2010

This year has been fantastic! Especially since running has been introduced into my life. I don't know where I'd be without it. I started running in February of this year sometime after watching my sister run another race. I was inspired by Joann, who had already run a few marathons. I knew if she was determined enough to do that, I could too. And so I begun on my journey to get healthier and more kick-ass, like all runners are known to be. :)

I ran a few races here and there, but I have to say, I wasn't really pushing myself. I just ran for fun and never thought about PRs, speed, or anything. I just wanted to get my feet wet in the world of running. And I think I have. And now, I'm ready to set some real goals that I will hold myself accountable for. I'm ready to start this new year off with a bang!

I'm so excited about it. I also feel really nervous because I know I'm setting some lofty goals for someone who hated running in her high school cross country team. Why was I even on the team? Seriously, who knows? I was bored and looking for something new to do. Unfortunately, it didn't stick back then. Thankfully, it stuck now. I am so thankful for running, you have no idea. It has made me more excited about life, and the world around me. I have met many interesting and awesome people through this sport; people that I hope will stick around. I have learned about so many new events that I could train for (tri's, ultramarathons, etc) and believe me, I want to try them all. I have learned what I need to do to push myself. I have also learned that being alone for an hour or more with you and your own thoughts is very zen and I'm really loving it.  Running rocks my world. 

Goals for 2011:

• I will blog at least twice a week. This will keep me more accountable with my training and gives you lovely readers something to read. With this, I give you my new blog segment to help me out:                  ... Actually, I'm still working on. :)
• I also want to start up a monthly segment as well. This one will be like Rave Run in Runners World, but with a different name, for obvious reasons. It will give me the chance to try some different routes and show you the beauty of some of my runs. Still working on the name. 
• I will keep better track of my monthly/yearly mileage. 
• I will incorporate a stretching routine into my weekly schedule. 
• I will join Run for the Bling of it! (HERE) and have an awesome time with that. :)  Go check it out if you do not already know what it is. 
• I will run 400 miles (at least) in 2011. This goal is with a few friends on DailyMile. 
• I will better document my races and runs! I love looking at all of your blogs and the awesome photos you've taken. I'm jealous. And I will change that. :)
• I will run a marathon. And I will stick to a training plan. This one is the scariest run goal for me. First of all, my schedule is hell which means training plans are nearly impossible. And secondly, I'm a little frightened of the 26.2 distance. But I WILL do it. Maybe towards the end of the year, but it's on the list and it must be accomplished. 
• I will be good to my body and I will not get hurt. This would suck and I'd like to avoid it.
• I will join some sort of running group, even if its only on the weekends. I want to meet some more running peeps! You guys rock!   

That's about it...for now.

There's always a chance for me to add more, I just wanted to get it started so I have something in the works. Now for my upcoming races!

Planned Races in 2011:

• January: Freeze your Thorns off Virtual 5k
                  Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon
• February: Ragnar Relay
• March: Sunrise at Old Tucson Cross Country Trail Run
• April: Catalina State Park Trail Race
             Warrior Dash
• May: Tucson Heart Group Cinco De Mayo 10k
• June: Meet Me Downtown 5k
• July: Run with the Roosters on Kinney Road 5 miler
• October: The Great Pumpkin Race 5k
                   Mt. Lemmon Marathon (or half)
• December: Tucson Marathon 

I don't have all the months filled up but I have exactly 12 races for Run for the Bling of it! Perfect. I may add some, lose some, whatever my schedule permits. Hopefully, I can do all of them. I really want to! :)

Happy New Year to all of my blogger running friends! I've had a blast reading your blogs and following your progess! I hope you will continue to do the same for me! You are all my online support group! Thank you!

Happy New Year! Keep Running. Be safe. Have fun! 

How Awesome is Christmas?

Way awesome.

Okay, this post is a little late, but work has been nonstop! Which makes it difficult to write a good post. :)

My Christmas was pretty excellent, as usual. I love when family gets together, it just makes me so happy. We play games, we eat, we drink, we tell stories, and I love it all. Plus, now that there is a little one in the mix (my sisters toddler) it's even more fun! We all end up acting a little more childlike to please her and it makes for a good get together.

