Mt. Thom Cardio Workout, say No to Monday Laziness!

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Last week's hike;

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1533887

Join us for a great evening workout to Mt. Thom in the Verdigo 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 lights are great and it sure beats a boring gym. Chances are you'll get a much better workout too.

Training Concept:
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 and re-group at the tops and junctions.

Difficulty: 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 quite steep. This is not a slow paced "social hike". We'll keep a fast pace power-walking or jogging to get our heart rate up to improve our conditioning.

Extra Weight Option:
For those of you who are very fast and may feel the group is not moving fast enough, consider bringing a weight vest or backpack with weight - sand, books etc. Avoid hard objects with sharp edges like rocks though as it may hurt your back. I would only suggest this if you have attended one of these and know that you can move a lot faster than the group. The extra weight will slow you down significantly.

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The Plan:
We'll meet by the bench outside the music studio at the north end of the Brand Library building at about 6:45 PM, do some stretching and introductions etc. and get started heading up the trail at 7:00 PM sharp.

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At the peak we'll catch our breath for a few minutes and enjoy the city view before heading back down.

Please make sure you have shoes with lots of traction as you may slip going down otherwise, especially on the steepest hill near the top (see photo on the right).

Trail Route:Click here for trail route plan.

Distance & Elevation Gain:
About 3.8 miles and about 1710 ft or so cumulative elevation gain/loss.

Time Required:
About 2 hours or so.

Profile:
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What To Bring:

• Headlamp (best) or flashlight and spare batteries (important)
• Trail running shoes or flexible hiking booths with plenty of traction (important)
• Hydration system (best) or bottle with water or Gatorade etc.
• Your cell phone
• Layered clothing including a light wind breaker jacket
• Consider camera

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

Parking:
You can park at the Brand Library (until 10 PM). 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.