Saturday, October 7, 2017

Intro, Route, Gear, Stats

Often I felt like I had fallen into an episode of The Twilight Zone.  There were so many miraculous coincidences, there was so much beauty, and also so much crazy danger.  I met former JMT unsupported FKT holder Reinhold Metzger, ultrarunning and ultrarunning statistics legend Ken Young, a friend of a close ultrarunning friend, and ran into an ultra running friend who had no idea I was doing the trek! I met many souls who seemed to have a similar heart for travel. A man who had spent years sailing the ocean, another who had spent years traveling Asia (I met him on his 72nd birthday), and a two backpackers who were doing the CCT together from north to south, we met at approximately the halfway point! At the beginning of one trail I discovered I had lost my coat, and by the end I had a sweatshirt, a hat, and two granola bars. I saw headlamps from afar that led me to water in the middle of the night. I found a woman's purse complete with driver's license, credit cards, sunglasses, from the 70s. I found my way out of a sandstorm on fifty-foot high dunes (just in time to make my hotel reservation, which would have expired at 4am -- that was a 40+ mile day), scared away a mountain lion by screaming at the top of my lungs, climbed over slippery rocks, raced along the beach to beat the incoming tide, escaped the grasp of a farm worker who grabbed my arm, swam across a river carrying my gear on my head (twice), followed footprints when I couldn't see through the beach mist at night, tripped, fell, and passed out from the pain along the highway. I dealt with poison oak, an infected blister, and glasses scratched by sandy high-speed winds. I slept under trees beside the road, on the beach, and in campgrounds where I shared food with the homeless. By San Francisco I had started to resemble a homeless person and the homeless recognized me as one of their own, asking me for gear tips and warning me that the police were "on the war path."

Many mornings I woke up to breathtaking sunrises on the beach (if I wasn't too tired and sleeping in from a long night trek, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and reduced traffic). Nearly every night I saw an awe-inspiring sunset over a deserted beach. I followed the trail through ocean caves, to the tops of mountains, through fern-filled forests with towering giant redwood trees. I saw beaches with soft white sand, course black sand, pebbles, and cliffs. I found a giant turban shell (which I mailed to my parents), starfish, sand dollars, and lots of seaweed. I heard reports of a beached whale and a human skull. I took two public ferries on the route, and an Uber through Camp Pendleton, since they wouldn't let me walk through, or traverse the highway on foot. I was stopped by four policemen who asked if I was okay, and countless drivers who offered to give me a ride. I was offered food on an almost daily basis, was under-charged, received free meals at restaurants when the owners heard what I was doing, even had someone pay my bill without asking any questions at all. I think he might have been frustrated I was taking too long to find my money. I was occasionally offered shelter, or told of a place to find good shelter (a heated art gallery in a 24 hour honor system payment organic farm stand!), got a free night at a deluxe suite in a hotel, an upgrade at another hotel, was able to book a room at 3am at a B&B in the middle of nowhere, where they said I arrived like a fairy out of the mist (their hotel was a fairytale for me). Near the end of my trip a couple offered me a free boat ride at 10 o'clock at night, and then a free cabin and food, all of which saved me a ten or more mile detour and allowed me to power through the last two days of the trek without sleeping.

At the end, my parents were there to meet me. I was too tired to be emotional, I had already cried days earlier when I knew they were in Oregon waiting for me, the pressure was on for me to finish my trek. I wanted to see them and be able to take a break. The next morning I awoke with a terrible headache and couldn't stop vomiting, I had to cancel my flight and reschedule for the next day, it appeared my body had been fighting something off. I was grateful I hadn't gotten sick during the journey itself.

I noted that I felt much better on the segments of the CCT that were on the coast, in the mountains, or otherwise in nature, than on the highway segments. I felt myself connected with the ocean and with the planet and contemplated the ways in which humans are a part of the earth -- the circadian rhythm, the way our bodies become part of the earth when we die. And I saw myself as prey for wild animals in a way I hadn't before. I encountered an elk, mountain lions, a wild boar, whales, sea lions, elephant seals, lizards, snakes, skunks, deer, and many varieties of my spirit animal, the squirrel. The wild blackberries and fennel of mid to northern California were always there to sustain me. Nature, the ocean, the wild, all were immensely beautiful but at times terrifying.

I was surprised how many people seemed to be inspired by my journey.  A couple I encountered said a prayer to "Dr God" for me, praying that I would inspire others to take a leap of faith the way I did.