Cookie making took up all of Thursday night and very early Friday morning. Then, we were off to Phoenix to my sisters house. We ate some food at her parents in law's house and did the yearly white elephant gift exchange and pictionary game. Then, in the morning we had yummy breakfast and then Joann and I went for a Christmas run! Great idea, let me tell you. It was beautiful, warm (maybe too warm actually...) and there was a lot of friendly people out saying Merry Christmas and whatnot. We had forgotten it was Christmas until someone said it to us as they passed by. I guess it's a little weird to go running before opening presents on Christmas day, but that's just us.  It was a short run of 3.75 miles. We took it slow, chatted and enjoyed sister time. :)


Joann and I after our run. You can see her daughter in the background mesmerized by Yo Gabba Gabba. 

Then, it was time for presents!
This is the running related stuff I got:

An iTunes gift card for some new running music, 

sweet running shirts,

awesome red laces for a cause, 

a great book that everyone has been telling me about, 

the famous bondiband wicking ponytail hat,

and a freaking awesome Nathan fuel belt!

I also got a gift certificate to a race (the Catalina State Park Trail Race) and a facial/stress buster gift certificate at a spa! I love them all! I can't wait to use them!! And I'll definitely let you know when I do!

My next post will be about my goals for sure. We have only 2 days left of 2010 and I need to start planning for 2011. It's been a crazy year, with many ups and downs. I wish I had written everything crazy down so I could share with you. *Maybe a goal for next year?* There will be talk of upcoming races, upcoming distance goals (there are so many run this many miles in 2011 on so many different blogs, whose should I join in on?), and lots of other things. I'll be devising my plan tomorrow for the new year. So much planning and thinking to do!!!

Happy third to last day of 2010! :) 
What are your goals for 2011?

Twas the night before Christmas...

...As Jamie wrote a last minute post.

Merry Christmas Eve! I have 15 minutes to get this out to the world before the big day. Here goes:

It has been quite the busy week! Here's what went down:

1. Chance and I set up and decorated our very first Christmas tree! It's four feet tall and wonderful. I put toys in it because that what we've always done at the toy store and it just felt right.
   
   
2. I made cookies! A whole lot of them! Unfortunately, didn't take any photos of the finished products, I mostly gave them away as gifts and there was just no time. I stayed up until 2am Thursday night baking them.
   
   
3. The weather has been perfect in Tucson which = perfect running weather! The temps have ranged between 70-75 degrees. I love where I live! :)
   
   
4. And...I got my Christmas cards from my Christmas card exchange group! They were great! I usually don't get many Christmas cards so they really made my day. :) Thanks! I didn't snap a photo, but I will tomorrow.
   
   And that's it. It's midnight...which means....
   
   ...It's Christmas!
   
   MERRY CHRISTMAS!
   
   I'm looking forward to many things tomorrow today especially family, friends, great food, fun presents and of course...the Dr. Who Christmas Special.
    
   
   Okay, okay, it looks ridiculous (/awesome). And it's not the most important thing on my Christmas day to-do list. But I'm still excited about it! 
   Merry Christmas! 

Weekend Update!

The past couple of days have been totally crazy! I’ve been helping out at the toy store so its busy busy busy because of Christmas shoppers. Which = nonstop wrapping, selling toys, moving around and of course, nonstop fun. :)  It’s always nice to have a job that lets you play with the merchandise. 
                
The weekend begun with some seriously painful body aches. I was sent home from work two days in a row. My neck pain became so painful at one point, I decided to give Minute Clinic at CVS a try because I didn’t want to wait at the ER forever. Apparently, they can’t help people with these issues because they have no diagnostics like x-rays. Makes sense. I just wish they could have done something. I ended up going home and using the heat pack like crazy. But, then our friend Ben called and he wanted to hang out before he went to go pick up his girlfriend in Canada (long story). I can’t really reveal all the details of Friday night but basically I ended up bruising my right hip & knee as well as twisting my right foot. And not at the same time. There may have been some running in the desert…in boots…and running out from random washes because a homeless man lunged at me scared me when he moved in the shadows (same thing). So basically, I had neck and back pain and my entire right leg was temporarily disabled. Woo. 
                
