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In case you ever wonder about the allure of the City of Angels. Here’s my second favorite place to run at the moment.

I’ve been wanting to do a mud run similar to the type of race they do in Camp Pendleton (tons of dirt, obstacle course and usually a small team sign up) and have noticed that a lot of new ones have sprung up in Southern California. Now this is definitely a racing trend band wagon I will gladly jump right on top of. The only question is – which race should I do? Check these out:

Down and Dirty National Mud Run Series (April 25, 2010) 10k trail race with military obstacles.

Irvine Lake Mud Run (April 10, 2010) 5K trail race with 8 obstacles.

Warrior Dash (April 10, 11, 2010) 5K mud race with obstacles.

Eco Mud Run Tour (April 25, 2010) 5K trail race. Tire obstacles, walls, net crawl throughs.

Muddy Buddy (November 7, 2010) from the Competitor peeps, two person teams, one bike portion and trail run.

Camp Pendleton Mud Run (June 5, 6, 12 2010) the original gangsta of mud runs in Southern California. 10k obstacle run with mud walls, tunnel crawls and pit. Race alone or on team of 5.

At the moment, I’m leaning towards the Muddy Buddy (just need to find a buddy… oh and a bike). That’s only because April is not the best month for racing for me with my current race schedule. From the looks of it, April is definitely a good season for mud in L.A. (who knew?)

People have felt compelled to tell me about their running excursions with an air of self belittlement. When things like “only a 5k” or “only a 12 minute mile pace” come up, I cringe involuntarily. Why even think like that in the first place? It feels like ages ago, but I still remember when I first started running. I used to cry most days when I was up running the trail at Westridge. Not cry from pain (although there was definitely a lot of pain), but cry from the frustration of having the pain in the first place, wanting to be back in my bed at 5am, the cold, the winded feeling in my lungs and the overall exhaustion. I cried because I wanted desperately to quit while at the same time I was deathly afraid that I would give up. This was how I eventually learned to train my mind to wander. I used to get through the worst of those runs by thinking about where I wanted to be… at the time I imagined myself bulldozing through the trail, leaping up the mountains and effortlessly gliding across the sky at dawn while the rest of the world slept.

Allison + Me (Surf City Half Marathon 2010)

The whole reason I had started running in the first place was to be able to get through a dark time in my life. I wasn’t who I wanted to be when I started, I felt that given enough time and effort, that I would figuratively and literally be able to catch up and run towards the person I wanted to be, someone with discipline, strength, endurance, agility, someone who could take pain and push through it. Someone who would always be able to break the tape and cross the finish line for any goal.

I made a trip up to that trail today for hill sprints. As soon as I started pushing myself up the climbs, I had flashbacks of some of the times that I would buckle and bend over in agony trying to catch my breath and although the small glimmer of accomplishment flashed across my mind, it wasn’t nearly enough.  Although I have made significant (for me) breakthroughs in my running with regards to pace and half marathon endurance, the thought of double that distance is incredibly daunting.

My second marathon is 34 days away. Every time I think about it, my heart starts racing. Times like this, I know I have to take a breath and just do the mileage, don’t worry about pace, just go. Wear my heart rate monitor if it helps.  Every mile is an accomplishment. Every single one. (That’s what I tell myself during a scary long run.) Tomorrow I’m holding myself to the 16 miles I’ve been putting off. I’m thinking about doubling up my long runs for the next two weeks, just to feel more mentally at ease about it – after my run today I felt pretty strong, so I think my body can handle it – well it better anyway.

Los Angeles may seem like an urban sprawl at times, but for those of you out there who favorite dirt or gravel to asphalt here’s a cool trail to check out:

Sullivan Canyon is part of the Santa Monica Mountains Preservation located in Pacific Palisades. Starting from the trail head, you can do an out and back for a total of 7.8 miles. Difficulty level: moderate.

The coolest part about Sullivan Canyon? NOT CROWDED. If you’re not a fan of the b-lister celebs at Runyon and happen to be closer to the Westside – this is a must for you. The path is not paved and not very well kept (watch your step at all times). Although there are no stand out sites to see (aside from a very cool rope swing one mile into the path and a seasonal small creek), it’s one of my favorite places to run. There is nothing contrived about what you get in Sullivan Canyon like you might see at some other national parks.

Elevation Map

Want a more up close and personal look at the canyon? Good, because I happened to take my flip on my last trail run in those parts:

View Santa Monica Mtns Trail Heads in a larger map

I’m a trail runner / mountain goat before anything else. If you haven’t tried your hand at some off roading in Los Angeles – you *need* to check out these trails.