I began the trip knowing that I may have to stop at some point if the injuries I had been dealing with bothered me enough. Only a couple of weeks before I started my trek I had tried running with the running club in my hometown in Iowa, and was unable to do so without severe pain.

However, I had to start immediately and couldn't be too slow. I have been waiting for a security clearance for two years to start a job with the Navy as part of a scholarship I had in graduate school and in August found out that I would need to be available for an interview in October. I knew that if I wanted to complete the California Coastal Trail before mid-October I would need to start right away. So, I grabbed a few things and got an Uber to the Mexican border.

Luckily I was able to complete my trek injury free (with the exception of a few blisters, some shoulder pain on one side, and a rash), and finished in time for my interview.


Looking back at my SPOT and FitBit GPS data, I began the run on August 20th, 2017 at 12:10:58 and ended the run on October 4th, 2017 at 06:51:07. This works out to 44 days, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 9 seconds.

The trail is approximately 1,200 miles. Wikiloc says the route I took was 1,171 miles with 61,273 ft elevation gain and 60,016 ft elevation loss, a minimum elevation of -2 ft and maximum of 2,524 ft.

This works out to 26.1513 miles per day, almost a marathon.

My route data visualized on Wikiloc, the start and stop tags are backward, as I started at the border with Mexico:
Powered by Wikiloc

A Google Maps map I made of the route using my SPOT data:
www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1Y24QKJTSnzyF3fX_Oim8edmGr6Y&ll=37.17948836194591%2C-120.76228000000003&z=6

A link to my SPOT data from August 19th to October 4th, provided to me by SPOT. Note that I restarted the run on August 20th, so am using August 20th as my official start date. The SPOT timestamps seem to be seven hours ahead of Pacific time.
drive.google.com/file/d/0ByHLbwinI0Rcd0U3Zl9jdi1URjBxbnhaTVZvY0RwdDA1UUVF/view?usp=sharing

A link to my Strava page, which shows my FitBit GPS data. My FitBit stopped charging about three quarters of the way into the run and I abandoned using it.
https://www.strava.com/athletes/2326452

Some notes on my particular route:
When I had to cross rivers I usually took the official alternate route so that I wouldn't have to hire a boat. If I encountered a section during high tide I sometimes also took the alternate route. A couple of sections of the trail were closed, so I had to take the highway. I had to get an Uber through Camp Pendleton because they wouldn't let me run through, and I couldn't run on the highway -- I figured this would be an issue every runner would encounter and Uber/Lyft are available to everyone for this section. I swam across one small river near the border with Mexico, waded across another, and took public ferries across two others, I also hired one private boat as the trail recommended. There were small sections that were not well marked where the trail seemed to disappear, I did the best I could to follow it. There was also one section where the trail markers differed from the official trail maps, I followed the markers.

I used the maps on the CCT website: http://californiacoastaltrail.info/hikers/hikers_main.php

And in the two volume book set, Hiking the California Coastal Trail by Bob Lorentzen and Richard Nichols: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0939431246/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1ZJFHN599NNW3, and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/093943119X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

The day before I left on my trek I found the company 1DollarScan (http://1dollarscan.com/), which turns books into searchable PDFs, and mailed in my guidebooks so that I could have the PDFs on my phone. The PDFs were crucial when internet was unavailable and I couldn't access the CCT's website for maps. It turns out that my ultra running friend, Kawai Tatsuya, owns 1DollarScan! I happened to find this out as I was running through Santa Barbara. Kawai noticed that I had put in an order and reached out to me. We met at the Santa Barbara 100, a very tough race with 24,000 feet of elevation gain. SB100 was the 5th 100 mile race I had done in seven weeks and I was crying in pain around mile 80. I came to Kawai and he was so kind, he lifted my spirits. We talked of the monks in Japan who run. We ran the remainder of the race together, except a small section at the end -- I ran ahead to see if the finish line was indeed around the corner. I will never forget that race or how kind Kawai was. And, having those PDFs proved crucial to my success as more often than not I did not have cell service. I am not sure I would have been able to complete the journey without them.

I did the trek solo, self-supported. I did not meet any family or friends along the route, with the exception of one person I knew who I happened to run into at a Whole Foods in Santa Cruz, she thought I had moved to the area and had no idea I was doing the run. I did not get in any vehicles with the exception of those mentioned above. I had to make detours along the route to buy supplies, shoes, a jacket, etc. and when I did this I tried to leave from and return to the same place on the trail. I accepted gifts from trail angels I encountered, so if offered supplies, free meals from restaurants, or free housing/hotel rooms I sometimes took these offers. Nothing was pre-planned and I had never met any of these people before.

