Monday, November 14, 2016

Phoenix Summit Challenge 16


My first PSC.  I did the 7, starting at Piestawa at shortly after 5 am (Piestawa Peak, 2.4 mi, 1,162'; Apache Wash, 1.37 mi, 340'; Ridgeback Overlook, 4.52 mi, 350'; Deem Hills Ridgeline Summit, 3.7 mi, 701'; Lookout Mountain, 3.2 mi, 586'; Shaw Butte, 4.8 mi, 796'; and Holbert Trail, South Mountain, 5.0 mi, 999').  Finished at 5:05 pm.  I went with a group (a long-standing running group, but I lobbied for admission and got voted on the island for the day, thanks ladies), so you all get basically the same time because you're waiting for each other at the summits and back at the van.  But it was well worth it, because apart from the hiking, there's 3.5 hours of driving between the hikes, and the conversations, both on the trail and in the van, were equal to the scenery.  According to the Phx Parks results, I hiked the 25 miles with 5K elevation gain (and descent) in 8:21, and took 11:59 for the day, so there are your driving (and waiting) times right there.  Results here.  Great weather, a really nice group, and the food trucks at the end were pretty darn good, too.

Monday, November 07, 2016

AZ Open Water Bartlett Lake

A beautiful day and a pretty good swim at Bartlett Lake.  The water temperature was in the low 70's, so it was wetsuit legal, and my 1:17:46 was 5 minutes faster than my (non-wetsuit) time in Canyon Lake in September.  4/7 division, 10/17 men, but I wound up with a second-place finisher medal, somehow.  Full results here.