The Quad Squad

This weekend we attempted to run up Mt. San Jacinto.  (And yes, I don’t know how to pronounce “Jacinto” either, so let’s just call it Mount St. Jack, shall we?)

I read about the Tram Way run up St. Jack and I knew it’d be tough.  It’s almost four miles straight up.  There’s a joke that whoever paved this road obviously never heard of a switchback, and that about sums up the experience.  What I didn’t realize is that switchbacks actually make the incline more obvious, but without them you can completely lose perspective.  The road looked so flat that when my husband and I first approached it he said, “I thought you said this was an uphill run?”

Even in this picture the asphalt doesn’t seem to have much of a grade, but don’t be fooled.  It’s a 2,000 foot climb to the top of the road, which ends at the tram station.

St. Jack’s summit is actually another 8,500+ feet more, but fortunately the good people of Palm Springs built the skyline gondola tram for those of us too lazy to run all the way up Southern California’s second largest peak.  (Don’t ask me what the first largest is because I don’t know, but I have a zit on my chin that’s definitely a contender.)

The way up was a mess.  Between the thin air, the deceptive incline, and the ill-advised alcohol the night before, we probably ended up walking more than running.  But I can proudly say that we blazed on the way down.  I know this seems like a dubious accomplishment, but the whole run back to the bottom, I kept saying, “This is what’s going to make us sore.  My quads are going to be screaming tomorrow.”

There is an art to running downhill, and I don’t know that the average person – even the average runner – understands how hard it can be.  Every step is a fight against gravity in an effort not to pummel down the mountain.  It’s almost like strength-training yoga where you’re pushing against your own body weight, but instead of holding a pose, you’re catching the entire weight of your body 50 to 60 times per minute.  Taking rapid, tiny steps is the key, and your quadriceps are both the gas and the brakes.

It took us half the time to come down as it did to go up.  But the soreness in my quads that I’m still feeling two days later is definitely all thanks to the downhill.  I’d also like to blame the downhill running for my excessive tiredness and lack of focus, but that’s probably because of springing forward for Daylight Savings Time (and maybe a little ill-advised alcohol).