8:30 AM - Went on a hike at South Mountain. Did Hidden Valley via Mormon Trail. It is 3.9 miles with 775 feet of elevation gain. This is the third time I have done this hike and completed it in a leisurely 2:01. All the elevation gain is in the first mile. Then you connect with National trail and then Hidden Valley Trail. I made it through Fat Man's Pass even though I had to suck in my gut a bit. There is a cool natural cave you walk through as well.
I wore my HR monitor and my average HR was 124, peak 172 which was during that first mile, min HR 67 at the start, and total calories 1875. Just for the record I think the calorie calculator is total crap, but since I have the data I feel compelled to record it. It probably provides some useful info on how hard you worked even if it doesn't relate to calories.
Saw of few scrubby wildflowers, but no poppies. No Chuckwallas either, but there were a couple lizards around. I don't know birds very well, but there was some kind of Jay that was cool looking. I crushed some Elephant Tree (Bursera Microphilia) leaves in my hand and smelled them, it is really a nice smell. It is related to the Myrhh tree from the bible whose sap is used for incense. South Mountain is the northern most they are found in AZ, maybe the US. They are a pretty rare tree in the US. I've shown them to two people now and neither of them weren't very impressed. They don't get too big at South Mountain, more like big bushes.
I felt good with my performance. In the past I would have had to stop and rest. This time I did stop a bit on the way up, but not out of necessity. Update: I am about to head out for my run (otherwise I am going to fall asleep in this chair) and so I have to clear my watch from my morning hike and wanted to record one more peice of data. I spent 15:50 in my targeted heart rate zone. Some of the elevation gain early in the hike as above the range, so I think I got in as much or more of an aerobic workout as on my normal training runs. That makes me feel a better about not running yesterday. PM - Ran 1.92 in 21:02 AHR 154, 75% of max, HR Range 148-163, 18.04 in
zone, peak 166, cal 487 based on 232 lbs. 10:57 pace. Brooks Addiction. Would have liked to have ran 2.51, but my shin is still hurting (didn't hurt at all on the hike) and I could tell I wasn't as fresh as I normally am, so I ran the shorter route.
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