Mt. Lemmon Half Marathon Race Recap!

Seriously...

The Most Beautiful Race I have EVER Run!

My day started at 3:00am. I woke up, got dressed, ate a few bananas and raspberries, and hit the road. I had to be at the buses at Tucson Medical Center no later than 4:30am.

I got to the buses, and we were off! I tried to get a photo of the long line of red bus lights along the dark, mountainous highway but there wasn't enough light it get it. It sure looked cool.  

We finally arrived at Windy Point. It was about a 30 minute bus ride. I was hydrating like crazy and I knew everyone else was as well, so that meant...everyone had to go to the bathroom when we got off the bus. EVERYONE. 

And there were only 5 port-a-potties.

And the race was set to start in 10 minutes.  

And I was in the last bus, out of 4 buses.

This is the line after the race started:

And this is the start line after the race started:

You can see a few runners up ahead.

So, I didn't get to start with the gun and, well, everyone else. I was a little bummed about it. 

But the announcer kept reminding everyone in the port-a-potty line that our individual time doesn't start until we actually cross the line.
So, I was relieved and tried to calm myself down. But at the same time I was still upset that they didn't have more port-a-potties and they didn't think to get the buses there earlier.

However, the serenity of running alone during a race sure made up for it. And the amazing views didn't hurt. 

 

Got a great view of the sun rising. It was so beautiful at Windy Point, which is what I'm passing in this photo:

Finally! A good photo!

It was so peaceful. I ran without music (I emailed the race director beforehand and he was pretty serious about taking people off the course if he saw headphones. However, I saw a ton of people doing it anyways...grr) which may have helped my time. I sang songs in my head that I semi-memorized and worked through an issue I was having at work in my head. I thought I would be bored out of my mind, but that little issue I was working through really gave me something to think about. 

So beautiful! And so alone. :)

These are some great views of the other side of Mt. Lemmon, looking east. I had to stop for these views. 

Different from the route last year, this year we took a left and went down a "residential" road. It had a ton of cabins I never even knew existed! A lot of people were out in their lawn chairs cheering us on. :)

Almost there! 

I finished!!

Time - 2:46:58

Avg Pace - 12:44

Place - 128th
Elevation Gain - about 3190 ft. 

The food afterwards:

Lots of fruit, muscle milk and eggs and tortillas. :)

Me and my parents. After this, we decided to go eat in Ski Valley (at the very top of the mountain) at the Iron Door Restaurant. Unfortunately, the staff couldn't get through the traffic so it wasn't open. :(

I actually emailed the race director later that day hoping to get more businesses involved next year (like the General Store and the Cookie Cabin). I would have loved to stay in Summerhaven for at least another hour. But there really wasn't much to do with all the businesses being closed.

Back in Tucson, about to eat at the Good Egg when I realized that I didn't get a photo with Chance.

Pretty sweet medal. :)

Overall, this race was amazing! Definitely a MUST. Yes, it's tough, but it feels great to finish. :)
I loved the solidarity, but next time around, I'd like to run with someone by my side. Or perhaps a group of people. Be prepared, you may see a Girl Scout team running this in April. :)

ONE HUNDRED!

The Mt. Lemmon Half Marathon was so awesome! Recap to come soon. Until then...

For my one hundredth post, I will divulge 100 things about me.

I can't believe I have gotten this far with running. I wasn't sure how far it would take me, or how long it would be until I got bored. But I didn't! It has been a slow process, but I have finally gotten to my 100th post. I started this blog in February of 2010 and since then it has been an amazing journey. I have amazed myself in many ways and met some really fantastic people along the way. Thanks for following me on my journey and I hope for much more to come!

I stole this idea from Aron at Runner's Rambles. So awesome, thanks for the idea!

10 Facts About Me:

1. I was born January 6th, 1989
2. I go to the University of Arizona.
3. I am studying Archaeology and Geology.
4. I am a 5th year Senior, and I want to change my major (for the second time, to something like Education or CAMP. I can do that, right?)
5. Born and Raised in Tucson, Arizona. Lived here all of my life, the same house and everything.
6.  I have one sister, JoAnn, 7 years older than me. Her blog HERE. She inspired me to start running, and biking, and tri-ing. She is amazing!
7. I have a red color in both of my eyes. 
8. I rarely wear deodorant. (But I'm not smelly, promise!)
9. I have a mild form of asthma. 
10. I have crazy sensitive skin! 

10 Things I Love To Do:

1. Run
2. Bike
3. Hike
4. Hang out with my family
5. Play with my dog
6. Camp
7. Read
8. Daydream
9. Swim

10 Things I Hate:

1. weird smells (like ferrets)
2. watching too much TV
3. chocolate
4. mango
5. flan (so. gross.)
6. itchy clothes
7. being late
8. procrastinating 
9. people who litter and use their resources unwisely!
10. traffic (I wish we biked EVERYWHERE)

10 Places I have Traveled to:

1. Japan
2. The Czech Republic
3. Germany
4. Austria
5. Wales
6. England
7. Scotland
8. Mexico
9. Alaska
10. Hawaii

10 Favorite Foods:

1. Udon Noodles in Memmi Sauce
2. Strawberries
3. Soups: Avgolemono, Minestrone, Butternut Squash, Vegetable, Clam Chowder. 
4. Egg Salad
5. Sushi (especially Nigri)
6. Liver and Onions (seriously)
7. Pasta
8. Steak/Prime Rib 
9. Avocados
10. Delicious glazed donuts (oh yes)

