Tackling the Mt. Lemmon Marathon

I'm going to do it! I'm switiching from the Mt. Lemmon Half Marathon to the Mt. Lemmon Marathon. 

This is very exciting for me because:
1.) This will be my very first, mi primer, marathon! 
2.) It is a mostly uphill course with an elevation change of 5250 feet! Loving the challenge!
3.) A lot of people are intimidated by this marathon, they refuse to do it. They think I'm crazy for even thinking about doing it.
4.) I'll have an extra 13 miles to take in the amazing views. 

Last years winner.

Mt. Lemmon means a lot to me. I was born and raised here in Tucson and Mt. Lemmon has always been right out my window. I spend almost every summer up there as a camp counselor. I also hike and camp up there too during the other times of the year. It's pretty much my home away from home. I love Mt. Lemmon. And now, with the opportunity to run up it, it is very exciting and it makes me happy to be a runner.
 

Check out that view!

I regret not doing it last year. Last year was it's very first year and I felt a little intimidated by it since I had just started running in January. I wanted to be involved however, so I volunteered. I enjoyed seeing the runners tackle this crazy race. I loved seeing the motivation and their strength. 

I even got to meet Bart Yasso!

So this year is the year. I'm finally going to do a marathon and I'm going to do the one that means the most to me. This is the training plan I picked up on the website:

I like it because it's tailored to running the mountain. Other plans I looked at don't factor in the intense incline. 

I'll be adding in trails, of course. :)
I'll be up on the mountain as summer so I'll have plenty of time to train during breaks at camp. 

Official Training will begin on July 3rd! 

Anyone else planning on running it?

Two race recaps are coming your way, just as soon as I upload the photos. 

A trail run is planned for this weekend on Mt. Lemmon. I need to get used to the elevation before training starts. 

Happy Thursday!