My initial gear:
Nathan backpack
Nathan handheld water bottle
Three pairs Drymax Socks
External battery pack
Solar charger
Visor
Patagonia long sleeve shirt
Two pairs compression shorts
Two quick-dry t-shirts
3/4 length inflatable sleeping pad
Emergency bivy
Two sports bras
SPOT tracking device
Money
Checks
Credit cards
Debit card
Driver's License
Contacts
Glasses
Ponytail holders
Micropore tape
Tissues
Alcohol wipes
Earplugs
Eyemask
Phone and charger
FitBit and charger
Four extra AAA batteries for SPOT
AA phone charger / flashlight and two extra AA batteries
Safety pins (turned out to be useful for drying clothing on pack)
Small brush/comb
Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, retainer
Caffeine pills, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Sudafed, Immodium
Shampoo
Mace
Altra shoes
Luna sandals
Small AA flashlight
Bose headphones
House key
Custom insoles
Disposable razor
Sticky gauze bandage -- did not use

I love my RunGoo but figured it would get gummed up with sand with all of the barefoot beach running. Later on I wished I had brought it as I got a small blister between my pinky and second to last toe that lasted until the end of the trip. I got an extra small jar of Tiger Balm and some Tea Tree Oil chapstick to put on it.



Along the way I picked up melatonin, NyQuil, and Tylenol PM to help me sleep, along with Turmeric and tart cherry packets from Whole Foods, and astaxanthin pills to help with inflammation and my sunburn. I also found a tiny all natural stick of sunscreen that I carried with me. It was crucial in southern CA but I didn't seem to need it by the time I got about halfway up the coast, either my base tan was dark enough, the sun wasn't intense, or the astaxanthin was working, maybe a combination. I also picked up a pair of nail clippers but discarded after using them as they seemed heavy. At one of the hotels I picked up a pair of sewing kits, and later used the sterile needles to lance blisters. Late in the trip I picked up neosporin to treat a blister I worried was infected. I also picked up a waterproof small notebook and Fisher Space Pen, which I used to take notes on upcoming sections.

After the first day (!) I left behind the solar charger and my Luna Sandals, as they were too heavy to carry on my back, using a shoulder pack. If I had been running in the sandals they would have been great and in fact, had I been more accustomed to wearing them they might have been perfect for the CCT, with all of its barefoot sections.

As the trip progressed and I moved north food and water sources began to get more scarce. I decided to order another solar charger online and have it delivered to a mailbox up ahead, in case I encountered a section without a place to charge my phone -- which had all my maps. Along the way I also tripped on a bump in asphalt on Highway 1, hit my elbow, and passed out from the pain. My small flashlight had died and I had reverted to using the one LED light on my AA phone charger, which turned out not to work very well at all for charging my phone in emergencies. So, I also ordered a rechargeable Petzl LED headlamp online and had that delivered to the same post office box, in San Francisco.

The emergency bivy turned out to sweat a lot and make me cold and the inflatable pad didn't seem to offer much more than the soft sand and I grass I was sleeping on already, so I got rid of the pad and stopped in at the nearest REI -- which turned out to be Santa Monica, to look for a replacement for the emergency bivy. I found the SOL "breathable" emergency bivy and grabbed it! --This turned out to be the perfect piece of equipment. I also bought a thicker coat for the upcoming colder northern temperatures, and a pair of tights -- which I later returned, so that I could get a pair of Patagonia mid-weight tight pants instead.

Somewhere along the trail (will have to look back through my notes to pinpoint where) I encountered a camp store and purchased a second emergency foil bivy, emergency blanket, and straw water filter -- which was absolutely necessary for many parts of the north section. I would put the SOL breathable bivy inside the foil bivy and use the emergency blanket for another layer of warmth when I needed it.

I'm not sure how, but I managed to lose my expensive coat... it could have been the high winds, or my sleep deprivation induced forgetfulness, but I went to put it on as the sun was going down one evening, and it was gone! As I got to the end of the trail I met Kim and Andy and told them about my trek. They thought I looked cold and offered to give me a hat and sweatshirt! I took both. They told me about a great restaurant up ahead, where I went, and went on to meet Elliot, who was having his 72nd birthday! We all had food, cake, and wine. Elliot insisted on giving me a fleece jacket. These layers were wonderful and I was so touched by the kindness of these trail angels. However, they were heavy for me to carry. I had to give away the sweatshirt and fleece and was able to mail the hat back to myself. At a glamping site where I stayed (glamorous camping), which charged a relatively high price to use the tent sites and showers, the owner gave me a more technical jacket and rainproof shell. These were great for a short time but again too heavy. I ended up giving them away and invested in a waterproof Kuhl jacket and fluffy coat that were perfectly my size. Later I realized the fluffy coat was also too heavy and mailed it home to myself after I found a kids' sized North Face puffy jacket.