Then, I went into the toy store where I heard some terrifying news. My friend Becca’s apartment burned down the day before. She was supposed to work with me that night. I feel so awful for her! She lost all of her furniture and her kitten. The store has set up an assistance fund in her name so she can get back on her feet.  All of my love is going out to you Becca! 
                It’s a little difficult to complain after that but yesterday at my other job I also had some shocking news. I was informed my lunch hours are not paid for and I need to pay them all back. 

  I’ve been working here for almost a year now. So, that’s about 50 hours. WTH. I was told a 30 minute lunch was paid for at the beginning of my job. And it makes me angry that they just realized I was doing it wrong. Goodbye to saving up for next semester. 
              
  I swore to run when I got home just to process what happened this weekend. So I did. I was planning to run as soon as I got home but I had to go shopping for some last minute gifts. I ended up running on the mill at 8 instead of running outside like I wanted to. 


Miles: 4.24
Time: 00:46
Avg Pace: 10:50

And I hated it. That was one of the worst runs on the treadmill ever. I really hate that exercise room too. It’s so awkward at night when the whole world can see me sweat my buns off. First of all, the mill is facing away from the TV and out the window. ??? I know. It would make sense if the window was looking at something pretty and not into some dudes apartment. Who leaves his blinds open. And light on. WTH? I don’t need to see your messy apartment buddy. And I definitely do NOT want him looking at me.
                
Don’t worry. I have a plan. The days of my complaining about this treadmill may be over. I plan to move this sucker. I will move it so it faces the TV and all will be happy. Unless someone likes looking out that craptastic window.  Then, I may be ruining somebody's day. Not to be mean but...too bad.

Here’s what I’m working with:

Please note how stupidly this room is set up. The TV is directly behind of the elliptical as well. Makes no sense. And yes, I'm the weird girl taking photos of the apartment complex exercise room.
 Think I can handle it? I may employ Chance in my brilliant scheme. He has already moved two of the bikes so he can see the TV better.                 

Hopefully the rest of my week is relatively relaxing. Crossing my fingers. 

achy

I am achy. and sore. all over! But mainly my back. and neck.

I do have good news however. I am finished with tests for the rest of 2010!!!

:)
Not completely finished with school. I have a few more things to turn in and then I can focus on some good 'ol running. But tests are done and done. Take that Fall semester of 2010.

Back to my pain. Today was the worst pain I have ever felt in my back. I have been having lower back issues since late August. But only recently it has been killer pain. Today it moved up into my neck. Chance rubbed some Tiger Balm (awesome stuff)  on my back and it feels a little better. I need to go get this checked out. I'm glad it hasn't affected my running. Actually, I feel much better when I run. It's those days when I don't get a run in. That's when it hits me.

I'm calling the doctor tomorrow and I will make an appointment before the end of the year. I need to figure out what's wrong with me! I'll be sure to post any updates. Crossing my fingers and hoping I'm not dying...

Okay, a little dramatic, but hey. I'm a girl with some bad aches. 

Running an Errand (Literally)

I read THIS article a few days ago and decided I should actually try it. The article from Runner's World online talks about getting chores done while running. That way, if you don't have a lot of time, you can still go running.

I decided to try it out. I had some checks to deposit so I put my house key and debit card in my running pants pocket and my two checks in my water bottle. It worked perfectly. I didn't feel like I was carrying anything different from the usual. And I overestimated how far the bank was. It's only about 1 mile from my house, which makes for a SUPER easy run. I refuse to drive there ever again. It's too simple. Why did I ever drive in the first place??

I also had to go to the post office and drop off my Netflix, but I figured that was a little too far for a quick run. But I will try it soon! The article also talks about using a backpack for more errands. I'm not sure I could handle that, just yet. It seems intriguing though and, of course, something I have to try.

So, I got 2 miles in today. Awesome. I figured I wouldn't get any in due to my studying for finals. And blogging (of course). :)  

Miles- 2.07
Time- 19:41
Avg Pace- 9:30

Go run some errands!

