Looking for a Challenge? Try this Uphill Battle

It's probably been three or four years since I have hit Skyline trailhead in Corona but this time was much different.

Only three of us showed up this week for our run, and I hope it wasn't my pick of trails. Although everyone else knew what we were in for except me. First of all, the trailhead and parking is much better now that they have paved a way behind the houses and a street provides all the parking. And it's free! It's probably been this way for a while but I hadn't been here in a few years or so. The first time, it was a family bonding event with my brother and his family as we "hiked" it with a stroller in tow talking about the latest of events in our lives. Strenuous I remember, but not too much to handle that day.

Running, though. Much different approach to this trail. Bonnie and Robert knew it and had run it quite a few times. Robert even reminisced about the days when you could drive to the top and as we ran this day, we did see a car off the cliff in the depths of the hills. With chains and gates, I am not sure how it got there but some people are still finding ways to drive it. The road is big enough for a car, but is limited to cyclists, runners and walkers. Get there early if you don't want to walk to the trailhead. Cars were already lined up halfway down Foothill Parkway by 6:30 am.

Once you hit the path off of Foothill Parkway, the trailhead is about a mile up a paved road behind some houses. Once you get to the trail, you simply climb upward with some hairpin turns and relentless elevation. On the trail, it is busy with walkers and a few runners for the first mile or so but they start to taper off after that. As you climb, you will see more cyclists working their way up only later to pass you on their way down.

About three miles up, it gets a bit rocky but still a moderate run path for the most part. The challenge of this trail was in the uphill climb. There is absolutely no break in elevation or any flat areas to the doppler. But if you slow down a bit in the early morning you can catch a beautiful sunrise and views of the Inland Empire and San Gabriel Mountains. The morning was warm already but the views were worth it. We took the road up about four miles and headed back down. The sun was hot and your legs start to burn when you run uphill that many miles. I am still lagging a bit behind everyone but I am hanging in there, hoping to hit a growth spurt in speed and distance in the next few weeks.

Once we headed down, we flew. I flew so much that at some point, I was afraid I would trip over my feet when my legs seemed to slow down. I am pretty sure we got to the bottom in half the time. And as always, everyone enjoyed the run and wanted to return.

Another one on the books with 11 more weeks to go!