Single Day: Seven summits, one day, Map
6,000' elevation gain, 22.5 miles
250 participants, Sunday, November 11th Event time: 6 a.m. - 5 p.m. (check-in 5 a.m.) 
I
did it!! Omg this thing was crazy. Now I have been working out since I
got into college so what does that make it... some 20 years. Wow times
flies. So I love doing different challenges that come up as a check to
my fitness level and to be honest when I end up beating guys younger
than me it is a huge ego boost. I have done bike races, running races,
triathlons, mud runs, navel seal race, fitness athlete challenge all of
which have challenged me physically. The Summit Challenge tested me
mentally much more than I had thought it would. In fact the mental part
about not giving up and pushing through some pain as my muscles were
locking up was what kept me from quitting. I was right there let me tell
you. But I had come that far I was not going to give in and stop.
My
day start out at 4:30 am on Sunday. Way too early to be up. But I do
have a routine I like to go through at the beginning of each the race I
do. I get there and sign in early and then have time to hydrate, warm
up, stretch and take care of business with out having to stress out
about the time of the start. Lesson learned one time where I signed in
right when the gun went off. No time for stretching and warming up and I
had to start running from the registration table and pin on my number
at the same time. I was distracted running and later I paid the price
with major soreness the next day.
Anyway I got there
when registration opened at 5 am and everything was good. This was
Summit 1 - Papago Park which was 200 ft high and 3 miles. They had a bit
of a course review to let us know about before we got started. When
they started the race they started the group of 250 (Not all of which
were at this location doing the 7 peaks. Others started at another
location with only 4 peaks) in three groups. I thought I was going to
start first since I was in the "A" group. Of course they started with
"C" and each group was paced out 5 minutes apart. I felt cheated some
how since I got there early to have to start last. Now there was going
to be all this traffic in front of me and those people could have had as
much as 10 minute head start. When it was our turn I immediately
started running it out. With in a few minutes I had passed all of our
group and was catching the previous group. Now granted this is not a
race but a challenge but I am so competitive against myself I want to do
the best and fastest I could. I end up running with a guy I met who had
my pace named Tim. This peak did not take much time at all but running
in the dark was very interesting.
Next I headed to
Summit 2 - Camelback Mountain for the next peak. A descent mountain and
one I have done before at 1300 ft high and 2.2 miles. They had it set up
so we had to take a shuttle from a parking area to Camelback. Tim and I
were on the first shuttle. We filled up and were on our way. I took out
Camelback like I have done in the past. Not too bad. Beautiful and cool
day but very chilly and windy at the top. That is ok since I was not
there to sight see that day. I got down to the bottom in no time and I
was right behind Tim. It was just the two of us and the shuttle took us
back to our cars. We seemed to be the top two, at least of those that
were driving themselves.
Continuing on to Summit 3 -
Piestewa Peak. 1,190 ft high and 2.4 miles. Now I thought Camelback was
tough. I have a new hard mountain. Piestewa Peak or as I now call it
"Stairway to Heaven". Wow this one put a hurt on me for sure. Then I
made the mistake of looking up and seeing the people stretched out along
a never ending set of switchbacks ending out of site where the flag
laid. Bad idea. I believe I said ..... "You have to be f&king
kidding me". That seemed to be the theme for the day. I would look up to
see what I could see and in the far distance flapped that small flag
that marked the end of my upward travel for that hill and another peak
conquered. Again I would say my line. At the end of this peak is where I
lost Tim. He was a machine but that was cool. On the way up I met Dane
which was at my new pace. Slightly slower. We talked and I ended up
following him who was being driven by his wife to the next location.
Having someone to talk with that was at my pace was HUGE in keeping me
going.
Still hanging in there and moving on to Summit
4 - South Mountain which was 1310 ft high and 7 miles long. This one
was a long one for sure. This was another one that you got to a certain
level and you could see the continued climb wrapping around to the other
side of a canyon with that flag. That damn flag. At this point I
thought it was tonting me. Laughing at me saying, "You can't make it".
No one says I can't! That just charges me up to make it. Towards the top
I could feel the quads starting to burn. I checked in up top and had my
passport stamped so all could see I had completed this peak. I started
my gentle run down the hill like I had done on the others if it was not
steep and treacherous. Improve my peak time if I picked up the pace.