Ragnar Woes

Getting a Ragnar team together at the last second can have its downsides. When I first heard about the Ragnar Relay it was from the University of Arizona running club. Before I joined sometime last January (something I never got around to doing actually) they were trying to pull me in with this Ragnar race. I was like “whoa, 202 miles?? You guys are CRAZY” and I brushed it off. Then, sometime in the lull of summer, I checked it out again and I really REALLY wanted to do it. I tried emailing the new captain about joining up but never got a reply (jerk). I’m guessing because they already had their team, or something. Anyway, moral of the story. It’s easier to get a team together when you do it every year. When they first told me about it, I seriously doubt they would have let me run it. I probably would have been a driver. They were just getting me psyched for the next year. Which they TOTALLY did. So when my friend Kevin said he was interested in doing it AND the deadline for early registration was coming up in a week, I was SO IN. We checked on Facebook and DailyMile for any takers and we had our team in week. 

Now, we still have our team, for the most part. There are at least 10 of us who really want to do it. We had 2 people drop out in the last few weeks, one of which wanted their money back. Which in my opinion is COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY RUDE. Find someone else to take your spot and pay up and THEN ask for your money back. It’s hard enough on our teammate, who laid down $1000 for us and then waited for our checks. He is still out $90 (we never actually got a 12^th teammate) and now this other guy wants him to be out $180? Crazy. It’s our fault though. We never laid down the rules in the beginning about people who decide to drop out and what not. I guess we got too excited about our team and never even thought for a second someone would drop out. Silly us. 

Things have changed now. We’ve learned. We let everyone know that if someone decides to drop out, they need to find their replacement and either let them use their money or have them pay for it themselves. One of our gals drop out due to family issues and she found her replacement immediately (and she didn’t want her money back, so he was even more willing!). However, she was our 6^th girl. Since we are a co-ed team, we need AT LEAST 6 girls, so it’s fair. And now we need to find another one. 

So, we have two spots open. At least one of the spots is open to a girl (or both!). I hope no one else drops out. We have about 12 weeks until the race in February. Our team is going to a Ragnar 101 info meeting this Monday at Fleet Feet. Maybe they’ll tell us how we can look for more runners. *crossing my fingers*

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

That title...that's me being sarcastic. Most wonderful time the year...HA.

***WARNING ~ THIS IS A FREAK OUT POST***

This is probably the worst most awful time of the year. I say this because finals are near, my time is precious, money is tight, and Christmas is right around the corner. How is a college student supposed to deal with all of this!?! AND THEN I go and make it worse by planning to run a half marathon in January.WTH was I thinking??
I wasn't. You're absolutely right. I wasn't thinking. At all. I thought I could do all of this and I really don't think I can. And...and...



That was my head exploding. Except I am not a man and I'm pretty sure I'd have a way more intense expression on my face. Just sayin'.

Okay, I'm done complaining. I just need to take one thing at a time. Money, for example, is always going to be tight. I will accept that fact. And Christmas presents are not going to be the most fabulous (it's really the thought that counts, seriously!!!) And finals are always near (they like being close, it makes them wanted...because nobody loves them...). and I will study my a** off, believe me.

It's that half marathon that keeps getting to me. I already paid for it, and I don't want to drop out. I want to do this. I know that when school gets out in 3 weeks, I'll have a ton of time to think and I'll keep telling myself  that I should have done it. I won't let it get that far. It's going to happen.

The thing that is worrying me is injury. I hear all too often too fast, too soon usually leads to injury. I've been running 10 miles a week at least and I have 7 weeks before the half. The most I've run is 8 miles. I'm planning on a 10 miler next Saturday and 13-14 miler the Saturday after. Is too much before the race? I felt fine on my last 8 mile run (yesterday) with only a little bit of stiffness.

