Tired of the 100 degree + days!

[Aggie_Ama]

Aggie, did you retire your road bike for awhile?

Feels like it. I did do 62 miles on the 12th but otherwise it is just so dang hot. I really have no motivation for it. The new mountain bike is helping keep me motivated for the trails!


Mr Silver- We will be sure to rub it in when you're freezing and we are wearing shorts in December.

[greta]

I am having serious trouble riding in the heat.I just don't have it in me. Rode a whole 6.5 miles today and haven't ridden in weeks. I'm not good at rising early. I swear even my pool is boiling! Some awesome tips early on this topic, never did think of wetting my clothing. It's been in the one-teens here.

[Red Rock]

I guess I have decided to not fight the issue. It will eventually cool off. I do not want to put myself in a possible heat exhaustion or stroke postion if I can help it. As it is, I have to help mt DH with the landscape company, so this means Im outside. In the meantime, I have resorted to eating sugar free ice cream and watching the Tour.

Red Rock

[Running Mommy]

Over the weekend we had a senseless death on our trails out here.
A family thought it would be a wise idea to head out on a hike on South Mountain at 7:00 am when it was probably already near 100. It was forecasted to be 113-115 that day, and it was.
At some point a mtn biker came upon a 13 yr old boy and his mom. He was crawling, and she was yelling at him to stand up. The mtn biker stopped to help them. He gave them all the water he had, and went back to his car for more water, and I assume to get help. When he returned the boy was turning purple and only had a faint pulse. He was rushed to the hospital, but didn't make it. I guess he and his mom were from Alaska, and they were hiking with local family.
So very sad!!! The desert is a dangerous place, and I'm always amazed by the nonchalant attitutude people have towards it.

[greta]

Soooo true, last year we worked a 30 year old for quite some time that hiked usery mountain, a way easier hike in the morning about 1000 am. She was from Wisconsin and had been here only a couple of weeks. Young and strong and we couldn't save her. Arizona deserts are cruel. I worked this weekend and didn't hear about that. That's heartbreaking. But to tell him to stand up is toooo much

[HappyTexasMom]

So very sad!!! The desert is a dangerous place, and I'm always amazed by the nonchalant attitutude people have towards it.

As someone who is not from here, but who has lived here for 15 years...

the severity of the heat and dryness and what it can do to you was beyond my comprehension. If someone could have somehow managed to convey to me what it's really like, I would not have believed them, because I would not have believed that a place with this climate would support a huge metro area like this. To put it bluntly, I can't believe so many people would choose to live here. I know some people love the desert and the heat and I'm not saying this to put those people down, I just literally could not fathom that it could be this bad in a place where a large population of people would choose to live.

The first time I went hiking out here was at Squaw Peak. I don't know how hot it was...I'm guessing 90s. I didn't realize how much I was sweating (because it evaporates so fast), and I didn't bring water with me because I wasn't accustomed to needing water after being out for only 1-2 hours.

So for people who aren't familiar with it, even if you tell them, it's probably out of their realm of comprehension. It makes me very sad that someone had to pay for it with their life.

[Mr. Bloom]

Mr Silver- We will be sure to rub it in when you're freezing and we are wearing shorts in December.

That's fair

[Crankin]

Running Mommy and Happy Texas Mom, thank you, for saying what I have been thinking.
First, yes, the desert IS dangerous. The story you told is so sad and could have been avoided... I used to walk at 4:30-5 AM and even then, it was not fun. No wonder I was a gym rat. And no wonder I crave being outdoors now, even after 19 years of being away from AZ.
Happy Texas Mom, you hit the nail on the head for me. I had a wonderful life in Tempe, but the day my two little boys went out and were playing in the foundation plants outside my house and said, "We're in the woods," I knew I had to leave. No one *can* imagine what 115 feels like. When I try to describe it by saying, "Open up your oven door and stick your head inside," they just give me a look. I don't know how the valley grew into such a popular area, either. And now, it's ruined. When my parents moved there in 1971, it was hot, but nice. Still truly western. I know I sound like an old person, but the Valley I knew is gone. My house, at Elliot and McClintock was surrounded by cornfields and sheep farms.
I give you credit for trying to ride now. If I was still in AZ, I am pretty sure my riding season would be October to March, no different than how I ride now from March through October, or the beginning of November, in a colder climate. I always used to say that the school year should be reversed in AZ. During the nice weather, normal people who work, can never get outside, because they are at work... even as a teacher, it would be dark pretty soon after I got home in the winter. I distinctly remember my kids playing outside in the backyard, before dinner, with the patio lights on.
So sad...

[sundial]

Feels like it. I did do 62 miles on the 12th but otherwise it is just so dang hot. I really have no motivation for it.

I hear ya! I've cut my rides short for now--nothing over 30 miles. I learned that in high humidity things can turn ugly fast! Last season I was on a long ride and felt my speeds decreasing, my heartrate climbing, temps in the mid 90's and then had a tire blow. I knew I needed to get off the road fast and into the air conditioning and got a ride back to the car. Sometimes having plenty of fluids just isn't enough. Mother nature can be so brutal.