2018 Arizona Sunrise Series #4 5K - Arizona Falls - Phoenix, Arizona

Official Time: 25:30
Placement: 33rd male, 8th out of 23 for the 45 - 49 male, 42nd overall
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 93 degrees at start, no wind, sunny
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: Inaugural Year

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:01	Boxed in a lot here. Felt good though
2	8:08	I am starting to feel the effects of the heat.
3	8:23	Hurting here.
3.11	0:44	Really crushed it at the end.
Total Miles: 3.11 - 25:28

Introduction

Before I came to Arizona, I signed up for the Arizona Sunrise Series.  It is a series of 7 5K races scattered around the Phoenix valley.  Today's race was at the Arizona Falls bike trail.

The Arizona Falls is a spot where water is diverted to various canals in the Phoenix area and is home to a bike trail.  The main attraction here is a waterfall that generates power.  Apparently there is some historical aspect of it, being that it has been used as a water irrigation canal since the Native Americans inhabited the area.

The Race

I got to the race site around 5:30 and managed to snag a pretty awesome parking spot.  Finding the race location wasn't hard and I quickly grabbed my shirt and bib and spent some time checking out the falls.  The smell of stinky fish permeated the air.

It was already 92F degrees according to my phone and car.  It was hot and just walking around made me sweat.  I knew this race was going to hurt and I suspect my time wasn't going to be a terribly good one.  It was though, just a "5K".

The race started at 6:30 and the sun was up and hot at this point.  It easily went up another degree or two. 

The race started on the north side of the canal trail and headed east -- right into the sun.  The first part of the trail is packed dirt.  It was actually pretty nice terrain to run and I was wearing my "fast" shoes with less cushioning on them.  Eventually, though, the trail does come to concrete.

The first mile I was hemmed in pretty good.  The race organizer didn't really encourage people to line up according to pace and I had started about half way back.  The first third of a mile or so was me working my way around people.  It was too bad but it did cost me a few seconds.

I settled into my pace and I could feel the effects of the sun hitting me and my mouth was dry. 

The race director is a pro at this and he had 3 water stops... at about .75 miles each.  I blew through the first one despite feeling the need to pour a cup of water on myself.  Doing so gave me a little bit of open road to work with.

I reached the bridge that crossed the canal and went to the south side just over 1.55 miles.  I was pretty gassed and the darn heat was just weighing down on me.  I was sweating like crazy and at the second aid station I took a tiny sip of water and dumped the rest over my head.  All I wanted was to take an ice cold shower.

I wasn't too surprised to see my mile 2 was slower than my first.  In fact, I was surprised it wasn't slower.  I wasn't getting passed at all though and I was doing some passing, so I knew others were feeling the heat just as much as I was.

Mile 3 was a reality check.  I was hurting and my ears were ringing a bit.  I could feel the first steps of heat exhaustion coming on.

Before race -- south side of trail

I saw some targets ahead of me that I knew I was faster than and I worked my way up to them, passing them.  The race was chipped time so I was pretty sure they had started closer to the front but still, it was satisfying to have something to work off of.

I really pushed it hard to the finish -- turning on the jets as much as I dared to. Sort of shame that the finish line was out of view until 3 miles as I might've hit it a little harder earlier.

Conclusion

I was completely gassed at the end and woozy.  The heat had really gotten to me and the fact that I had pushed it to the end almost put me over the top.

I grabbed some Gatorade and walked it off.  I was sweating profusely and it just wouldn't stop.  I grabbed a banana and ate it and almost regretted it.  I eventually found a shady spot to sit and socialized with whomever decided to sit near me.  It seemed like a lot of people were hit hard by the heat.

Got the letter "Z" on this race

Given the conditions, I ran about as expected.  This course would be fast -- if it was about 40 degrees cooler.  Alas, today it was like running under a hot hair dryer.  Not pleasant at all.

It did take some grit to finish this one.  Yes it was just a 5K but the pain level is a lot higher and it was just not a nice day to run in.  (Did I mention it was semi humid as well?)  But I have now done 3(ish) 5Ks in 8 days.  Not a bad little set of races...

