Zoo Hill

Holy crap, Zoo Hill.

On Saturday, we rode about 40 miles, starting at Redhook Brewery, down around Lake Sammamish, up Zoo Hill and back. 

As Bicycle Climbs describes, Zoo Hill is: "arguably the toughest climb in the Seattle area. Ascending 1200 feet over 2.5 miles, it has an average grade of about 10%, with common gradients in 15% and some sections approaching 20%. This is not a climb to be approached lightly."  One user described the climb as "the puke-inducing lactate-producing gasp-fest that I avoid unless taunted."

The fun part about going up a giant hill, is that you get to go back down.  I PR'ed my fastest time yet coming down the other side at 43.4mph.  Lets just say adrenaline was pumping hard at the bottom.  The beer and food following the ride at Redhook were much appreciated (and necessary).

Lake Swims

In the last couple of weeks I have participated in two different lake swims.

The Swim for Life was 2.5 miles from Medina to Madison Park benefitting the Puget Sound Blood Association.  The water was warm but there was a nasty current in the lake.  While some may have not appreciated the white caps the entire way, I felt like I was swimming in a roller coaster type ocean.  The chances that you inhaled a wave of water while breathing were high, but I like how it trained me to adjust my stroke and really learn how to move as one with the water.  Surprisingly, my course was pretty good and I was able to finish in under 90 minutes.

The Park to Park swim was 1.4 miles from Matthews Beach to O.O. Denny Park benefitting the Children's Hospital.  The water was actually warmer than the temperature outside (welcome to summer in Seattle).  There were a few rollers through the middle of the swim, and I definitely went off course (thanks to the kayaker that pointed me back) but overall the swim went well.  Having very little to spot on (besides an assortment of trees), this swim was tough because you had to constantly find the specific location on the beach where you were heading.  I finished this swim in about 35-40 minutes.

After the Park to Park, we jumped on our bikes and did the Lake Washington loop.  As I haven't biked since the STP (Seattle to Portland), we did the North loop and ended up at about 40 miles.