Mar 31 2018
Two Trail Runs (and one Not So Trail run)
Tuesday
Hotel room in Phoenix. Up at 2:30. Spent some time reading emails, then decided it was time to hit the trails. On this trip, I was prepared. I had brought a head lamp and thus was able to fit in desert trail runs before dawn. It wasn’t particularly warm outside, about 9 degrees C, so I put a shirt with long sleeves over my T-shirt, got in the car and drove to the trailhead, arriving there at 5:45.
I saw a closed gate and was confused. Perhaps this part of the desert was closed for some reason? I drove back to the hotel, parked the car and started running, back to the trailhead.
When I arrived there, the gate was open, and I was able to see the sign saying that the trails opened only at 6AM.
Unfortunately, by that time it was time to run back to the hotel, take a shower, eat a breakfast and go to the office.
So no trail running on Tuesday. To-the-trail-running.
Wednesday
This time I was better prepared. I had discovered that the Apache Wash trailhead, a bit further away from the hotel, opened at 5AM. Same routine. This time I woke up at 3am. I did some email reading, some real reading, and then I got in the car and drove to Apache Wash.
It was a great run. It was pretty dark during the first 25 minutes, but the head lamp helped a lot. Better than trying to use the torch function on the iPhone.
Then, there is this moment when birds start to sing, and then the sun rises above the mountains to the east.
I was running on the Apache Wash (“AW”) loop, but from a quick glance at the trailhead map I estimated that doing the entire loop would take too long. I hesitated at a sign that said “Connector to AW”, about 25 minutes in, but then I continued, and after exactly 30 minutes, I turned around and ran back to the car.
Another “there and back” run. I tend to have a strong preference for loops, but on a new trail, in the desert, I didn’t want to risk. It didn’t matter much, because the experience was great. It’s also pretty much the only time I am outside. My company’s offices are bunkers without direct daylight, and I don’t count a quick run across the street to get lunch.
Thursday
Up at 4:30 this time. Same routine. A bit of emailing with the team back in Europe. Then in the car for a 15 minute drive to the AW trail head, putting on the head lamp and run.
I took a second quick glance at the map and learned that that “connector” trail after 25 minutes would be ideal, and I would be able to run a loop!
Strava told me I was 10th overall on this loop. Yay! I didn’t run that fast. I was able to get into what I call my “fifth gear” and run effortlessly, but I stopped to take pictures.
Sunrises (and sunsets) are beautiful in Arizona.
Friday
This morning, I packed and checked out from the hotel. I had a 8AM meeting in Tempe, so there was no time to go running. (Also, I woke up at 5:30 today.)
My 8AM in Tempe was followed by a 9AM meeting at the Sky Harbor Circle office (my company has many offices in Phoenix) was lasted until lunch time. I had lunch with a colleague, and when he had to go to the airport, I drove over to the botanical gardens. That was my exercise for the day, a 2 mile strawl through the botanical gardens.
Now I am at the gate, an hour before boarding my flight to Heathrow. In Heathrow, I will connect to Prague, followed by a 2 hour drive to Brno, which brings me home late Saturday night. I predict that I will not be able to fit in a workout on Saturday.
Apr 21 2019
A week in Phoenix
Sunday
Just a mish mash workout in the hotel gym in Atlanta. They had new technogym equipment with virtual runs/hikes/rides. So I rode a bike for 10 minutes “in the Provence”, then I hiked “in Utah” and then I ran “in Tibet”. It’s actually much more pleasant to have the video of an outdoor ride/run/hike in front of you. Makes those long indoor running minutes go by much faster. After that I played with the weights. I think I got a good workout in, judging by the muscle soreness the next day.
I spent the rest of the morning working from my hotel room, then had lunch in central Atlanta before I drove to the rental car return, took the train to the airport and took a flight to Phoenix.
Monday
A long day full of meetings. I did not work out.
Tuesday
The Desert Vista trail head, which had been in reconstruction the last time I was in Phoenix, was open again, so before dawn I hopped in the car, drove the five minute drive to the trail head and did a nice run in the desert. Much better than Technogym virtual runs.
I always wonder what the story is behind the rusty car.
Wednesday
See Tuesday. It’s great to run outdoors. It’s even greater to see the sunrise in the desert. And the best bit is that it’s good to be out in the nature when the rest of the working day is spent in windowless meeting rooms.
The Strava title of my run, is a Dutch word play. Skip the followin paragraph if you’re not interested in an incredibly boring explanation of my word play.
“Wadlopen” is best translated as mud flat hiking. Wikipedia: “Mudflat hikers are people who, with the aid of a tide table, use a period of low water to walk and wade on the watershed of the mudflats, especially from the Frisian mainland coast to the Frisian islands.” And “de hei” is “the heathland”. So literally the title is “mud flat hiking on the heathlands”, but when you say it, it sounds like “Wat lopen op de hei”, which means “a bit of running on the heathlands”. I guess I found it funny to call a desert run like that.
You can start reading again.
Well, actually, my meeting room on Wednesday did have windows. I joined my team doing flight testing. It was great. We flew to Winslow for some testing of traffic alerts, so the tests involved both the Dassault Falcon as well as a King Air. After Winslow, we went to Wickenburg (which had fewer clouds) to do some testing of a new function that is active during the descent phase. Did four go arounds. I love it, but it’s not for everyone.
The picture above is taken during one of those go-arounds above Wickenburg. After all the tests were done, Petr, our flight test engineer, went to the back of the plane and I got to sit on his place in the cockpit during the approach and landing at Deer Valley airport in Phoenix.
I took my team out for dinner in the evening. I am really proud of them. They have done a five week campaign here in Arizona, with excellent and important results.
Thursday
A long day in the office, and this time it started really early, so I had to skip the morning run.
Friday
My final morning run, and because I wanted some change. and because it was my birthday, I drove a little further. The Apache Wash Trail Head is a fifteen minute drive from the hotel. The loop there is nice because it’s flat.
It was a beautiful full moon, and at the end of the run I witnessed the launching of more than 15 hot air balloons:
Then, work in the office and in the afternoon I headed to the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. British Airways brought us to London in probably their oldest Boeing 747 (I slept most of the time, so I wasn’t too upset that my little screen didn’t function). We camped for about an hour at Heathrow Terminal 3, and then we took the BA flight to Vienna, where the company driver was waiting for us. At home at 9:30 pm. Spent a few hours chatting with Romana and the kids, then went to bed.
Sunday
Garden work. Then two hours of light cycling. Romana, Robin and I rode to Bilovice nad Svitavou, where we had a lemonade, and then back. This evening, we’re going out to Koishi, one of the best restaurants in this country, to celebrate the birthday of my daughter Lenka, as well as my own birthday.
By sanderroosendaal • Uncategorized • 0 • Tags: arizona running, desert run, running, training