The Phoenix Trip, day 3, 10, 96
Day 3. Miles run: 10.55. Temperature, 96 degrees.
Miles run: 10.55
Time: 1:45:31
Pace: 9:59
Temp: 96°
HR: 167/187 (time over 170 bpm: 1 hour, 1 minute)
Perceived effort: 8
On the iPod: random mix
Finally got out on the road, though a little late in the evening–I knew I’d be coming home in the dark.
Here is a map of the route: (click on the image for interactive version). The large empty area on the map in the upper right is Camelback mountain. The course was an out-and-back over the same route. Flat as a pancake, except for the last mile of Dreamy Draw Drive which is slightly inclined up towards the mountain. Those of you from the Adirondacks would barely even notice it.
Things I noticed:
- The strange new-sounding bird songs
- The heavy scent of lilac on the air
- That 96 degrees here feels like 70 degrees back home
- About 3 or 4 photobugs
- I had to dodge a couple protein clouds. (Swarms of gnats)
- Luckily (and I mean LUCKILY) there was a water fountain at the 2.25 mile point and one at my turnaround at 5.2 miles. Couldn’t have planned that better.
- Lots of rabbits
- The roads are wide and sidewalks generous. I didn’t have any close calls with cars.
- The sky is bigger here
- Saw two Kildeer Plover. They always remind me of my childhood in Canada.
- Didn’t pass any other runners. But did see a few cyclists. Though no roadies.
- My sweat evaporated immediately. However, when I stopped, the sweat poured out.
- My heart rate was higher than normal–even with frequent 5-10 second photo stops muddying the data.
- I could feel the heat in my feet. Blisters were a result of the run. Though they don’t really hurt–I just have to be careful about them now.
- I bonked at around mile 8.5.
I was frankly surprised it didn’t happen sooner. I know, I know, why do I keep doing this? I guess I like knowing how far I can go on just the immediate tank. Then it’s a matter of seeing what’s left in reserve. It’s hard to carry food while running, let alone water. I have to get some sort of runner’s belt or something. I’ve seen ‘em in magazine. They look uncomfortable and distracting, but unless I sprinkle the course beforehand with Clif bars or stop and convenience stores with a sweaty $10, I’ll continue to have this problem.
The night featured a new moon, so no light from above. Didn’t matter, really, nearly the entire course had street lights or lights from houses nearby.
The reward for a good run like this warranted a nice steak, so I checked Google for local steakhouses and chose Texaz. It was pretty good–I’ve had better–if I wasn’t nutritionally depleted, I may have been more discerning and less generous in my review. The coleslaw was pretty good!
After the dinner I drove downtown and hit an AMC theater for the 9:55 showing of “300.” Overall a good flick, but there were 2 or 3 cringe-worthy moments of anachronistic hubris and bravado that would only have occured in the 20th century, let alone back in the days of Sparta. The fight scenes were outstanding with cartoon-like blood, and on-the-verge-of-too-much slow motion camera effects. But just enough to heighten the drama of the action.
After the movie, a quick stop at an Albertsons for snacks and drinks, then back to the hotel to crash and recover.
All in all, a very good day.
More photos are here. (Flickr seems to put them in reverse chronological order, so keep that in mind…)
3 Comments to The Phoenix Trip, day 3, 10, 96
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Knowing that 96 there is like 70 here, maybe I should switch my Uhaul reservation for next week to Phoenix?? No snow, no cold, no snow…there are Targets out there so, really? Where do I sign?
Love the shot of the sunset….love it so much I’m saving it to my POS and using it as something :)
Oh my gosh what georgous pictures, awesome shots!! I envy you just riding and feeling the wind on your face and seeing the beauty all around you. Now that’s what I call relaxing, nature and the beauty of it. Funny how we all take it for granted isn’t it?
Pictures are gorgeous, sounds like you had a good run. It’s so beautiful out there, the landscape is just SO different from here. It’s almost like you’ve gone to another world.
As an aside: I love killdeer. They used to nest in our yard growing up and in the spring the mother would try to draw the lawn mower away from the nest by acting like she was hurt. Every summer we had two five foot circles of tall grass so that we wouldn’t disturb their nests. Cool. Thanks for dredging up a good memory. :)