I also bought a rain poncho at a supermarket along the way, which I used during both of the two times it rained on my trip.

I picked up the headlamp and solar battery in San Francisco, and got a new pair of Altra Olympus shoes at a store there, my old shoes were worn way down on the back outer corners. The headlamp proved invaluable, it made an amazing difference and allowed me to get through tough trail terrain at night. I don't know what I would have done without it, I should have had it all along. The solar charger got me through the Lost Coast portion of the trail, and when I got to somewhere near Petrolia I decided to mail it back to myself, it wasn't worth the extra weight anymore, I knew there would be towns close enough up ahead.

My external battery stopped charging partway through and I had to buy a new one at a cell phone store. The new one was actually lighter and lasted longer, so that was a plus.

Late in the trip I bought new socks because I had not been able to sufficiently wash my Drymax socks and was worried about the infection in my blister. I saved one pair of my beloved Drymax and bought two pairs of thicker socks -- all that was available at the store I happened upon. These socks turned out to make my feet sweat -- terrible!!! The only redeeming quality was that they were longer, and I used them to protect my legs from the pampas grass and other elements that cut up my shins terribly on the Lost Coast section. In retrospect I would bring a pair of high-top trail Drymax socks in addition to the low cut versions I brought with me.

After running through a huge amount of poison oak I decided to mail that outfit home, and for nearly half the trip only had one set of clothes.

I will try to enumerate the gear that I ended with -- Final Gear:
Nathan backpack
Nathan handheld water bottle
Drymax socks (one pair, plus two pairs of other socks I had to buy on the way, next time would have Drymax socks mailed ahead and bring a one pair long socks and two pairs short socks)
External battery pack
Visor
Patagonia long sleeve shirt
One pair compression shorts
One quick-dry t-shirts
One sports bra
SOL emergency bivy - breathable cloth-like version
Emergency bivy -- metallic version
Space blanket
SPOT tracking device
Money
Checks
Credit cards
Debit card
Driver's License
Contacts
Glasses
Ponytail holders
Micropore tape
Tissues
Earplugs
Phone and charger
Four extra AAA batteries for SPOT
Safety pins (turned out to be useful for drying clothing on pack)
Small brush/comb
Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, retainer
Caffeine pills, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Sudafed, Immodium
Altra shoes
Petzl headlamp
Small notebook and pen
Extra small Tiger Balm
Small sunscreen
Triple antibiotic
Water filter straw
Dual USB charger and extra cable (two USB slots, one double prong for outlet)
Bose headphones
House key
Custom insoles
Disposable razor
Extra pair of Altra insoles (my arch on one foot bothered me at the beginning of the trip)
Sticky gauze bandage -- did not use
I was not able to get a precise weight on the pack but would guess around 5-8 pounds.

After meeting none other than JMT Reinhold aka Reinhold Metzger -- the former unsupported record holder on the John Muir Trail -- on the first day of my trek, in the middle of the night in downtown San Diego!, I carried nuts as my main source of backup fuel. Since towns were usually less than 30 miles apart I could get by with eating a lot in each town and carrying minimal additional calories. I believe the longest stretch between food resupply was roughly 60 miles, before and during the first segment of the Lost Coast. A 5oz package of macadamia nuts has 1,000 calories, this was my favorite source of fuel. Other times I carried standard dried fruit and nut trail mixes, whatever was available at the small convenience stores I encountered along the way.

I always carried one handheld water bottle of water and sometimes carried an additional repurposed softdrink bottle full of water in my other hand. Most times one bottle was sufficient. In southern CA there were parks with water fountains galore and in northern CA there were plenty of creeks.

Here I am after picking up my gear at the REI in Santa Monica, thanks Zachary Jubie for this photo!!










