Big Mountains. Heavy Weights.: Most Important Meal of the Day

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Most Important Meal of the Day

Once again, I started off today at the Equestrian Center and headed up with a new (to me) trail in mind. I have seen the Burnham Creek Trail sign any times, but yesterday when I passed it I decided that that is where I would head today. My Garmin kept losing signal right off the bat, which was very odd.

But let me rewind a little bit. They say that the most important meal of the day is breakfast. Who are they? Your mother. Your father. Your doctor. Well, you can add me to that list. Today, somehow, I forgot to eat before I left the house and I wasn't twenty minutes into my run and I was feeling clammy and light headed. After trudging uphill for ten more minutes I decided it was time to eat. So I began with a fruit leather, then a bag of dried pineapple and finished it off with a few ginger chews. That was everything in my pack and I hadn't even been out for forty-five minutes. Ugh!

Note to self: Eat breakfast and bring more food than you think you need on every run.

I kept on, taking the new trail, as planned. It was quite beautiful, but short. It lead me to the Gasline trail and ultimately to the Ghost Falls trail. Along the way I saw seven deer, including three fawn, and five rabbits! Plus, a really cool butterfly, which I think was a Red Admiral, bumped right into my chest. I started feeling better and by the time I go to the top I was feeling pretty good. Oh, and remember how yesterday I told you there is no bathroom in Corner Canyon? I lied! I've even noticed the bathroom before, but never thought about what that building really was. Today, at the top of Ghost Falls I ran right up to it and the realization hit me smack in the face! The little bathroom symbol is even on the trail map that I carry around. So much for being observant!

Anyhow, I cruised back down the way I came, knowing I wasn't going to make great time. The downhill felt good and I wasn't the fastest I'd ever been, but I was making up a bit of the slow trudge uphill. And then, I fell. Hard. I saw it coming, I tried so hard to run out of it and it just wasn't in the cards. The ground came fast and furious. I scraped up both my right arm and knee and hit my right hip pretty damn hard. My pants were full of dirt and rocks and my right shin was throbbing. I sat in the dirt for a couple minutes, cussing, before I carefully picked myself up, dusted myself off and called it a day. Of course, I still had to run back to the car, but I had had enough.

Despite the rough day, I still can't say it was a bad run. I enjoyed the wildlife and just being in the mountains that I love. I guess I just should have eaten breakfast.

And Corner Canyon, you are officially the best!

One of the bunnies I saw.

Mama and baby.

The new (to me) trail.

Another one of the deer I saw.

Gasline Trail, which was part of the Corner Canyon 25k I did in June.

Ghost Falls is a watershed (read no dogs or horses allowed, no humans in the water: we drink it.) They've kindly added poison ivy all around the water. At least they give you fair warning about it. Honestly, until today I had no idea what poison looked like, so it's nice to know.

Leaves of three, let it be. Easy enough to remember.

Right before I kissed the ground. The irony here? I was actually running when i took this picture and didn't even stumble. As soon as I put my phone away and picked up the pace I ate it.