Running down hill is the most pounding your legs will ever see. Not good
for you at all. I was happy to get down. Dane was right there with me
and we were going on yet again.
Now it was time for
Summit 5 - Lookout Mountain. Short at 475 ft height and 1 mile but it
proved to be just one more beat down on the body. Made it to the top and
reached my nemesis the waving flag. Headed down over some loose and
uneven terrain. Checked in with my new buddy Dane and were heading off.
Here is where the first issue with my body occurred. I got in to drive
off to the next location I drive a stick so I extended my calf to
depress the clutch and BAM my left calf locks up and begins to ball up
with just about the most EXTREME pain I have EVER felt and it was
getting worst. I managed to knock the car out of gear, open the door and
fall outside the car where I tried to straighten that leg. Still
locking up I begin to beat on my calf in hopes that it would release. It
finally did and I had fears I had ripped something and was out of the
challenge. I did not want that since I had come this far. I managed to
walk around a bit and thought I could continue.
Summit
6 - Shaw Butte proved to be interesting. At 670 ft and 5 miles it does
not seem bad. Some of it flat and the rest up. But when you had just
completed 5 summits in one day previous to this as well as not having
the proper food, rest and stretching it proved to be a test. I was
having issues now with other muscles in my legs starting to quiver which
is the sign to me that the muscle will lock up very soon. I felt it in
my quads and the hamstrings. I did manage to reach the top so that was a
good sign. Again I attempted to run down the hill. My hurt calf was beginning to show his ugly head again. Two or three times I had to slow the
run to a quick down hill walk in the hopes of not letting the calf
spasm out like it did in the car. As I reached the end of this peak I
could see my car and you would not believe how happy I was to see it. It
seemed to be my happy place. A place where I was not moving. A place
where I could get something to eat. A place that held my precious cold
liquids. She would take the burden off my body and get me to my next
location. One to go.
The last peak was Summit 7
standing at a mere 614 ft and a short 1.6 miles. I headed off still
rolling with Dane. We were not pushing very hard on the up hill of this
one for sure. I was running low on juices. I got up half way to where it
switched to a steep paved road. My body was quitting on me. My mind and
heart wanted to continue since I was so close. It was my mind that I
needed to keep with me. The mind could visualize the end and hopefully
convince the body it could do it. My mind became my coach and I began to
tell myself I could do it out loud. I finally reached the top and as I
stopped to get my passport stamped for the last time I could feel every
single muscle in my legs begin to twitch and I know they were deciding
which one was going to lock up first. Not all at one time... no not yet.
But very close. At this point I could not run down the hill. With every
step came pain and fear of a full lock up. I had to kick up my mental
game to 200% and keep pushing myself to continue. Back down to the end
of the paved road I had just the steep trek down the off road section.
The first few feet were very high steps and as I took that first step I
realized I was in big trouble. I gave the man grunt and yell you hear
when guys are working out at the gym lifting heavy weights to help me
power through even though I had nothing left and the pain was intense. I
need to use my arms to brace the leg that was stabilizing as I lowered
the other leg down. I continued to grunt and yell the talk to myself to
keep fighting. I was constantly looking at my goal that was not very far
away.
I got to the end completely exhausted and could
not bend in any way or that muscle would spam and lock out to extreme
pain. The only thing I could do was stand, which I did not want to do.
My only other option was to lean up against the table bending my upper
torso at the hips to lie on the table top and have my legs straight out
at an angle. I laid there for about an hour and a half before I tried to
move again. There was no way I could have gotten into my car and
driven. The spasms might have made me get into an accident. I was amazed
and delighted to have succeeded in my goal. To finish this challenge.
It only took me a short 7 hours and 16 minutes. This is by far the
longest time I have been doing any physical activity. Four hours and 22
minutes was what it took me for the Tour De Phoenix bicycle ride. That
was the longest I had gone before this. As well as this was the only
challenge I tried and completed where when I was done I thought to
myself, "I will NEVER EVER work out again. Well here I am on Monday, the
next day, still suffering but managed to workout upper body. I will
continue to workout just not legs for a week or two. Will I do this
again? I will have to see next year if I have recovered.
Thanks to Tim and Dane for the company and encouragement
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