Posted by at 3 comments:

Day 1 - Aug. 20

Mexican border to Sunset Beach

 I had to restart because I spent the night at a friend's house the night before -- a no-no for a self-supported run.  I figured if I was going to carry everything on my back for the trip, I should get credit for a self-supported run.  Luckily I learned this lesson on Day 1 and easily re-did my 25 or so miles for the day, Aug. 20th.  Unfortunately I also had to repeat swimming across the Tijuana River with all my gear on my head...
Take two. I didn't realize staying at a friend's house would disqualify me from a "self supported" fastest known time on the California Coastal Trail. In retrospect it's obvious. But this gave me the opportunity to drop a few things I realized immediately were weighing me down, namely my solar charger. While it is a nice insurance it is really heavy. Thank you to my friends @ffcccompetetor_erlyell for taking my excess things for me, now I know that even giving extra things to a friend is considered support! So I plan to start my journey again this morning at the Mexico Border. I had also considered making this a vegan trip but wasn't vegan yesterday. This morning the uber driver by chance dropped me at an all vegan coffee shop (was on the way to the border but asked him to drop me at a coffee place first so I would be well fueled). So I can restart the vegan part too. Hopefully second time's the charm. #instablog #cct #californiacoastaltrail #vegan #fkt
A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on 




Here I am, about to begin the journey on Day 1. My Uber driver took this photo, he also gave me a pen, because he said he thought I might need it, to write down my experiences. 
A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on 




The Uber driver:





I took this picture the day before but had to swim across the same river again when I restarted Aug. 20th.

 At the beginning of the trip I tried to use the #instablog hashtag to automatically post Instagram photos to my blog.  After a few weeks I realized that I wouldn't have time to put anything other than Instagram photos on the blog, so it was superfluous.  Don't mind the tags...
A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on 
When I had to re-start Aug. 20th a friend of mine asked whether I had considered the way "fkt" could also stand for "fuck it" in a carefree sort of way!  I made a post with the fkt hashtag and hangten hands, then later that day saw this hangten sticker in a convenience store, I considered it a good omen.
A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on 

I ran through Coronado Island, took the ferry across, and then ran through the shops near the Star of India downtown, a place I used to run frequently when I lived in Banker's Hill in San Diego.

An acquaintance had taken his anger out on me through a text message I got on the ferry from Coronado Island and it upset me.  But, just after my first trail marker, just past Seaport Village, I ran into Ernesto Mendoza and his children, who live in Mexico but were in San Diego for the weekend.  He was so excited for my journey that he asked to take a photo with me.  His energy lifted my spirits.  And I felt good about my trip again.

Later on, seeing the ocean calmed me further.  I had an overwhelming feeling that the ocean is bigger than my problems.  Like an animal, the ocean doesn't know about my missteps and mistakes, and it is so much bigger than I am.


A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on

A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on

A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on  

An amazing coincidence, I ran into hiker legend Reinhold Metzger in the middle of the night on an empty city street in San Diego!  I didn't get a picture of him so posted a picture I took the next morning:


Here is a real picture of Reinhold, we talked for about an hour, the neighbors complained we were being too loud late at night!  He gave me some great tips, one in particular being that I should have a daily mileage goal.  I set my goal at 30 miles per day.  I wasn't always able to meet that goal, but it definitely helped motivated me.  I am extremely grateful to have run into Reinhold, and that he shared his wisdom with me. 


An article about Reinhold: 
http://legacy.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/outdoors/20030929-9999_mz1s29outdor.html


Reinhold had told me to take a certain street to get to the beach but I was trying to follow the trail as closely as possible.  Unfortunately Reinhold knew better than the trail map.  I arrived at a gate that looked like private property.  I walked down the street and took a detour to get back to the trail.  I tried to go through a college but the night guard said that I had to have an ID, he confirmed that the gate I saw was private property and told me the best way to get to the beach.  Finally, I made it to Sunset Beach, where I crashed for a few hours, only interrupted by a couple hiking at night who I startled.  I thought they were the police, they thought I was the police!
Posted by at 4 comments:

Day 2 - Aug. 21

Sunset Beach to San Elijo State Beach

I awoke to a man walking his dog and hurriedly gathered my things.  Only a few miles down the road I stopped in at a beachside coffee shop where a woman recognized me from my Uber dropoff at the border the day before!  I enjoyed a San Diegan acai bowl and large soy latte while charging my devices.

