11-09-2013

decided to take another early morning run at chino hills state park

this place is really quite beautiful (in a dry, desert-y sort of way)

we started before the sun rose, so it was a little bit dark (and cold) when we began.  i forgot to bring my arm warmers.  oops.

 one of the first several hills around mile 3

 pascale makes her way up these evil, yet somehow beloved hills

 loooong shadows.
we tried to make a "Pi" but it just looked weird.
so i actually had my hand in a thumbs up.

 pointing at the hills around us

 the power lines that we avoided running under this time because it makes us a little bit uncomfortable running under them...

 pointing down to the four corners interesction.  we are at about mile 7.  that won't be until mile 12 (supposedly)

 there are these squash looking things all over the place.  hard to believe anything can grow out there.
after asking derek (who had no luck) and googling chino hills state park and "yellow squash round", i was led to a page where someone made a comment about "buffalo gourds"!  and that's what they are.  You can read about them here.

at around mile 10, the south ridge trail for us ends.  last time we went through here i knew that 'rolling m ranch' was close by.  but because we needed to make a potty stop, and the runchinohills group was having a 30k and 50k race through the area, we decided to stop and see if the bathrooms were open.  they were.
this was one of the check-in stations for the 50k group.  they started their race at 7am...the leaders in the pack were coming through as we left rolling m ranch.

 after running against the 50k racers for about 2 miles (while we were going UPhill and they were going DOWNhill...not fair!
then, at the fork where we felt we were lost last time, we took the wrong fork.  we ended up at south ridge/telegraph, which was part of the path we took on our way OUT towards rolling m ranch!  oh no!
so we turned around and went back.

 we were finally able to finish...
around my mile 18, i was passed up by the leader of the 30k group.  he dropped his glove as he passed me, and i stopped to pick it up.  when he heard me, he turned around, at which point his 2nd glove dropped.  he called back, "never mind!" i tried running a little bit faster to give them to him.  but no way was that going to happen.  he was probably running 6-7 minute miles.  BUT i knew where thes start/finish like was -- it's part of the route i was going to take to end my run.  so i carried them in my hands for the next mile or so.
i saw him at the finish line, and handed him his gloves.  i simply told him, "here you go!  i figured i was running towards you, but i'd just be much slower!"
i asked him how he did and he told me he ended up finishing around 2:45.  AMAZING.

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 after i got home from the run, i headed to costco for a quick trip.  by the time i came home, allison had stopped by with emma, nathan, and sammy.
mom came home and got to see the baby too!

 brenny really liked holding baby emma =)