The Green Girl's Hike to Potato Chip Rock

The Green Girl standing on Potato Chip Rock

The Green Girl hiked to Potato Chip Rock with her SparkPeople SparkFriends Jeannie, Kelly, and Leah.

Kelly and Leah invited Jeannie and me to join their Rock Church Hiking with SPF hiking ministry's hike to Potato Chip Rock after Kelly saw 'Visit Potato Chip Rock' was #83 on the The Green Girl's 100 Things in 2014 list.

Potato Chip Rock is located in the Lake Poway Recreation Area just below the summit of Mount Woodson Trail.

The Lake Poway Recreation Area is surrounded by 400 acres of Clyde E. Rexrode Wilderness Area. The City of Poway trails system extends over 55 miles.

Driving Directions
There are two hiking routes that will take you to Potato Chip Rock: Mount Woodson Road (3.6 mostly paved, steeper miles roundtrip) or Mount Woodson Trail (7.6 dirt trail miles roundtrip).

Photo Credit: Climb Poway's Woodson Mountain

Mount Woodson Road (Ramona)
From the east, the trailhead is near the Ramona Fire Station. Parking is available on the west shoulder of Highway 67.

Mount Woodson Trail (Lake Poway)
From the west, parking is available for a fee of $5 in the Lake Poway parking lot. The trailhead is east of the paved path along the boat dock. (Please note: there are well-maintained public restrooms in the parking lot - I highly recommend visiting them before hitting the trail.)

Lake Poway Recreation Area - The Mount Woodson Trail leads to Potato Chip Rock

Lake Poway

We hiked to Potato Chip Rock via the Mount Woodson Trail from the west.

We met in the Lake Poway parking lot, walked down to the boat dock, followed the paved path counterclockwise around the lake, and headed east to the Mount Woodson Trail trailhead.

As we ascended, we were afforded a beautiful panoramic view of Lake Poway behind us.

View from Mount Woodson Trail

Mount Woodson is famous for the boulders that are scattered across the chaparral-covered hillsides.

The trail was well marked and the dirt was hard packed - not overly loose or sandy. Some sections consisted of large, irregularly shaped rock steps.

Line for Potato Chip Rock

I'm fairly certain I spotted the line for Potato Chip Rock well before I saw the actual rock.

As we waited our turn, we came to the realization that we had to leap from a boulder to get to the Potato Chip Rock.

We nervously watched those ahead of us navigate the jump as we made an effort to mentally prepare ourselves.

The leap from the first boulder to Potato Chip Rock

It was nerve racking to witness the acrobatic feats people were attempting atop the precipice. Any indication of imbalance resulted in an audible collective gasp from the onlooking future Potato Chip Rock climbers. The more audacious the attempt, the louder the response.

As I stood in line, I realized the climb onto Potato Chip Rock was outside of my 'Safety First' comfort zone. After some internal dialogue, I convinced myself I could walk halfway out and get that picture I'd so earnestly wished for.

Jeannie offered to stay behind and be our photographer so we left her with all our cameras and phones.

Leah, The Green Girl, Glenn, and Kelly

When it was our turn to climb, I was grateful that Kelly and Leah's friend, Glenn, had joined us. He easily made the leap across to the Potato Chip boulder ahead of us. He then guided us to sit at the edge and envision a running start as we held his hand and threw ourselves onto the side of Potato Chip Rock.

Once on Potato Chip Rock, we cautiously crawled out as far as we dared and carefully posed so Jeannie could snap our respective pictures. We all silently hoped the rock wouldn't crack before we could shimmy back down to safety.

Sliding back down from Potato Chip Rock

I'd expected Potato Chip Rock to be flat and but it was uneven and it slightly peaked in the middle. I peered down to see what was below but all I could see was tree branches and leaves.

Glenn also assisted us with the descent. He instructed me to slide down until it was too steep and then to reach out with my hands and push against the other boulder. He explained I needed to push in opposite directions with my hands and feet to get myself down. When I struggled, he reached up and supported my feet.