Heading out, I ran though San Diego, passing places I often ran with my running friends -- the West Coast Road Runners and Trail Crashers when I lived in San Diego, during graduate school.  I still miss this running regularly with the Trail Crashers, we shared so many miles, and so much pain together.  Now that I live in Riverside it's been harder to make the 6am runs 3 hours away from me.  I still join them occasionally and think of them often.  They are part of my inspiration for running.  I love that group.  Robert was there for me on many long runs when I went through a hard breakup in graduate school.  I asked him if he wanted to run the San Diego 50 with me, my first 50 mile race, we trained together -- my training fell off with school -- and both completed the race!  Now we've both graduated to 100s, Robert to 200s.  Gloria gave me the backpack I used during this trek, years ago.  I thought of her often during the run.  She cheered for me the whole way through and prayed for me every day.

I ran through the bay, the harbor, through Torrey Pines, Black's Beach (a nude beach where a nude man grabbed my calf!), and Solana Beach.  I knew there would be ample water via drinking fountains, and food along my miles today.  It was nostalgic.  Today was also eclipse day, I tried to take a photo with my phone but was unsuccessful.

I made it to San Elijo State Beach, which had a designated camping area.  I was late getting in and all the regular sites were full, but there was still room for hikers and bikers!  The hiker/biker sites were also only $10, as opposed to the regular $35.  The woman at the window looked skeptical that I had run from Mexico, but took my word :)  She let me charge all of my devices in her office until it closed.

My site was right next to another man's site, who offered me a tortilla with beans cooked over a fire.  I obliged.  It turned out he was homeless and lived at various campsites with just a tent and a few belongings.  He had just gotten a job at the gas station across the street.  He rushed out to get me toilet paper to clean my hands with, and maps from the ranger station.  And then he told me about how it could be difficult to get through Camp Pendleton.  We did some mental math concerning my running and arrived at the same answer about the same time, he was bright, kind, and somehow still homeless.  He did say he liked surfing, that was his passion.

I had trouble sleeping that night and got up early to start running again.  The homeless man had warned me about ants near my site but I didn't want to sleep on the hard picnic table as he had suggested.  I awoke to ants crawling all over me, and my gear.  Over the next two days I would continue to find ants crawling along the brim of my visor as I ran.  I left the man my shower tokens.
A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on

A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on


A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on

A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on



Posted by at No comments:

Day 3 - Aug. 22

San Elijo State Beach to San Clemente

I ran on, past Carlsbad and Oceanside, familiar places from my time in San Diego. Carlsbad was where I ran my first marathon in California and where I had gone to see a number of concerts.

I stopped in a cafe to recharge my phone and get a vegetable sandwich, bagel with peanut butter, and coffee. I put in ten or more miles in the early morning but was feeling fatigued from the lack of sleep. I had a talk with my parents on the phone to check in. My left arch was hurting me, it seemed the extra foam the technician had added to the custom made insole was too much. I tried to shave it down by rubbing in against the cement. Every opportunity I got I would run barefoot on the beach.

I made it to the gate for Camp Pendleton. The guard directed me to the visitor center, where I had a long conversation with the woman behind the counter. She said that bikers with bikes and helments were allowed to cross the base, but not pedestrians, a new rule. She said that I would need an in-person escort with base access to be allowed through the gate. I told her I had had a DoD SMART scholarship in graduate school and was waiting for a security clearance right now -- that didn't matter. Thinking about the spirit of doing a self-supported run though, I figured that base access is something that might not be available to every person trying to do the trail. So, it made sense not to try to use anything specific to myself or my friends (I did have one friend who had offered to help me through one of his contacts at the base) to gain access. The woman behind the counter was nice enough to Google whether highway running was allowed and couldn't find anything prohibiting it, she directed me to some restaurants nearby.

I backtracked to the Denny's and ate a big meal of hashbrowns, fruit, and toast, with lots of coffee, in anticipation of another 20+ mile segment on the highway. Finally ready to go I jogged over -- only to find a large "no pedestrians allowed" sign!

With no other recourse, I decided calling an Uber/Lyft was my only option. I had run the idea of Uber/Lyft by a moderator on the FKT proboard site and they had said it would make sense if that was the only option, and if the car service was available to everyone. Within minutes my driver arrived and I directed him to take the first possible exit. The woman at the visitor center had told me where the base ended and I triple checked my maps to be sure I wouldn't miss any segments of the trail / would have the shortest possible car ride.

Things seemed to work out well, he dropped me off at San Onofre State Beach, where I made my way down to the Ocean. It was a 20 mile car ride.