Miles: 8.12
Time: 1:41
Avg Pace: 12:28

I thought it went really well. I was actually going to push myself to run 10 but freaked out about injuring myself. There may be some currently injured bloggers out there to blame for my fear (but I won't name names). My knees only hurt for a short while afterwards. If anyone out thinks this is a terrible idea and sees some awful flaw in my plan....let me know! I'm not in a running group currently and I don't have anyone else to ask about this. Help a girl out. :)

Otherwise, life is pretty normal. I'll take things slow and one day at a time. :)

I'm Thankful

I just wanted to shout out my thanks to everyone in my life!
I'm thankful for everyone who supports me like my parents, my sister and my boyfriend.
I'm thankful for my friends, new and old. I'm thankful for all of the new ones yet to meet.
I'm thankful for the ability to run. I'm thankful for my energy and health.
I'm thankful for life! I love this life that I have and I intend to go far with it!
And I'm thankful for all of you, blog readers, for reading what I have to say. 

THANKS!

Have a wonderful and enjoyable Thanksgiving! 

Happy Turkey Day! :)

Muddy Buddy 2010 Ride & Run Recap!

Well hello there. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

I’ve been busy, of course, with school, work and running. I recently did Muddy Buddy and the race recap will follow shortly (yes, that means you have to be patient). I am currently in training for the RNR Phoenix Half Marathon in January. So, hopefully, I will have some great posts about my exciting training. But, I have to remind everyone that finals are approaching (way too fast) and I may be out of the blog scene from time to time and unless I can muster up some sort of decent post (in my soon to be sleep deprived state), you may not see me until winter break. I hope it does not come to this! I love reading your blogs and posting comments and letting you know I’m still here. So don’t lose faith in me! I am still here. Just a little less, until school is out.

Okay, here you go. The Muddy Buddy 2010 Race Recap!!!

The photos were taken with a disposal camera and then scanned. So they aren't the best quality!

Joann (my sister), her husband Josh, his little brother Nick and I headed out to the McDowell Mountain park at around 6:30 am. It was pretty much freezing (to an Arizonian). We walked down to the start to pick up our packets and I got a first glance of the mud pit. It was quiet and still...for now.

We walked back to the car and got our gear ready. Bikes, helmets, and a waist pack (to hold my camera and chap stick). It warmed up to the point that I was able to take off my jacket. 

Muddy Buddies!

We headed down to the start and watched the costume contest. There were some pretty great ideas! We are thinking about doing it next year. I think it'd be fun to get muddy in a costume. :)

Joann and Josh....Looking like they're ready for some mud

After the costume contest, we headed over to the start where we got into our wave groups. We were in the second wave. The bikes were separated from the runners, and they got to go first. Nick was off! and then I waited in the runner group, a little cold, and then I was off! 

Running made me colder for about the first mile. Wind doesn't help when your body in not warmed up. But then I warmed up and I felt pretty good. I passed a few people (who started out way too fast. See, that's what you get...) and kept a pretty decent pace. The McDowell mountain park is very pretty...for Phoenix. No offence to my Phoenix peeps, I just love my Tucson home. :)

About 10 minutes after this photo, I got to the first obstacle. It was basically some nets we had to crawl under. Not too exciting. I finished it pretty quickly and went to look for the bike. 

At the first obstacle...looking for bikes

As soon as I got on my bike, I knew I got stuck with the WORST part of the course. As were all the other runners who were stuck with this part of the course on the bike. What a dirty little trick Muddy Buddy race directors. Or WHOEVER decided a WASH would be a good place to ride a bike. WTH!?!

 

NOT A GOOD PLACE TO RIDE A BIKE

Looks easy...in this photo. But no. Most of time people were walking their bikes. Or trying to ride...and failing. I just walked it through most of the wash. At the end of it there was a nice dirt trail. Thank god.
The next obstacle we came up on was a small rock wall and a net on the other side. It was a little more challenging considering it required more balance. I met Nick at this one, right before we set off again. I told him how much a pain in the ass that last ride was. And he said...Yeah, we thought we shouldn't tell you about that. Wow. Where's the family love?? You know, watching out for each other and what not...

And we were off again!  





The next obstacle was walking across balancing beams. This seemed very hard...to everyone else. This was by far definitely the easiest! (Yay for gymnastics classes!!)



I grabbed the bike and took a few seconds for a photo op.  :)





This was my second (and last) time on the bike, and it definitely scary. I don't do a whole of mountain biking, so the downhills pretty much scared the crap out of me! Plus, having cholla on the trail didn't help much either.

