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Joaquin
Miller training, Thursday, May 20, 2010|
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Register in person (Registration form, waiver) | return to terraloco home
Redwood forests get dark! But people work late, so there's a tight window. And everything did go as planned, except the short little course near the start I saved for last. The "Punch and Run" ended up being a little different. I couldn't logistically get the flags set out to mark the legs of the course - it was just too hard to get the angles right and connect the dots between checkpoints, a miscalculation on my part. So some found their own way, some went in a pack, and all got a nice little redwood treat before going further out to the cascade, waterfalls, meadow, and other spots in the park.
This isn't exactly close to transit and workplaces, so I was quite surprised at the turnout of 17 people. Since the activities were self-paced and "choose your own adventure" with three remote start locations, there are no "results" to report. But I can say there were a variety of routes take on the 1.3 km route choice course. And people seemed to enjoy zipping around the Whiplash course through the park monuments and cascade. And there were some nice trails to take back up to the staging area.
It was nice to see a mix of folks from a variety of groups - local adventure racers, BAOC, Coastal Trail Runs, Crossfit Adventure, East Bay Run Club. Thanks all for coming out!
Original Announcement
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What's the Deal?
You'll get a magical tour of the best stuff in the park - redwoods and the cascade - while getting some varied training. I've designed a "tour" course of 5.4 km starting and ending in the redwoods, making a big loop in the park. The loop can be trimmed to make a shorter tour. Here are the components of the tour:
1. The "Punch and
Run" - 600 m of fun in the redwoods. It's a "string course"
with short legs - so just practice your terrain running and efficient
punching, entering and exiting checkpoints. When you finish, you'll
know where you are on the map - because none of the checkpoints will be
printed on the map.
2. The "Route" - one big 1.3 km route choice leg from the
redwoods down to the vista point. It should be interesting to compare
routes.
3. The Whiplash - a 1.2 km "sprint" style course with large
changes of direction in the area of the park with lots of monuments and
the cascade.
4. The Trailpicker - enjoy navigating the manifold trail network 2.2 km
back up to the redwoods - not as easy as you might think! Six
checkpoints to grab along the way.
Standard orange and white checkpoint flags will be put out. Most of the running is clean and free, there's very little poison oak on the course - easily avoidable. Pants are recommended if your tour will include the Whiplash course because it goes through some high grass. Cleats or studded shoes are really only an advantage on the Whiplash course as well.
Details
Starts available from 6:00 to 7:00, and 6:30 is the nominal meetup time if you'd like to train with some company. Cost is $5 per person payable after the event (since money can't be collected in Oakland parks.) There will be a social option close to Hwy. 13 after the event.
Directions:
From Hwy. 13, take the Joaquin Miller Road exit. Go east "up the hill" on Joaquin Miller Road, and make a left at the first traffic light onto Skyline Blvd. After you pass the entrance to Roberts Recreation Area, look for an orange and white bag and park in the dirt along the side of the road, but not on the pavement. If you reach the entrance to Chabot Space and Science Center, you've gone too far, turn around! Also, remember to park at a 90 degree angle to the road.
There's no public transit service; you could carpool from a BART station such as Fruitvale or Lake Merritt or Rockridge.
Event Contact: Rex, 5 1 0 - 6 8 1 - 6 1 8 1, rex@terraloco.com