From down there, we climbed easily back up to the trail and headed back down.

SparkPeople SparkFriends Kelly, Leah, Jeannie, and the Green Girl hiking Potato Chip Rock

The hike took about 4 hours. It took us 2 hours to hike up to Potato Chip Rock, 1 hour was spent waiting in line to get our pictures, and it took less than 1 hour for us to get back down to the Lake Poway Recreation Center parking lot.

Thank you, Jeannie, Kelly, and Leah, for helping me cross #83 off my 100 Things in 2014.

The Green Girl's Long Beach Marathon Race Report

On Sunday, the Green Girl ran the Long Beach Marathon.

My longest training run was scheduled for the evening before I flew out to the East Coast for Tour DaVita. I had planned on doing 20 miles but had to cut my run short to 14 when production issues came up at work.

The Green Girl, Coach Steve, and fellow Sole Runner, Kathleen

When I returned from the bike tour, Coach Steve helped me put together a pacing strategy for the race. Our goal was for me to do a sub-6 marathon. That would require me to shave just over an hour off my marathon PR.

Race morning, I carpooled with my SparkFriend, Jeannie, to the Starting Line.

Coach Steve leading the Sole Runners pre-race body looseners

She lined up for the walker early start and I headed over to the Sole Runners tent.

When it got closer to the race start, Coach Steve assembled the group behind our tent for our body looseners.

We ended with a Sole Runners team huddle before we all headed for our respective corrals.

Pre-race sunrise

True to form, I had to visit the porta-potty a few times before I felt confident enough to line up in my corral.

Mr. Green Garmin was programmed to help keep me under a 13:44 average pace for a 05:59:59 finish.

I chatted with other Sole Runners as we waited for our Corral 5 wave start.

Fellow Sole Runners, Miyuki and Kathleen, with the Green Girl in Corral 5

As soon as I crossed the Starting Line, I turned on my running playlist, zoned out all the other runners so I could find my pace, and tried to convince myself that I didn't need to pee again.

I refused to allow a porta-potty line destroy my sub-6 dreams so I finally gave in around Mile 2 and resorted to ducking behind a vicious bush that stabbed and scraped up my knee.

Fireboat spraying water over Rainbow Harbor

I felt much better after my pit stop and I quickly eased into a comfortable pace.

My body felt really good and my legs felt strong.

I stopped by the Sole Runners Mile 9 aide station briefly and grabbed some of The Green Girl's Famous Salted Potatoes prepared by Sole Runner, Betty.

The Long Beach Half Marathon/Full Marathon split

At the infamous Half/Full Marathon split, I followed the bend to the right.

All of a sudden, I had intense metatarsal pain on my right foot. I had a serious heart-to-heart with my right foot and I let it know I needed it to work with me. It stopped hurting.

I was overjoyed when I saw I had reached Mile 13 in 02:39:16.

The sun was starting to get hot so I increased my sports drink intake at the water stops.

Despite the heat, I was able to maintain a fairly consistent pace and I reached Mile 18 in 03:47:41.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity Einstein

I slammed into the metaphorical wall at Mile 21.

I knew the time had come to pull out my Sole Runners Secret Weapon so I reached into my pocket and opened it up.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Einstein

This was my opportunity to do a sub-6. I took a deep breath, dug deep, and pushed on.

HillBilly Yoga pacing the Green Girl from Mile 21 to 24

Out of seemingly nowhere, HillBilly Yoga appeared.

I appreciated the fresh legs and easy conversation.

I watched the 05:30 pace group go by but I didn't have it in me to keep up with them.

Mile 23 was the longest mile of my entire life. It was so long that I gave in to one of the hills and walked.

I was suffering from hypoglycemia at this point and it was a struggle for me to maintain any semblance of a conversation. All I could think about was crossing the Finish Line and then getting some sugar - in that order.