Finally, I got to the last obstacle before the mud pit. The inflatable slide!



This one was tricky. There was too many people on it at once and it kept moving from side to side=not helpful. But I got over it and down the other side!



I grabbed some water and I off to run the last leg! As some point, Nick passed me. He was slowing down a little (this part was really hilly...which means hard!) so we chatted for a few seconds. He kept peddling and he was gone. I was alone for a little while, no one seemed to be anywhere around me. It was kinda peaceful, except for the fact that I was pretty much dying! I was so tired at this point and just wanted to walk. I ended up doing that a few times, but I kept remembering Nick had to wait for me before we crossed the mud pit. And then I saw all the white tents and heard the music and knew I was close!








The last hill before the finish!

Finally, I made it to the end of the running portion! Up next: The famous mud pit!


Right before we head into the mud pit!

The mud was so cold!! I crawled in and remembered the how gravel-y (a word now) it was. Glad my pants were long enough to cover my knees!

The official finishing photo:

Our finishing time- 1:11:34

Joann and Josh in the mud pit!

Finally, we saw Joann and Josh come in. I tried to wave them into the lane closest to us so I could get a good photo, but I guess they didn't get it.

And that was my last photo. :(

I'm sad I didn't get a photo of us all at the end, all muddy, or a photo of the hose showers or everything else! Maybe I'll use my photos more wisely next time. :)

I had a great time at this race!! It was so much fun! I really don't think I can wait until next year to do it again.

And I may not have to.

My friend Maggie clued me in on a race in April called Warrior Dash.
I may be jumping ahead....but I don't think so. :)
Planning for races is waaaay too much fun. And a little addicting.
More on this Warrior Dash later....and my run tonight. This post is a little lengthy already...

Two Words

Muddy Buddy.

This weekend in Phoenix! And I'm really excited!!


Here's what it's all about: (from the website)
Two people (buddies!) will traverse a 6-7 mile off-road course and 5 obstacles. 

At the start of the race, one team member will run and one will ride the bike. At the 1st obstacle, the rider will drop the bike, complete the obstacle, and begin running. The runner will arrive, complete the obstacle, find their bike and begin riding. Teams will continue leapfrogging each other through the entire course.

At the end of the race, racers crawl through the infamous Mud Pit crossing the finish line together as official “Muddy Buddies”!



Sorry, it's a little too big for my format, but way cool...so watch it and be jealous! ;p

Will any other bloggers be out there this weekend?

New Month, More Goals

it's already November! time is flying by so quickly. it's almost 2011!!


so, i figured now is a great time to re-evaluate my goals before the year is over. I never made a list of goals specifically for the year 2010, but I did have a few goals in mind this year. next year, everything will be different. I will have a list specifically for 2011 and I will stick to it. I already feel that 2011 will be way more organized. :)  The list below is somewhat vague, but it's a good start and something for me to work off of for next year.


my goals for 2010 and how they have worked out thus far:

• drink more water (this summer and this semester I've brought my huge water bottle to work and i make myself drink at least one a day. Sometimes i get up to two. so i did pretty well on this goal!)
  
• stretch (this is one goal I never got to. i don't know why, but i either forget about it or i'm too tired. lame excuses, i know.)
  
• stick to a training schedule (i had a great schedule printed out and on my fridge (thanks Joann!) for my RNR marathon in January, however, my race situation changed and i had to forgo my schedule.currently, i do not have a schedule and i'm basically making myself run at least 10-15 miles  week, whenever i find the time. )
  
• run a few small races this year and plan for a big one (this one i focused on completely! I ran a few small races: race for the cure 5k, meet me downtown 5k, sabino canyon classic 4.5 miles. i have another race in 2 weeks (more on that soon) and a half marathon in january.)  

so, those are my very vague goals for most of 2010. like i said before, 2011 will have way more specific goals.


but for now, i'll come up with some goals for this month, just to keep me on track for my upcoming races:


my goals for november 2010:

• come up with a schedule for the remaining weeks of training before the RNR half on january 16th
  
• come up with a plan for stretching (before, during and after my runs)
  
• continue drinking lots of water
  
• balance running, homework and life (this one is going to be tough)
  
• make a list of races to run for the upcoming year

and i think that's about it...for now. for a post at the end of november, i'll update you with my results. :)

The 1st Annual Mt. Lemmon Marathon VOLUNTEER Report

So, I didn't run this one because honestly...it was intimidating. Uphill for 26.2 miles? I don't think so. Not this year, anyways. Maybe someday I'll have the balls to run this race. The runners who did have the balls, I applaud you! You all did great! I'm super impressed and very jealous.