I was relieved to be hiking along the calm beach again. There were hardly any people, unlike the beaches I had come through in San Diego that were filled with crowds day and night. I saw many shelters made with large branches along the beach, and a group of surfers, which made me feel somehow at home. The Camp Pendleton experience was jarring. I hiked a few miles down the beach, and opted to take a half mile detour into the town of San Clemente to stay at a hostel, where I had booked a room earlier, thinking I would run the twenty miles of highway. I had been tempted to cancel my reservation and put in more miles, but the sun was setting and I was ready to be around some free spirits. The hostel, House of Trestles, was filled with surf paraphernalia and graffiti artwork done by LA street artists-in-residence. It was a welcome haven complete with a washer and dryer where I happily washed my clothes.

I talked to one of the employees who was formerly a professional/sponsored surfer and shared a room with a German backpacker who planned to take surfing lessons at the beach nearby in the morning. The group had gone on a bar crawl the night before, missing it was bittersweet, it would have been fun to meet the interesting people associated with the hostel, but would also have taken time and likely left me with a hangover. Probably good I missed it. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the artwork though. It refreshed me and I thought about how doing my artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center two years ago after my series of six 100 mile races in eight weeks and subsequent injuries had similarly renewed me, and led to my comeback 17:24 100 mile race. Maybe a mental break from running, experiencing something in a completely different realm, like art, renews the body somehow too. I remember reading that the king of ultra running, Yiannis Kouros, had a number of hobbies outside running.












Posted by at No comments:

Day 4 - Aug. 23

San Clemente to Newport Beach / Santa Ana River

In the morning I waited for the complimentary bagels and fruit to arrive before heading out.  Showering, sleeping in a real bed, and being around all of the artwork and open-minded people had refreshed and inspired me.

I headed out, running past Capistrano Beach, a beach I had driven to from Riverside once to explore and run, then Dana Point, and 1000 Steps Beach, where I got a picture looking down at the Ocean many steps below.  I was moving into territory familiar to me after moving to Riverside two years ago.  The beaches I passed were the sites of fun day trips I had taken alone to run the trail next to the beach, or with friends on vegan restaurant and new-age boutique or running outings.
A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on



I ran past Laguna Beach, where I had met with the director of the Laguna College of Art and Design about an MFA the year before.  He had liked my work and wanted me to join the program but I decided to fulfill my obligation to the scholarship I had and wait for the clearance.  Luckily I navigated the trail correctly through Laguna.  At the beach I thought I needed to climb up a ledge, I almost got stuck, luckily there was a man down below who helped me off.  I decided to hike up to the sidewalk -- which turned out to be where the trail really was!  Soon I came to a huge CCT trail marker inlaid in the sidewalk with an arrow pointing to the left that said "Mexico 102," and an arrow to the right that said "Oregon 1,128."

A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on

I ran on to Crystal Cove, a little wooden resort town on the beach.  I paused to charge my phone in a public restroom.  Night had fallen and the restaurant looked to be closing, I made a beeline.  All of the food was expensive and I felt out of place sitting in the nice dining area, so I grabbed a seat at the bar.  The bartender was exceptionally nice.  She was impressed with what I was doing. I ordered a beer, which I drank quickly.  As I was getting ready to go the bartender returned with a paper coffee cup filled with a hot creamy soup -- it might have been clam chowder, and a handful of oyster crackers, which she put in a bag for me.  She told me not to drink from the cup until I was off the property, that there were cameras and she wasn't allowed to give out free soup, but she wanted to help me out.  As I walked out into the night, having run approximately twenty miles earlier and still hoping to get in another ten, I sipped the hot soup.  I was hungry and the soup was divine, especially in the cool night air.  I decided my policy for the trip would be vegan with the exception of free food offered by trail angels.


I meandered through trails in a park, then made my way toward Balboa Island.  Closing in on Balboa I realized I would need to get a ferry.  I doubted it would be operating at 1am and so mentally prepared for a night crashing behind a building or staying awake and waiting for the ferry office to open.  When arrived, however, I was overjoyed to find that the ferry ran until 2 am!!

The ferry was operated by Captain Bruce Pierce, who had spent years sailing the ocean! and assistant Quiotee who lived out of his van near San Diego, went to school, and travelled.  We talked for an hour, they were kindred spirits.


I ran past Newport Beach, where I had once left my car in a parking garage next to the Whole Foods so that I could run up to Long Beach some 20+ miles ahead and take the bus back.

And I made it to the mouth of the Santa Ana River.  This was an emotional moment for me, as my favorite place to run in Riverside is the Santa Ana River Trail.  It stretches ten miles north and ten miles south of Riverside.  On the south side it breaks for the city of Corona, then restarts at the golf course at the edge of the city and goes all the way to the beach.  One night I parked my car at the Corona golf course and ran the thirty miles to the beach.  Arriving at that point on the Santa Ana River Trail, the mouth of the river, meant a lot to me, and I took a photograph to commemorate the occasion, even though it was blurry.


