Peters Canyon w/ Nikki, Laz, & Dean, July 11, 2021

Peters Canyon is locked in the base code of my running journey as the spot where my friend Scot introduced me to trail running in my early 20s. The spot enjoys solid popularity in the middle of Orange County for its ease-of-access, as little or as much vert as you like (the best hill is named Big Red for the color of its sand, and not climbing it is to not run at Peters Canyon), and more than a few excellent views of the surrounding area in Tustin.

I’ve been thrilled by and deeply grateful for all the trail adventures I’ve had since my first runs in a place that introduced me to how grueling mileage and bombing hills can mix and make a perfect day. And, as I’ve been scaling up to Pine to Palm 100 on September 11th, I wanted to come back to it for the first time in a minute to catch a triple loop of the park for a warm, incline-inclined 20-miler.

My good friends Nikki, Laz, and Dean came along for support, and it was a joy to laugh and talk about everything you do with good friends along the way, which worked to lighten the effort wonderfully.

This was also the first time I’ve tried changing out shoes to simulate more of what I’ll be encountering in September. I had an extra pair with me at my first attempt at a 100-miler at Coldwater Rumble 100 January, but never felt a need to switch out the EVO Speedgoats I wore the whole time.

Doing so this time felt refreshing in the best ways, and also gave me a great chance to try out the brand new Zinals by HOKA (worn on the first and third loops, my fiery Speedgoat 4s came with me on the second), without the risk of locking into a previously-unknown variable for a fairly long run.

The temperature scaled up as the breeze that had gentled most of the morning disappeared, but I’m glad to say your boy prevailed.

I was also grateful that I could meet up with Scot after this run for the first time in a long while. He has sadly been wrestling with a health issue that has kept him off trails, and will also keep him away from the Catalina Half Marathon this year. We took this race on in ’18 and ’19, and I’ll be stepping up to this year on November 13th.

I asked Scot if he had anything of his that I could take along to the island for him this year, and he gave me a prayer rope he made himself. It means a lot to me, and I appreciate his friendship, support, and the prayer he said with me when we met up, putting blessings on my training and the races I have in my near future.

I hope everyone is finding friendship, strength, and positivity however and whenever possible as well, stay healthy and relentless, everybody!