Idlehour 19miles, feeling good

Got up at 5am this morning for the second of this weekend's double header:  An out and back to Idlehour via the Sam Merrill trail.  It was beautiful morning with a thick marine layer socking in Pasadena, but by Echo Mountian I had broken clear of it:

I mostly powerhiked up to the saddle(6 miles), taking the Mt Lowe Railway route from Echo to get a little extra distance  as part of the calf rehab plan;  then I ran down the single track towards Idlehour.  I love the sheer vertical relief in upper Eaton Canyon:

           

By the time I run/hiked out of the canyon it was heating up:

                         

When I returned to the saddle (location of the Sam Merrill checkpoint in AC100) I ran into a couple that were out training for Wasatch.  The husband was wearing an AC100 finishers shirt from last year.  They were out doing a loop around Wilson, but going counter clockwise.  Nice couple, very much in love, complimentary towards each other, very nice to see.

I charged down the railway and then the lower Sam Merrill;  total time was 4:03 for 19.0 miles.  Not bad considering that I went into this weekend thinking I would only be able to walk.  Total weekly miles:  70.