Down the Hill and Up

On Saturday we headed "down the hill" and stayed a couple nights in Rancho Cucamonga at my parents' house.  Needing to get my last run in for last week, I sneaked one in late Saturday night.  We came back home Monday and I got my first run in for this week.  I'm on spring break and we have a lot of stuff planned, so I need to get my runs in where and when I can!  Here's a rundown of my last two runs:

Saturday, 29 March 2014
Distance:  2.73 miles
Time:  30:13
Location:  Victoria Park Lane to Rochester Ave. (in Rancho Cucamonga)

I was excited at the prospect of running an old route during our stay in Rancho Cucamonga last weekend.  Years ago, beginning in high school, one of my most frequent routes was to run up to Victoria Park Lane and follow the wide, tree-lined avenue east all the way to Rochester, where I'd turn and head back.  Victoria Park Lane is a perfect road for running, filled with trees, meandering, with a sidewalk and a dirt horse trail.  I ran it countless times in younger days.  I last ran it in 2010, on July 3rd, during a similar stay at my parents' house.  That was my first summer of getting back into running and I remember that run being difficult as I was dealing with intense soreness in my legs.  So almost four years later I finally got a chance to run it again.  This time, no muscle soreness, but I ran it basically as slow as I did then.  It was an enjoyable run.  I savored the familiar surroundings and reveled in the nostalgia of it all.  I needed to get 30 minutes in, so I ran down Rochester for a bit until it had been 15 minutes, then I turned and headed back.  On the way back something unexpected occurred when I found myself up close and personal with the concrete!  It was the first time (that I can recall) that I fell on a run!  Even when I rolled my ankles, twice, two years ago, I managed to stay on my feet.  But as I was running west on Victoria Park Lane, my right foot hit an uplifted piece of sidewalk and I went down, my knees striking the ground and, luckily, my hands stopping the fall before my face met the pavement.  I got right back up and finished off the run.  It wasn't a major fall or anything; it just left me with a scratch and some soreness the next day.  Other than that little incident, Saturday's run was a great little jaunt down memory lane.

Monday, 31 March 2014
Distance:  2.58 miles
Time:  26:29
Location:  Yucca Loma-Apple Valley-Sitting Bull-Ottawa

We got back home Monday evening and I knew I needed to get a run in.  The weather, though, didn't make this an easy task.  The wind decided to come on fierce and the temperature dropped down to the low 50s.  But I donned my running garb and made myself go.  I did the same 2.5 mile route from Friday, only this time I had to fight the wind the whole way down Apple Valley Road.  It slowed my pace down a bit.  But once I finally got to Sitting Bull and could turn around, running with the wind, things got better.  The wind pushed me up Apple Valley and it invigorated me the rest of the way.  By the time I got to Cuyamaca I was able to really push and increase my pace.  And when I got to my street I kicked with more strength than I've been able to muster in years.  This run, despite the weather, was the best one of this year so far probably.  I felt strong throughout it, up to the very end.  I'm into my third week of training already and things are looking good!