2018 Arizona Sunrise Series - Scottsdale Sports Complex 5K Race Recap - Scottsdale, Arizona

Official Time: 25:20
Placement: 43rd male, 7th in age group, 57th out of 360
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: mid 80's, no wind, sunny
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: Inaugural Year

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:11	Some uphill to begin with. Sort of crowded running the first half mile or so
2	8:01	Periods of speed here on the flats. So many turns.
3	8:19	Was pretty gassed at this point, plus it was warm.
3.12	0:43	Hurting to the finish
Total Miles: 3.12 - 25:20

Introduction

I am doing the Phoenix area Summer Sunrise Series -- a series of 7 5Ks scattered throughout the Phoenix area.  I signed up for the entire series in one set -- resulting in about $25 per race.  The races occur every two weeks and seem to be held at various municipal parks.

Today's race was at the Scottsdale Sports Complex.  Scottsdale is a pretty nice town and it resembles Summerlin Nevada in that it seems to be pretty well planned, pristine and strong and consistent standards as far as what is allowed for dwellings.

The Scottsdale Sports Complex is a collection of walking paths and soccer fields located just minutes off the freeway.  They had nice clean bathrooms, ample parking, and it seems to be a great place to hold a small 5K.

The Race

I rolled in about an hour before the race.  This is my second running with Start Line Racing and obviously the race director knows what he is doing.  I was able to pick up my shirt and in a matter of seconds.

I killed some time wandering around and cycled through the bathroom a time or two.  I did some light drills and a very short shake out run before determining I was ready to run.

The temperature was heating up and just waiting for the race to begin I was working up a little bit of sweat.  Also, my legs just were not feeling terribly springy.  I knew I just had a 5K ahead of my so I could get through it, but I suspect today wasn't going to be an "A" race.

The race started at the stroke of 6:30 and it started off on a gravely chunk of baseball-like warning track.  Luckily it was short lived and soon we were running on concrete sidewalk.

The first half mile or so was me navigating my way around some of the folks that had lined up in the wrong spot.  It wasn't too awful but it was hard to settle into a pace.

This course was probably the craziest I've ever run on.  The race was held entirely in the park and there were a ton of turns and what seemed to be switchbacks.  The course was marked and marshalled well though and while I had some doubts occasionally as to whether I was going in the right direction, it all turned out okay.  Could I run this course from memory 30 minutes after I was done? No way.

The first mile seemed to be a lot of uphill.  While we aren't talking about gut busting, quarter-mile long hills, but definitely slight inclines and some sharp turns.  My Garmin indicates the hills weren't that bad but on a MapMyRun site, it indicates that there were some significant climbs.

I wasn't too surprised to see my first mile come out at 8:11.  Definitely slower than I'd have liked, but given the hilly nature of the course... totally expected.  Also, it was uncomfortably warm.  And we aren't even at the full height of summer yet.

Example of some of the hills

Mile 2 led us to the flats.  I got a little bit of a second wind here and I started passing people.  It was fairly short lived but I was able to make up some ground.  I also was a little hesitant along this stretch as we started on the second loop -- that didn't quite meet up with my initial expectations on what the course was going to be like.  I was expecting to do a second loop but people were heading closer to the finish line.  Luckily there was a second loop but if I had been the lead runner, I would've been very confused.

The last mile was really tough.  My legs were heavily fatigued at this point and it felt so-so hot.  I really had to dig deep here.  The last third of a mile or so was all downhill so it led me to a sprint to the finish.

Conclusion

After crossing the finish line, I sauntered over to the refreshment area and got something to drink.  They had the typical 5K fare in regards to food: some crackers, peanut butter and bagels, and fruit.  I grabbed an apple. 

Since I am new to town I didn't know anyone.  No familiar faces here. I did make small talk with a person or two but it was fairly short lived.

