NOTES:
~ TRAINING RUN: Saturday, May 9 - Top of Reseda to Parker Mesa Overlook via Musch Trail.
~ LOCATION : Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park (Valley Crest Half Marathon site). Exit the 101 Fwy at Reseda Blvd in Reseda. Turn South and go all the way up the hill. Continue through the gate into Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park.
~ PARKING: Free parking below the yellow line on Reseda Blvd. Please note: Don’t park above the yellow line without buying a parking placard. Note: If the park gates are locked, meet by the park gates instead.
~ STOP SIGN: Make a complete stop at the photo enforced stop sign located just above the yellow line.
~ MEETING SPOT: Meet on the street below the yellow line. If the park gate is locked, we will meet at the park gate.
~ MEETING TIME: 6:45AM - Please arrive EARLY; bottles full and shoes tied.
~ RUN TIME: 7:00AM.
~ DISTANCE: 18 miles (more-or-less).
~ MAX RUNNING TIME: 4h30m -- -- Designated turn around time is 2h10m.
~ CUT-OFF: All runners please turn around at Parker Mesa Overlook or 2h10m, whichever comes first. Please do not continue past the cut-off; everyone is scheduled to run for 4:30 and no longer; its about "time on your feet" over mileage.
~ WATER: Water available at Trippet Ranch; mile 6 and mile 12.
~ TOILETS: At Trippet, per above.
~ The SIGN IN SHEET: Please use the SIGN IN SHEET located on the dashboard of Nancys gray Honda Element; license BADH20D. Remember to sign off when you return from your run or search and rescue may be called at your expense.
~ Trails will be minimally marked with flour arrows. There will be out-and-back arrows. You will follow the same arrows out and back. There is still no guarantee that you wont get lost. Hikers may erase the marks. Other running clubs mark their own arrows too. Fatigue may cause you to miss an arrow. Pay attention to landmarks to avoid getting lost!
~ Pacing: You might be a fast runner or you might be a slow runner! You might be a fast runner on the way out and a very slow runner on the way back. Please go your own pace, following the arrows. You are not expected to “keep up”. As most of our runs will be “out-and-back”, you are encouraged to go as slow as you need to go on the way “out”; that will help insure that you can come “back a little faster. Ultra pace is “walk the up hills; jog the flats and down hills”
~ If you leave the trail for any reason, please leave your belt or pack on the trail to mark where you went in the bushes. Please remember to “leave only footprints”; pack everything out.
~ Everyone runs for “time on their feet”. The slowest runners should plan to maintain a pace of 4-mph overall. A cut-off time for each run will be established in the email update and if you are a slower runner, you should expect to turn around at the cut-off time and head back to the cars. This means that although the run is tagged at xx number of miles, some of you may actually run fewer miles but will still complete enough “time on your feet” to finish a 50K race.
~ RUN DIRECTIONS - You might want to print and take with you!
ROUND TRIP FROM RESEDA TO PARKER MESA OVERLOOK: 18 MILES (Please print the directions to carry)
1-Start Reseda fire road cul-d-sac
2-RIGHT turn on the Secret Trail (just after the cul-d-sac) and continue to Mulholland fire road -- mile 0.2
3-RIGHT turn on Mulholland fire road and continue to Fire Gate #30 -- mile 0.4
4-LEFT turn at Fire Gate #30 and continue to Hub Junction -- mile 2.4
5-RIGHT turn on Eagle Springs fire road and continue to Eagle Junction -- mile 3.9
6-CROSS STRAIGHT over Eagle Springs fire road and take MUSCH TRAIL down to Trippett Ranch Visitor Center (toilets/water) -- mile 5.9
9-Leave Trippet Ranch Visitor Center to junction of East Topanga fire road -- mile 6.0
10-RIGHT turn on East Topanga fire road and continue approx. 2.5 miles to Parker Mesa Overlook Junction -- mile 8.5
11-RIGHT turn on Parker Mesa Overlook fire road and continue to Parker MesaOverlook at the dead end -- mile 9.0
RETURN
12-Take Parker Mesa Overlook fire road to East Topanga fire road -- mile 9.5
13-LEFT turn on East Topanga fire road and continue to Trippet Junction -- mile 12.0
14-LEFT turn at Trippet Junction and go 0.1 miles to Trippet Ranch Visitor Center (toilets/water) -- mile 12.1 -- Be sure you have enough fluid; the last miles have some up hills with sun exposure.
15-Leave Trippet Ranch Visitor Center via Musch Trail to East Topanga fire road -- mile 14.1
16-CROSS OVER East Topanga fire road take Eagle Springs fire road to Hub Junction -- mile 15.6
17-LEFT turn onto Fire Road #30 (look for signs to Mulholland) and continue to Mulholland fire road -- mile 17.6
18-RIGHT turn onto Mulholland fire road and go 0.1 miles to Secret Trail -- mile 17.8
19-LEFT turn on Secret Trail and continue to Reseda cul-d-sac -- mile 18.0
Happy Trails,
NSD