I met up with Steve Bradley at 6OO AM ready to hit the trail and do some running.  It was 53 degrees and I was scantily dressed in just a t-shirt and running short because I knew that within an hour we would be hot.  It turned out be quite a reunion at the start because we saw 5 of our other lady friends (2 separate groups) getting ready to trail run up Mission Peak.  Steve and I were feeling quite studly with an entourage of 5 women.  This quickly dissipated as 2 of the ladies broke off from within a minute of their arrival.   The other group of 3 ladies left us after 40 minutes.  Back to Earth for Steve and I.

The spring flowers and green grass was better than visiting an arboretum.   The last dowsing of rain extended the wild flowers for at least another week.  I am always amazed at how beautiful the area is that we do our trail runs on.

Our first destination was Mt. Allison, approximately 2500 feet.  I completely lost track of time.  Not that it really matters.  We have a total time goal in mind and we stick to that for our trail runs.  I snacked on dried cherries, apples, and figs.  I lost interest in the high priced runners snacks and usually mix up my own.

Steve was in a time crunch, but I convinced him into doing a loop down to the horse ranch.  What a bonus that was!  We were able to see 20-30 beautiful horses running like wild horses on the trail.  As I was snapping pictures of the horses, they walked around me and I felt like Moses when he parted the Red Sea.  I was surrounded by an ocean of horses.

Everything was perfect about this trail run.  Both of us were not complaining about being tired.  Steve was gearing up for his trail run up Rose Peak tomorrow.  My legs felt like they had another 20 miles in them.  It’s a nice feeling when a 15 mile run is a “light” run.  This is not bragging.  It is what it is.

I broke off from Steve after being out 2 hours as I wanted to run over 3 hours.  I ran the trail up Mission Peak.  As usual, it was very crowded.  Being selfish, I wished that it was less crowded.  I am sure the hundreds of other hikers were thinking the same thing.  If I wanted solitude, I would have been on the peak at 6 AM.

In all my years of running, I usually come to the same conclusion about the trail run that I just completed-it’s one of the best runs in my life.

Steve and I both commented on a little secret goal that we don’t want a certain runner beating us when we race the Ohlone Wilderness run at the end of May.

As much as I enjoy looking at all the scenery on my runs, nothing beats great company!  I started out the run with my 2 favorite running girl friends, Nadia and Andria.  The three have so much fun trail running together.  Most of the time we talk about everything but running.    We laugh and talk about silly things.  It’s hard to believe that we put up with each other for as long as 6 hours on our run.

We had to part ways after only 2 hours of running as one of the girls was getting together with family members in the City.  It’s always hard to say good bye.  I almost talked Andria into running with me as I promised to get her back to the car by 12 PM.  She was ready to say yes except that her car keys and personal belongings were locked inside Nadia’s car.

I was able to ascent Rose Peak in exactly 3 hours.  It was cold, rainy, and windy on top.  I did not linger.  I ran as fast as I could to Maggies Half Acre for water and a few runners chocolate cookies.

I chose the exact same trail on the way back as I wanted to see  my friend Sue Corrie as she was running all the way to Del Valle with another friend.  I predicted to run into her around 10 AM as she started around.

I finished the trail run to Rose Peak in exactly 5:20 which is one of my best times ever.  It was an awesome run.  The wild flowers were splendid.  My running partners were great.  This run goes into my treasure chest of trail running memories.

As we were crossing the rail road tracks, a strong wind kicked in and blew rain on us. I was a little concerned about getting the boys too much exposure. Plan B kicked in. I deviated from our normal trail run and veered towards the hills for protection from the elements. We ran along Canyon Heights Drive and turned left to the monster hill on Morrison Canyon. I found an old school bus stop bench with an ivy covered trellis for the boys to rest on and eat the sour dough whole wheat raisin bread that I packed for a snack.

I ran one fast hill 1/4 mile and joined up with the boys under the trellis for protection from the rain. I saw three deer grazing on the hill side. I looked for the wild turkey and did not see any.

My boys did not complain at all which is unusual. My kids are far from perfect. They cry, pout, and fight with each other. This run was a little too quiet. It must have been the rain. No wipe outs. No crying. No fighting. No kidding! Amazing!

We were out for about an hour and then came inside for a nice hot meal.

The tables turn as I age. I want to build relationships with my boys. I am not as focused about being number 1 in a running race-not that I won more than a few races in my entire life!