GO @ YOUR OWN PACE CARDIO from Brand Library in Verdugo Mountains

ATTN Participants Must wear Hiking booths with lugs on the bottom or Trail Running Shoes

Are You Ready to Challenge yourself for the NEXT LEVEL!

ATTN: Griffith Park Hike Graduates, If you are not hiking @ Mt Wilson, Mt Baldy or beyond, You can still get a great cardio work out right here in our own back yard, at the Verdugo Mountains

Activity : Cardio/Interval Training

1 Hour Uphill/ 1 Hour Downhill

Everyone finish in about 2 Hrs

Mt Thom in the Verdugo Mountains starting from the Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale. This hike is short but has several very steep sections. The views of the city are great and it sure beats a boring gym. Chances are you'll get a much better workout too.

Training Concept: Go at Your Own Pace Up and Return On the Same Trail
This will essentially be a form of interval training, which is actually quite effective for increasing your cardio capacity/fitness level. Since we are all at different fitness levels some of us will likely keep a faster pace than others. We'll all try to push ourselves a bit to get our heart rate up and then catch our breath at the level sections of the trail.

Difficulty:7/10 (advanced)
You need to be well conditioned for this workout. Although the distance is short this is a high intensity workout and several sections are very steep. Go at your own pace, but not a slow paced "social hike". Each participant go at their own pace to increase the heart rate.

The Plan:
We'll meet by the bench outside the music studio (photo below) at the north end of the Brand Library building at about 8:00AM, do some stretching etc. and get started at 8:10AM sharp. If you're late, you'll get an extra workout trying to catch up to us. After 1 Hour participants will turn around and return on the same trail that they hiked up!

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North of the building there are two trail heads (both with signs) one on the left behind the statue and one further up the road on the right. We'll head up the right trail and come down the same way. The trail is almost like a "staircase" of sorts with several plateaus but with steep trail sections.

We'll take a little break at the fire road near the top while enjoying the great city view before heading down again. Please make sure you have shoes with lots of traction as you're likely to slide going down otherwise, especially on the steepest hill near the top (photo below).

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Distance & Elevation Gain:
3.3 miles and about 1710 ft Max. elevation gain/loss.

Time Required:
About 2 hours

What To Bring:

• Trail running shoes with plenty of traction (important)
• Hydration system (best) or bottle with water or Gatorade etc.
• Hiking poles-Bring them, if you got them! Very handy on the downhill. (important)
• Consider bug spray
• Consider camera

Directions:Click here for Google directions to the meeting spot.

Parking:
Park at the Brand Library. There should be plenty of (free) parking available.

IMPORTANT:
Please ensure that you are in good health before participating in a high intensity activity like this one. If you are in doubt please get a check-up with a physician. As an event organizer I assume absolutely no responsibility for you. I am simply a "training buddy", nothing more. If you choose to participate, you assume all responsibility for yourself and agree not to hold me or our Meetup group liable in any way.