Boney Mountain Trail w/ the Run With Us fam & Malibu Creek State Park, January 23, 2022

On Sunday January 23rd I went into the preview run for the Boney Mountain Half Marathon by So Cal Trail Events with the Run With Us fam with nary a plan for pace or effort.

But then my friend Jerry Garcia and a bunch of the other rockstars who make this such a great crew took off like it was game day, so what could I do?

This was my first time running in the area, and it’s always a special thrill when you know a new favorite spot less than two miles into a run.

The day was clear enough to see the ocean from Newbury Park, and I can’t get back to this area soon enough to explore more of what it has to offer.

I wanted 20 miles for the day, so after spending some time and catching up with friends I cruised over to Malibu Creek State Park, another gorgeous trail spot a stone’s throw from Boney Mountain. Minimal commute time made it an obvious choice to get my goal for the day, and I proceeded to get summarily gutted by seven miles and a little over 1,000 more feet of climb.

I’ve never doubled like this before and it did wonders for me, bringing the special sort of fatigue I find in running more than once in a day. I savor the chance to get more familiar with it every time, since taking the surprise out of the hurt does great things for the soul. But I will say I was pretty glad to sit and eat and drink everything after I closed the book on this mission.

Double duty is hard on any gear, and I’d do it again any day in my partners for this quest: the HOKA Mafate Speed 3. The grip makes for great insurance on vert and techy sections, and this colorway is one of my favorites of any shoe we’ve done.

It was great to see everyone who came on the Boney Mountain journey, and extra bro hugs to Jerry for giving me my new favorite profile pic on the home stretch, I don’t know if I’ll ever look cooler.

This Sunday was stunning on beautiful on perfect weather all day, and as always I’m tremendously grateful to the community and challenges I get to be surrounded by in my sport.

I hope the weekend treated everyone well, stay safe and happy trails, everybody!