Hitting the hills and Climbing some walls

What an exhausting week! I've managed to cram a lot into my schedule, especially the last couple of days.

It appears that my MAF training has gone straight out the window. I can't say I miss it too much, but I do miss never being sore. I feel like I am sore EVERY DAY now, and I can't seem to make up my mind of what I want to focus on, as you might be able to tell through this post.

I usually avoid top roping because I am a bit afraid of heights. Ok, I'm quite afraid of heights, and top roping makes me tremble and sweat like no other. Also, I hate all the waiting that goes on with top rope climbing and really enjoy the freedom of bouldering. There may be some climbing at Crystal Crag, so I am trying to mentally prepare myself by trying to conquer that fear. I went with a couple of friends to they gym on Friday, and started with an easy 5.9, and worked my way up to one move away from finishing a 5.10d. So close! But so scared!  I had a really good time though, and can't wait to get back to it.  :)

That same friend I climbed with also went hiking with me the next morning. We went to Windy Hill in Portola Valley for six hot miles. I've ran up this hill before (also in unbearable heat), but decided to give hiking it a shot and to try out my new Deuter bag. I had filled it with so many useless items, ranging from a bag of dried rice, to a bag of dead batteries. My boyfriend convinced me against the dead batteries in the end.

I thought that the bag was heavy, and I definitely felt it on the 3 miles uphill. It was rough, and I tried to keep a decent walking pace so I didn't bore my friend. The morning was really warm, and the trail doesn't have very much shade. Plenty of snakes were out on the trail enjoying the sun. We saw two king snakes in a row, and Jon saw a gopher snake on his run up. *shudder*  

I think with the 5.7 miles total we reached over 1300 feet of elevation gain.  Oh, and it turned out that my pack was a measly 17 lbs! And I was so sore from it! So sad...

I don't usually celebrate with food, but the intense heat really had me craving a cold cider!  IT WAS SO GOOD. And yeah, clearly the whole low carb thing is slowly making it's way out the door as well. There are certainly some elements from the diet and the MAF training that I'm going to take, but since I'm not training for anything major, I think it's important to enjoy life a bit too. ;)

Later that night we had a wedding to attend to. Lots of random appetizers and mixed drinks fueled our 10 mile run Sunday morning at China Camp Trail in San Rafael, CA. I felt like complete poop and really wanted to sleep in, but somehow we managed to peel ourselves out of bed meet up with our friends.

China Camp Trail is really nice. My only complaint is the amount of mountain bikers there. I don't mind sharing the trail, and all of the cyclists were very respectful and pleasant, but every 5-10 minutes we were stopping to the side to let a trail of mountain bikers go by. It also made the ground a bit difficult to run on. The benefits were that the trail was mostly shaded, and the hills were nice and rolling. I managed to sneak one photo on our way back down, but it doesn't really do it any justice.

Still feeling pretty pooped, and my butt is still sore from the hiking. I really enjoyed the run, but this week I think I'm going to wind back a bit and focus on mostly MAF runs and more climbing. Of course I still have to squeeze in some hill work somewhere since I have the Double Dipsea race hovering over me with a death stare. Friday I leave to go climbing/hiking in Mammoth, so wish me luck! Lots of photos coming soon!