The Green Girl and fellow Sole Runner, Kathleen, at Mile 24

Mr. Green Garmin read 05:45:26 when I crossed the Finish Line. My official time was 05:45:21.

Everything came full circle for me when I crossed that Finish Line.

I followed the Couch-to-5k program and completed my very first race at the Long Beach 5k back in 2007. I remember watching the half and full marathoners crossing the Starting Line. I was simply amazed and wondered if I would ever be capable of doing something like that.

I also crossed two items off my Running Bucket List - outrunning Mr. Green Garmin's battery life and running a sub-6 hour marathon.

The Green Girl's Updated Motivational Collage

The Green Girl decided it was again time to update her Motivational Collage.

Since my last collage, I ran the Athens Classic Marathon and completed the Long Beach Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.

I still need to work on my Cisco certifications and Saying Goodbye.

My updated collage reflects the following:

• Save Money
• Say Goodbye
• Learn to Cook
• Get Cisco certified

I have quite a bit of travel planned in the next couple of years so I want to start saving as much money as possible. I have vowed to keep my trips domestic next year so I can go to China, possibly Thailand, and Australia in 2012.

'Say Goodbye' is the act of formally letting go of something you've been holding on to. There are some unresolved issues in my life that I still need to let go once and for all.

Cooking is something I've battled with over the years and I am determined to achieve some level of competency. I figured preparing meals at home will also help me in the money saving department since I consume a lot of pre-packaged meals.

I'm struggling to focus on getting certified again. Cisco requires testing every three years and I let my certifications expire while I was consumed with graduate school.

Sole Runners First Winter Season Run

Sole Runners ChiRunning Body Looseners by Betty

The Green Girl attended the first Sole Runners Winter Season run yesterday.

As I pulled up, I spotted Jay from Tri2Trive. We chatted as we headed towards the group.

It was drizzling out so I opted to leave my camera behind in the dry trunk of my car. Luckily, one of the other Sole Runners, Betty, managed to snap some shots. I let her know I'd be stealing them for my blog.

Since it was the beginning of a new season and we were welcoming a number of unfamiliar faces, one of the mentors, Matt, provided everyone with an overview of the Sole Runners training program.

Sole Runners Post-Run Standing Yoga by Betty

As we moved into the body looseners, all the mentors were asked to come up so I moved to the front to face the group. One of the mentors explained that instead of stretching, ChiRunning recommends a set of exercises called body looseners that are designed to loosen your joints and open your body.

After that, we headed out for a short, damp run.

When the group got back, another mentor, Heather, did an outstanding job leading us in standing post-run yoga.

Janey, Jackie, Coach Nancy, Denise, and Me

For lunch, I met up with some SparkFriends from SparkPeople at Lala's Grill for some Argentinian food.

Everyone was in town for the inaugural Los Angeles Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.

I was grateful for the opportunity to catch up with my friends. I hadn't seen Coach Nancy since the SparkPeople 'Spark Your Life' Convention last year. The last time I saw Denise was at the San Francisco Half Marathon the year before. I was also thrilled to be able to see Janey before Jackie and I left for the Athens Classic Marathon.

Jackie, Me, Leah, Felicia, Coach Nancy, and Maria

After lunch, we headed back to the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel to wait for more SparkFriends, Felicia, Leah and Maria.

Leah is the leader of the San Diego SparkTeam and I'm the leader of the Long Beach SparkTeam. One of these days, our groups are going to get together and do a joint activity.

Because I am a hungry Green Girl, I joined the carbo-loading dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and even partook in the actual carbo-loading before I wished them the best of luck and headed back home.

Good Luck, Sparkin' Hood to Coast!

Sparkin' Hood To Coast by goegirl
The Green Girl wants to wish the entire Sparkin' Hood To Coast team the best of luck at Hood To Coast.

I am so proud that there will be Sparkers out there representing the SparkPeople community on the course.