My Sunday begun at 2:30am, when I woke up. I then drove over to the Northeast side to help load marathoners into buses at 3:30am. I love the traffic at this hour! I'll drive in that any day. I met my friend Kevin (who volunteered with me) to help with the buses. It all went pretty well, everyone was really friendly at this time of the morning (even the bus drivers, they were very helpful and talkative!). I even met another blogger! Renee at Pinkcorker's Desert Trail Running Blog was getting on to the bus when I reconzied her! I asked for a photo (of course, we bloggers need that stuff) and she thought it was really funny and cute. I hope I didn't seem too awkward. She was really nice (Thanks Renee!) I just thought it was cool to meet another blogger.

So, if you want to feel like a celebrity, you should meet me at a race! :p

Kevin and I got everyone on the buses and hopped on the last one (just us, the bus driver and a really late runner) to head up the mountain. It was still so dark outside and I felt like I had been up all night (even though I got 7 hours of sleep!).

We got to the base of the mountain after waiting in a loooong line....

so we got off the bus and half ran to the start (it helped that we were talking about the Ragnar Relay to get us pumped...).

I didn't get any good photos of the start because we were running around so much and sometimes I forgot I had a camera, there was just so much going on. I wish I did get some photos, I loved the buzzing activity of the start line. Next year, for sure :)

After we got in the race directors wifes car (I know, wth? I'm pretty sure she doesn't know us...) we headed up to the mountain. Our first task was to stop at all of the water stations/aid stations and make sure they had everything they needed. 

We were held up at Windy Point because the half marathon started, so I got  few good photos. 

Looking South, towards Tucson

Windy Point

This is where we saw the first and second runners for the first time. 

Trying to see the runners

Can you see him?

As soon as the line of cars began to move, we hopped back in the car to find that it wouldn't start. Apparently, I left the door open/Kevin left the lights on in our excitement.OOPS. Thankfully, people are nice and they gave our *borrowed* car a jump.

We drove to the next aid station/water station. We handed out some trash boxes and played some Bop It with the nurses.

 

The 1st runner


The 2nd runner, about 5 minutes behind

The next water station was a high school group. They probably got the absolute worst spot...it was freezing. We pretty much left right away. It was just too cold! Sorry high school kids!

This is the 4th water station we stopped at. These BTE gals were pretty awesome. They handed me pamphlets about their half marathons and tried to get me to do a few. They even do training programs. I'm looking into it!

We were getting closer to the end with the last water stop before the very very very big hill up to Ski Valley. 

Making sure no one misses the dreaded hill

We finally arrived at the finish line and gave the race directors wife her car keys back. Oddly, she didn't look surprised when we handed them to her. She's a brave woman for letting complete strangers drive her car. We did bring it back in one piece though. Go us.

We got to meet Bart Yasso! Check out this months Runners World for more info on him. Or go HERE.

The 1st runner finishing!

1st and 3rd place

Bart interviewing the winner

The 1st female finisher of the marathon!

Kevin and his friend

After watching about 30 more people finish, I got on one of the last buses and went down the mountain. I had a great time volunteering at this race! There was a lot of excitement and energy for it being the first one. I hope there is more to come. I know Lazlo, the race director, wants it to become HUGE. So, sign up for this race next year and make his dream come true. :)

I plan on either volunteering or running it next year. I have to be involved somehow! It was so exciting to watch. And I'm really proud of all the runners who attempted this race, and finished! Running uphill for 26.2 miles (even 13.1 miles) is a difficult feat and I'm impressed! Great job!!

This week I'm upping my mileage to start my "official" training for the Ragnar Relay! WOO-HOO!

Happy Monday!