I wasn't terribly disappointed nor pleased with my finish time.  The course was a challenging one and I think most folks were caught unaware in regards to the hilly nature of it.  Being that I wasn't feeling too "into it" before the race I knew my time was going to be more or less average.

Overall I was pleased with my experience.  I got the letter "R" for my medal and the t-shirt was nearly identical to the previous race's, however this one was black.  I'll definitely wear it.

Looking forward to race #3 in the series in 2 weeks!

Tom's Thumb Trail - Scottsdale, Arizona

Introduction

Last week I was looking to do a hike and figured I'd head up to the Sonoran McDowell preserve up in Scottsdale.  It is one of my go-to areas for beautiful, close-by and stress free hiking.

The Tom's Thumb trail head I thought would be difficult to find, but in fact wasn't.  Just drive to this point with your favorite GPS program. There are many signs pointing you to the trailhead and there was ample parking.

The trail head is well marked and easy to find.  There are bathrooms and a shaded pavilion, but there isn't a water source there.  Also, be judicious with your driving, as the road leading to the trail is fairly narrow but you don't need any special cars or equipment to get there.  It is just a wobbly road that'll leave your stomach in a lurch.

The trail starts off innocently enough but after about half a mile, you'll be expected to work.  The trail is popular with runners and was easy to navigate.  There isn't any shade either.  There are several switchbacks to the top, but plenty of places to stop and check out the valley.  The trail also has several markers on it indicating which way you should go.

After about a mile and a half, you've reached the climb and the rest of the hike -- about .75 of a mile is rolling hills or decline.  You'll be surrounded by a lot of beautiful desert fauna and there were a fair amount of people hiking as well -- so you definitely won't be alone.

Tom's Thumb is a rock outcropping.  I am not sure it looks like a thumb, but you can be a judge of that.  It's formation is definitely unique.  The elevation is also up there, just shy of 4000 feet.  It was a bit cooler up there and there was a nice breeze.

I really enjoyed the trail and it wasn't too terrible.  It was 2.2 miles each way and took me about 45 minutes to an hour to reach the top.  There were plenty of awesome views of the Scottsdale valley and beyond.  Just be sure to bring sunscreen and plenty of water.  I was roasting pretty good.

You can also continue your journey around the park as other trails forked from Tom's Thumb.  You could easily put in 10 - 15 miles in a day there.

McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Hike - Scottsdale, Arizona

 

Introduction

On Presidents Day I was visiting the Scottsdale Arizona area.  I had the entire day to myself and wanted something to do.

Part of me wanted to go back to the Lost Dutchman State Park and take on some other trails. However, I had memories of visiting the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy area last year with my brother and we had done about a mile to a mile and a half of it before bailing out (it was raining).

It was a fairly mild hike and definitely beautiful.  I pulled up the above website and made a plan to visit.

The Trail

The trail is probably one of the best runner trails I've come across in a while.  There are some rocks and baseball side boulders embedded into the dirt, but I figured the trail easy to run on.  I did come across several trail runners.

Being that it was a holiday, the trail was loaded with dog walkers, casual hikers, families and more adventurous types like myself.  On the main Gateway Loop Trail, I came across other people every few minutes.  This part of the trail is a 4.5 mile loop.  The trail has some minor climbs to it, but it is great for the beginner hiker or dog walker.

However, I took a spoke and did the Windgate Pass.  All told, I did 9 miles and you can check out my route here.

There are far less people who venture off the Gateway Loop trail.  I only encountered about half a dozen people.

The trail is extremely easy to follow.  There also isn't any water on the trail, so carry enough based upon the weather. 

I visited Inspiration Point which offers a beautiful view of the Scottsdale valley and then I proceeded to Windgate Pass.  Windgate lived up to its name -- it was hollowing wind there.  You get another view of the Scottsdale Pass as well as "no man's land" further to the east.  It was very peaceful there.

There are several loops you can do so be sure to pick up a free map at the parking area.  There is also an incredible amount of cactus in the area which add a unique element to it.

This is a great hike to go on if you are a beginner or casual hiker.