The Green Girl's Motivational Collage

The Green Girl decided the time had come to update her Motivational Collage again.

The first time I created a motivational collage was for a couple of SparkPeople challenges. One activity involved assembling a visual college. The other was the creation of a visual motivator.

As a visual person, I took it upon myself to combine the two activities into a single collage. I felt my visions were synonymous with my motivators.

After I created my first collage, I printed it out on sticky paper and stuck it in places where I felt it would hold the most significance for me.

My updated collage reflects the following:

• Complete the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training
• Say Goodbye
• Get Cisco certified (again)
• Complete the Athens Classic Marathon

I like how the collage serves as a constant reminder of my objectives. The visual helps keep me accountable and focused on my goals.

As I reach the milestones, I get a certain sense of satisfaction from being able to remove the completed items.

San Francisco Half Marathon Race Report

The Green Girl represented Team Jamba Juice as she ran over the Golden Gate Bridge at the San Francisco Half Marathon this weekend.

Rad Runner Girl and I flew up to San Francisco first thing Saturday morning. My sister, Patti, picked us up at the airport and we headed straight to the Expo. The goodie bags were reusable drawstring backpacks with spaces for us to fill in our bib numbers on the back. The Half Marathon shirts were an aqua blue with a drawing of the bridge with either 13.1 or 26.2 printed on the deck.

We browsed the booths and collected free samples. I picked up some replacement bottles for my Nathan Speed 4 hydration belt. I also ended up purchasing a Neoprene Double Pouch from iFitness to use on shorter runs.

As we walked around, I handed out Jamba Juice coupons to the Expo participants and even to some of the exhibitors.

After the Expo, we checked into the Hotel Vitale. I had stayed there last year and felt the convenience and ambiance were worth the price.

Next, we crossed the street to the Ferry Marketplace for some lunch where we got to meet up with another blogger, Jill.

After lunch, we walked around the Mission District. For dinner, our friends, Jackie and Janey, joined us for some burritos Papalote. For dessert, we stopped by Bi-Rite Creamery for some unusual ice cream flavors. I had a scoop of Balsamic Strawberry. My sister had her favorite, Ricanelas, which tasted exactly like a snickerdoodle.

When we returned to the hotel, we went through the usual pre-race preparations before we settled in for the night.

Rad Runner Girl and I were dressed and ready when my friend, Leah, from SparkPeople and her friend, Maria, knocked on our hotel door early the next morning. Downstairs in the lobby, we met up with Jackie and Janey before we headed across the street to the Starting Line.

I was in Corral 8 so my start time was an hour later. I hung out with Jackie, Janey, Leah, and Maria, for a bit and then I headed down to my Corral to meet up with the Sole Runners so I could cross the Starting Line with Babak, Betty, and Jim.

The race course started out northbound along the Embarcadero towards Fisherman's Wharf and then veered west towards Ghirardelli Square before passing Crissy Park and leading us to the Golden Gate Bridge.

I felt really good. My body was free of aches and pains - my hamstring soreness was completely gone.

Instead of using a set run/walk interval, I just ran until I felt tired and then walked until I felt satisfied. Since I'm a strong hill runner, I ran up every hill and walked down a lot of them. This strategy worked well for me.

I loved running across the bridge with the fog. The weather was absolutely perfect.

Before I reached the end of the bridge, the deck was re-opened and the runners were routed back up on the sidewalk. I was forced to maneuver myself between the oncoming runners and the walkers going in my direction.

By the time I looped back onto the bridge, the crowd had grown sparse. When I got to the streets, I discovered they were no longer blocked off and we were forced to obey the traffic rules. I may be a true back of the packer, but I never had to wait for the crosswalk signal to change before. Some intersections didn't even have signal lights or stop signs so we had to creep out cautiously and then sprint across.

Not easily discouraged, I maintained my pace and kept going. Despite the fact that it didn't even really look like I was still participating in a race, I knew I was making good timing.

