Nice Morning for a Mt. Diablo Run

So Sunday morning I was able to get a running buddy of mine to run Mt. Diablo with me.  He is currently training for a 100 mile run up in Tahoe on July 21st, so this weekend represented his final long run weekend before we began his taper.  The day before, he completed an Inside Trails 50K in the Marin Headlands in a respectable 6:34 time.  As he pointed out, the trail was actually 32 miles, not the 31 with a huge hill at the end; however, I still think that he did great.

So we set out for a 9.3 mile loop, heading out of Mitchell Canyon to Back Creek Trail and then back down the Mitchell Canyon Trail to the car.  This run included over 2,700 feet of elevation gain so combining that with the day before, Ryan had run a total of 41.3 miles and 9,000 feet of elevation gain in two days.

It was a nice morning for a run.  The temperature was in the 50's with the Bay Area fog pushing up against the mountain.  I really enjoyed our run, realizing that I at 43 can keep up with a 28 year-old and still not having to catch my breath and be able to hold a conversation.

Photo courtesy of: jwallphoto.blogspot.com

When we got to the top of Back Creek Trail, we came across the first Bobcat I have ever seen.  One of the reasons I love trail running is the different wildlife you can see and this was truly special.  From the distance I originally assumed it was a large jackrabbit.  However, as we got closer  the recognizable shape of a big cat came into view.  It looked at us, then sauntered back into the Manzanita.  I was never able to get my camera out to take a picture; however, these are what these cats look like up on Mount Diablo.

I really enjoyed this run; however my quads are still feeling it two days after.