Ventura and the AC100

For fourth of July weekend, we stayed around LA because I had orchestra performances.  I played piccolo for the first time with the orchestra and it was sort of terrifying but also really fun.  It only look me...18 years to play piccolo?  Really?  Have I been playing flute that long?

Climbing wise, Josh and I have been spending a lot of time in Ventura.  Especially throughout July.  There are a couple of different sport climbing areas that are easy to get to and relatively cool.  Plus, the beach is on the way so I can surf (theoretically, if there had been decent surf during July, which there wasn't) and we can get food in Ventura.

Surfing Beaches...but not good waves.  I think I took 2 months off of riding waves this summer.

Once we figured out a good way to get there, we miss the traffic too, even on 4th of July weekend.  I finally got on some harder climbs and made my way to the top of a pretty sweet 5.11 (I didn't lead it...Josh did, of course).

Josh at Wheeler Gorge, Ojai

Every once in awhile when I have the energy, its fun to focus and pull hard, completely immersed in getting the maximum I can out of my body.   Josh did a 5.12 at some point, really easily, which was cool to watch.  Josh actually climbing is a really neat thing, since his body is built for it and it looks really easy.  For awhile, I was swimming in the river before and after climbing to escape bugs and the heat, until the attack of the swarm of killer leeches.  No more swimming in the river after that.

Killer leeches live in here

Actually it must be leech season because Josh and I went on a "run"...climbing/exploring run up a river bed.  Josh had been up there before with our running partner Dave on a search for ruins of old cabins that were built out there in the 40s maybe?  Some sections were short rock climbing sections, some running through the river sections, and some hopping from rock to rock.  This was great until I ran into attack of the killer leeches again.  And bees.  And a poisonous water snake.  It was worth it though because eventually we got to the hidden stairway and could see where the cabins started before we ran out of time and had to get back to the car.

Another notable run consisted of me getting angry and deciding to go on a long run to fix it, in the middle of the day, in the mountains near Los Angeles (to the Bridge to Nowhere in Asuza).  I learned a good lesson that day...do not pack for running in the heat while angry.  All of a sudden it seems to make sense to not bring nearly enough water, any food, or plan the run in any way whatsoever.  Good job me.  There was a group bungee jumping at the bridge that had a water filter which saved me from a very painful, very dehydrated, torture run.  But when I got back I wasn't mad anymore!

At the end of July, Josh and I volunteered at the Angeles Crest 100 mile endurance run.  If you can't race, join in some other way, and I'm not in a position to be running 100s right now.  I think if I am going to do it I have to do it right, so I don't mess up my body (more than just structurally...I am more worried about the less obvious stuff...like what happened to Alberto Salazaar in Duel in the Sun).  Volunteering at AC was super fun.  Josh and I got assigned to the medical team at Chilao, which is the 52 mile mark, between 2pm and 10pm.

Me weighing in the runners at mile 52

We spent the 8 hours weighing in runners and it went by super fast.  Getting to weigh everyone in and compare their 52 mile weight to their starting weight was really interesting.  I learned what bad weight loss looked like and how it affected runners and what was effective (or not) at fixing whatever the cause was.  We knew a bunch of people in the race, and it was great to see them come in tired, recognize either of us, and still find the energy to say hi.  The whole race is amazing.  This huge effort is going on in the mountains very close to Los Angeles and most people in the city are completely oblivious.  The headlamps coming in, runners trying to cool off, families and friends supporting this really difficult effort and experiences that the runners are going through...its a nice contrast to the problems in the city.

Josh at the end of our shift

We had a great time and I would love to volunteer again.  Even though I am a distance runner who's done a couple of 50ks and a 24 hour, it was nice to be able to go home at night to go to bed and leave the running to someone else.  :)

Goobye Chilao!  The aid station closing down.

Congrats to all the AC runners who started, whether they finished or not!  I hope we can volunteer next year!