As I was running through the Presidio, I spotted what appeared to be a large branch covered in pine cones.

Jackie, Janey, and Rad Runner Girl were waiting for me at the Finish Line. My official time was 03:10:02.

The post-race area was still well stocked with food and beverages for the runners. The blueberry scones in individual paper sleeves were amazing.

We took the shuttle back to the Embarcadero for the post-race party so I could stop by the Jamba Juice booth before heading back to the hotel for a nice, hot shower.

I was pleased that my second race representing Team Jamba Juice also went really well.

Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll, Run, Click

The Green Girl had a really good time at the Long Beach SparkTeam skate night at Skate Depot on Wednesday.

It's been awhile since I was invited to a birthday skate party so I had no idea the sport of skating had evolved since the 1980's.
Instead of the flimsy, faux leather skates with knotted laces that wouldn't loop through the holes, all the cool kids were sporting designer Stacy Adams roller skates with tiny wheels.

I was fascinated not only by their slick looking dress shoes on wheels but also by the way they could shake, pop, and glide across the skating rink.

I finally decided on the Canon S90 as a replacement for my beloved SD700. It arrived just in time for me to take it with me on my trip up to Northern California for my sister's graduation.

I went for a run this morning around my parent's suburban neighborhood.

I followed the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks down to Congress Springs Park where my niece loves to go up and down the slides.

Even though I grew up in my parent's house, the surrounding area is foreign to me. If I don't stick to the main roads on my runs, I end up getting lost in the maze of perfectly manicured lawns.
I headed back down the transportation corridor towards an overpass overlooking Highway 85.

For as far back as I can remember, Highway 85 was under construction but as soon as I moved away to college, they decided to get their act together.

I was so disappointed that I missed the opening ceremonies. The evening before they opened the freeway up to traffic, several cities along the route hosted a giant street party on the freeway.

In honor of the Highway 85's inauguration, the city of Campbell planted a number of pansies spelling out the city's name on the side of the freeway bed. Motorists slowed to read the message and created a traffic jam. The flowers were gone the next day.

On my way back, I passed the local fire station.

My niece is fascinated by law enforcement professionals so we often visit the station. We've observed them washing the giant fire trucks and playing on their little putting green.

Once, one of the firefighters even invited us inside but my niece wasn't comfortable going in so we politely declined.

I'm really looking forward to spending the extended Memorial Day weekend with my niece.

Sole Runners Trail Run With Rad Runner Girl

Rad Runner Girl joined the Green Girl on her Sole Runners Tuesday night trail run in Palos Verdes.

Rad Runner Girl is going to be doing the City of Laguna Hills Memorial day Half Marathon on Monday. She was anxious to get one last hill run in and she's never trail run before so she decided to come check out the Ocean Trails with us.

The weather was warmer than usual last night and there wasn't much of a breeze.

Rad Runner Girl took off with the faster group and I settled comfortably into the back of the pack.

Even though my beloved camera is on the brink, I still insisted on snapping [mostly blurry] shots along the trail.

The wildflowers have dried up and many of the stalks had turned the color of hay.

I felt a sense of libration on my run yesterday knowing I have finally found the right pair of shoes for my little feet. I love my 1012's.

Since I started running in them, I haven't had any plantar fasciitis flare ups or posterior tibial tendon discomfort. I also noticed my arches are a lot less sore when I do my nightly massages with the Tendon Rescue.

As we headed back down the trails, the clouds cleared and we could see a full moon in the bright blue sky.

I forgot to charge Mr. Green Garmin so he died on our way back.

Tonight is Long Beach SparkTeam skate night at Skate Depot. They offer 'Cheap Sk8' on Wednesdays from 8:00 - 10:30 pm. Skating and rental is only $6.75.

I can't inline skate because it aggravates my plantar fasciitis but I can roller skate.

I'm looking forward to a fun night of skating with the Sparkers.