Exhausted, I saw a tent set up in front of a shallow cement wall along the beach, near a bathroom, just on the other side of the trail, and decided to lay out my bivy bag nearby, also in the shadow of the short wall.  I saw a woman on a bike who had too much energy, she must have just been waking up for her 4am ride.  I crashed for a couple of hours, sweaty and cold in my emergency space-blanket type bivy.





Posted by at No comments:

Day 5 - Aug. 24

Newport Beach / Santa Ana River to San Pedro

I awoke with the sun and ran a few miles, down a bike path I had run in training and with a friend a couple of times, to a group of stores and restaurants that were just opening.  Google Maps told me there was a Starbucks less than half a mile away so I made a short detour.  I saw no Starbucks, but there was another coffee shop, so I stopped to put up my feet, charge my phone, and have breakfast -- two large soy lattes, bananas, and packaged vegan protein cookies.

I looked for a jacket at a nearby store but couldn't find what I wanted.  An employee told me about an outdoor store up ahead and I planned to look for it in Long Beach.



I ran a few miles further to Bolsa Chica State Beach and stopped at The Secret Spot for a large salad with vegan faux chicken.  I used to come here with my trail and ultra running buddy Isaiah, I had to stop in.  When I told the owners what I was doing they said my meal was free!!  I was overjoyed.
A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on

A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on


I ran on toward Long Beach.  I was listening to music and in the zone, running.  I didn't notice that I made a wrong turn.  I ended up running two miles out of the way, and had to run the same two miles to get back to the trail.  I half considered this my karmic payback for something that had happened in Long Beach a few years ago.  The outdoor store appeared to have been shut down.  I did find an REI not too far out of the way in Santa Monica and planned to stop there.  The Vitamin Shoppe was on my way back from the detour and I stopped to buy some vegan protein bars.  As I was checking out I told the woman behind the counter about my run.  She gave me a handful of free womens' vitamin packets.

I made it to a section of bike path I remembered well -- I had won a half marathon there.  It was also where an ultrarunner friend used to live, we had run there together a few times.  And it was the site of an all night training walk/jog I had done with Ed Ettinghausen "The Jester," and friends.  Ed holds multiple world records in ultrarunning, including "Most 100 mile races in a year."  He lives in a neighboring town and I see him frequently at races, he was at the first 100 mile race I ever ran and he and has been a great mentor, he and his wife great friends and supporters.  I had Thanksgiving with them one year, and Christmas another, when I couldn't get home for the holidays.  Ed was training a group to run their first 100 mile race, the EC100.  I vividly remembered that training run because I had been looking at artwork at the Getty Museum and drove over when I heard about the run.  All I had were sandals, but friend Andy lent me his oversized shoes and socks.  Maureen and Andy and I talked about the angelic experiences she had while running, a man who pointed her to the trail in a blizzard and another who gave her ice water in a desert.



I ran on through a portion of bike path I had never run before, past a few homeless and a few people on bikes, as the sun was setting.  The trail took me into the city of Los Angeles, across freeway entrance/exit ramps.  The CCT is definitely diverse!  I stopped at a gas station to buy sunflower seeds and gum, my walking staples at home, and a mexican peanutbutter candy that I assumed was vegan.  As I was looking for my money the man in line behind me told me just to go, that he would pay my bill!  He had no idea what I was doing, I can only speculate that he knew I was on some kind of quest by the way I was dressed, thought I could be homeless, or was frustrated that I was taking too long to find my money.  In any case, I was grateful, and went on my way...

I used a port-o-potty at a late night Mexican restaurant and ran through an industrial section that looked like a cityscape by itself.
A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on


A post shared by Natalie Larson (@arationallens) on


I ran on, knowing that the Sunset Hotel awaited me, if I could just make it there...  it was a long mileage day (41 after my 4 mile mistake), and my legs hadn't yet adjusted to daily high mileage.  I got to the hotel late that night and felt like I had just run a fifty mile race.  I bought a few items from the vending machine, cheese puffs -- I realized too late that they weren't vegan.  After running through downtown LA at night I was so relieved to be here, taking a shower, watching TV (I don't own a TV).  I laid down and put my legs in the air, resting my feet on a wall to let the blood drain out of them while I reveled in a mindless gameshow.






Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)