Cowles Mountain

Over the past few months, I have been cutting time off my hike up to Cowles Mountain. I take the Mesa Road trail to the peak, which would be considered the "back side" to most people. I like it because it is steep, strenuous, and the longest advance to the mountain.

Today I cut 4 more minutes off my best time. I am now down to 57 minutes to the top. I can't begin to describe how good it feels, how much more energy I have, and how motivated I am to keep working on it.

I even see room for improvement, and I think eventually I can cut a few more minutes off the hike.

I also got my roundtrip under 100 minutes, 99 total, but I had to run the last stretch to make it. I have tended to take it easy coming down after hiking so hard up to the top.

Another new feeling...the satisfaction that I actually pass people to the top. I used to be the one who would get passed.

I can only wonder why I had not worked this hard in the past. But, here I am, and I know how I feel now, and I want to keep it going.

TM

Anticipation

In order to achieve success, you have to leave open the possibility of failure. So as I write this passage, I am vulnerable. The trip up Mt. Whitney is only 10 days away. This has been my most inactive weekend in a month.

Yet tomorrow I endeavor to break my personal best climbing Cowles Mountain and coming back down to my starting point. Setting a record on such a small mountain is less important than what it represents. Perhaps a reprise from the shin splints that have continually dented my confidence and held back my training.

Whether I break the record is immaterial compared to how I feel doing it. Whitney for me won't be a race, but a matter of mental and physical strength, in that order.

While I won't have too much weight on my back tomorrow, I am considering loading up my backpack for a couple hikes up the hill this week. Some have advised me to rest, but I feel I need more endurance.

So, early in the morning, I will be heel-toe walking to the top. I hope to report a successful ascent, with few breaks and a lot of confidence.

Cowles Mountain

No good news to report here. My time was the worst yet. My shin splints were at their worst. Obviously, I am doing something wrong that I have not put my finger on yet. I am guessing it has to do with properly stretching and warming up. Still, it seems strange that I can climb one mountain on one day without issues and then be nearly debilitated on the next day.

I started the hike at 5:14 and summited at 6:40. Those 86 minutes are the slowest yet. I made it down at 7:26 PM. The 46 minutes down the hill are about the same time I usually make it.

I see myself always getting off to such a slow start, and I realize how much time I could cut if I could make it up without complications. I feel like I know every single turn on the trail up to Cowles Mountain. It should be getting easier. Today is a rest day, and one I plan to enjoy. After work, I am going to do some additional exercises that I hope will help, and more stretching to see if that helps. I am planning to go back up the mountain Wednesday evening, and we will just have to see how I feel.

I would say the Whitney confidence scale is back down to a 2.

Cowles Mountain

Not as good today. I got a start at 5:09 and my shin splints started immediately. They seem to have a mind of their own. I have good days and bad days. I try to stretch every time I hit the trail. I wish I could narrow it down and eliminate the problem.

I quickly figured out I was running way behind my last trip up the mountain. Despite the pain, especially in my right leg, I didn't want to turn around. I made it to the peak in 84 minutes, 10 minutes behind Tuesday. Coming down, I made it back 7:20 which was 14 minutes behind my last time up Cowles Mountain.

It is hard for me to evaluate this trek. I was very disappointed and considered it a setback. Then again, instead of turning away from the challenge, I stuck to it and finished the hike.

I will be doing Tahquitz Peak on Sunday with Jeremy. I will have a better idea on my progress then. In the meantime, it's time to do some stretching...

My Whitney confidence would not be about a 1.

Cowles Mountain

After work, I headed back to Cowles Mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park. I was feeling tired, and even considered taking the night off. I knew I would be out on Thursday though, and I needed to conquer the feeling of laziness.

I started the trek slow as usual. This is where I think I can eventually make up time. It is amazing the burst of energy you get when you hit a landmark. As I met the merge with the Big Rock Trail (0.7 miles) I walked much faster. I passed a couple people and one of them remarked "can you believe mom does this every Sunday?" I laughed since it was my third trek in 4 days. I left them in the dust and didn't run into them later, they never made the peak.

The final ascent was as tough as always. I focused on steady progress and didn't beat myself up for being slow or tired. I could feel I was moving better than even a couple days ago. I made the peak at 6:29 PM, meaning it took me 74 minutes. This was 2 minutes faster than yesterday.

Coming down, I also accomplished something else because I did not make any stops. I had to slow down and move out of the way of a couple mountain bikers, but I moved quickly down the hill. I made it to my car at 7:12 PM. This was a total time of 1:57, my best time in a long time. I also cleared a mental hurdle by getting under 2 hours.

I am taking the night off on Thursday, hopefully hanging out with a good friend if all works out. Then Friday I will be back at it and I will have more to say about that experience.

On a scale of 1 - 10, my confidence in doing Whitney would be about a 4 right now. This is an improvement though, so I will keep at it.

Cowles Mountain

Last night I climbed up Cowles Mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park for the second time in three days. It was 86 degrees outside but the heat didn't bother me. I didn't stretch as much as I should have, so I shouldn't have been surprised with the early beginnings of shin splints.

I got off to a very slow start which was frustrating. The view wasn't anything special, with marine layer mixed with smog. I kept a reasonable pace, albeit a slow one. I felt stronger than two days before, something I was cognizant of going up. I pick up something new about the trail every time I do it, and now I have a dozen ascents in me at least. I noticed that the last leg of the climb has a moderately steep section and a very steep section. I had always perceived it to be one strenuous stretch. The familiarity is helpful. I made the summit in 77 minutes which was pretty mediocre. This was not a good time for me and I long to get it closer to 60 minutes if possible.

I picked up the pace coming down and was back down in 45 minutes. I only stopped a few times, a couple times to slow myself down on the steepest part of the trail from the summit, and once to let a couple mountain bikers go by.

My overall time was 2 hours, 2 minutes, which was about 7 minutes off my best time. I believe I need to make that time up on the ascent, and to have any chance at Mt. Whitney I need to conquer Cowles Mountain like it's nothing.

The work continues, I will ascend tonight for the 3rd time in 4 days.