One positive to having family in Arizona is visiting there for the holidays.  My word – 60s-70s feel glorious. I have a problem though – my right foot is still quite painful. So – do I take advantage of the warm weather and trails, or be a good boy?  I opted for the trails.  Today I started at my sister’s house (on the south side of Phoenix’s South Mountain in Ahwatukee) and accessed the trail system there.  I took a dirt road out of her neighborhood East to run the Southernmost ridge that runs WNW to ESE above her house.  I took the Pyramid Trail up West to the Bursera trail and followed that along the ridge until it drops down the backside into a valley and connects with the Gila Trail.  That loops around the far SE end of the ridge, where I followed a trail under the power lines back over to the backside of my sister’s neighborhood.  It felt amazing to be running shirtless in the sun on new trails – Saguaro cactus all over the landscape.  Just beautiful. Unfortunately, my IT Bands really started hurting on the descent down the backside side of the ridge at about mile 3.5.  And, the foot pain didn’t go away.  While running it actually didn’t hurt to bad, but whenever I slowed down to a walk – or when I climbed back in my car – it throbbed bad.

7.5 miles @ 12:03 and 1,083 ft. elevation

Top of Bursera Trail, looking SE towards Ahwatukee, Chandler, Tempe

Descending Bursera down to the Gila Trail, looking West towards the Gila River Reservation and Sierra Estrella