's blog giving you all a little tour. (And - Easterners - note how green everything is here in Southern California!)

I started the run at Bonita Canyon Park, about a mile from home. It's a relatively new park built primarily for youth sports:

I took off to the east along the back of the University of California, Irvine, one of the rising stars in the UC system. One of the reasons for this is they have been able to attract faculty by supplying housing. Here's a picture of some of those homes. If these were offered to the public in this area, they would sell for at least $850,000:


Next, we pass our version of "Bible Mile". Within a mile are the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) Newport Beach Temple:


St. Matthews Anglican Church:


The non denominational Mariners Christian Church:

And Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School:


You get the idea about what it's like living in a Master Planned Community. Just past the school, I made a right and started up the hill into a neighborhood called Shady Canyon. For all the years I've lived here, I've never been through this neighborhood. Shady Canyon is a pretty exclusive community (a lot of pro athletes live here -Mark McGwire had a home here, an bunch of ex-major leaguers and a number of Anaheim Ducks hockey players also live here). I always thought that I wouldn't be able to make it past the gates. Well, in the infinite wisdom of the community planners, it turns out the trails through Shady Canyon are open to the public.

What awaited me was a very scenic, albeit hilly run. The views were pretty amazing throughout the community:



You can bet those homes way up there on that ridge cost a pretty penny (upwards of $5 million):


I headed on down to the 7 and a half mile turnaround point, turned around, and headed back up the hill:


But, I had to stop and refuel. Somewhere along the way, the sun had come out and the heat was on! By 9 miles I had gone through 40 ounces of water. I stopped in this park to refill and grab a Clif bar and a Gu (Espresso Love - yum!):

Another 5 and a half miles put me back at Bonita Canyon. 15 miles total in a slow 2:45 (11:01 average pace). Average heart rate was 77% of max. The two "H"s conspired against me - hills and heat. But - it was a great little route - one I will definitely do again soon!