10 Current Songs on My Running Playlist:

1. Nicki Minaj "Super Bass"
2. Lena "Satellite"
3. Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend"
4. Matt & Kim "Daylight"
5. Kanye West "Stronger"
6. A.R Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)"  Helps if you know the dance. :) Yes, sometimes I try to dance and run.
7. Die Atzen :Disco Pogo"  This one is HILAROUS. Again, with the dancing. 
8. Blink -182 "All The Small Things"
9. Glee Version of "Don't Rain On My Parade" from Funny Girl
10. LMFAO "Party Rock Anthem"

10 Current Obsessions:

1.  My Bike and it's many speeds
2.  Carmel Corn and Candy Corn (totally different, but it's a tie)
3.  Instant Netflix
4. Yoga Meltdown
5.  My tiny back porch garden
6.  Cooking new and healthy foods
7.  Blue Moon Beer
8.  Photography
9.  Spandex while running
10. Geocaching

10 Things I Think about while Running:

1. What I'm going to organize when I get home.
2. How many people I can say hi to on the trail.
3. I count how many people are nice (people who say hi back) and how many are jerks. 
4. My breathing 
5. Different ways to wear my hair on my next run (maybe I should braid it, pigtails, bun, etc.) My hair bothers me a lot. 
6. What am I going to eat when I get home? 
7. Why am I always broke? Oh yeah, I'm in college. 
8. Can I try this dance move without anyone seeing? (This usually happens when I listen to Disco Pogo or Jai Ho)
9. How to hold my hands (clenched, dangling, holding an egg, etc)
10. The people running behind me/in front of me and how I must stay ahead/pass them

10 of my Favorite Workout Things:

1. Bike
2. VFF's
3. Nike+
4. iPod
5. New headphones that wrap around my ears
6. Spandex! I will not run in anything else lately. Too comfy!
7. Headlamp. Night runs would NOT happen without this!
8. Compression socks. Feels so good after a long run. 
9. Foam roller. 
10. Fuel Belt. 

10 Races I Want to Try in my Future:

1. Tucson Marathon
2. R2R2R
3. El Tour De Tucson
4. Bisbee 1000
5. Javalina Jundred
6. Mt. Lemmon Marathon
7. Big Sur Marathon
8. Tough Mudder
9. RNR Las Vegas (at night!)
10. The Amazing Race (does this count?)

10 Favorite Running Photos:

               My first 5k since high school! Race for the Cure 2010. 

Finishing my first RNR AZ Half Marathon 2011.

I love this one. Spartan Race 2011 was a BLAST. Can't you tell I'm having fun?

Finishing Muddy Buddy 2010! Such an awesome race, I wish they would come back to Arizona!!!

Stretching with my sister before we run the Sabino Canyon 4 Miler in 2010. 

Running Spartan Race 2011 with my sister and a team from Phoenix. 

My first trail race. :)  Catalina State Park Trail Race 2011. 

Our Ragnar Relay Team Finish! Such an amazing experience. Del Sol 2011.

I'm jumping over FIRE. Of course this is one of my favorites. You couldn't tell but I'm freaking out. Spartan Race 2011.

And most recently, a photo from the Mt. Lemmon Half Marathon. 

Thanks for reading! Keep Running!

90% Mental, 10% Physical...right?

Less than 1 week until MLHM. I'm excited and nervous at the same time! Excited because it's my second half marathon on a beautiful course, but I'm nervous because it's completely uphill and I could have trained harder. I have no intention of a PR, but I don't want to get kicked off the course! I have 7 hours to complete, and most of me knows that I will have plenty of time to finish. But then there's that annoying little voice in the back of my head. It's pretty much all mental, so I have to get that little voice out of my head!!!

What is mainly concerning me is my injuries. Well...my sort of injuries. More like bruises and strains. Last week, I dropped my U-Lock on my right foot. OW. That one hurt. Created a small bruise on the top of my foot which makes it hard to tie any of my shoes too tight. Then, last night, I twisted/sprained(?) my pinky toe on my left foot. Actually, I'm still not sure what happened to it. There's a shooting pain up along the outer edge of my foot whenever I walk. Seems like it could potentially be bad...

No matter! I'm running this half, even if a huge boulder falls on me tomorrow (knock on wood). I'm doing this thing!!! I paid for it, I've been wanting to do it for awhile. It will be a challenge, but I'm ready for it.

I'm ready!!! 

As for my training...of course it could have gone better. Training is something that I would like to improve on. I wish my life schedule would let me stick to a training schedule...just for once! Unfortunately, that's not the way it happened this time. And that's okay. You just have to roll with the punches. 

Mt. Lemmon...Here I come!

MLHM in 2 Weeks

The Mt. Lemmon Half Marathon is in two weeks!!!


What I've been up to...

• Training of course! I've been making it a weekly habit to ride up Mt. Lemmon, every Friday morning. Sometimes my friend Kali joins me, sometimes I go it alone. It's a fantastic ride! When you visit Tucson (I know it's on everybody's list, don't lie) take a ride up Mt. Lemmon. You. Will. Not. Regret. It. 
  
  Yes, people do actually bike to the top. I've only made it to Milepost 5.
  
  
• 
  Not my bike, but a pretty similar photo to the one I took.
  
  
  Some cyclists on their way up. It's quite the incline!
  
  
  This cute cafe is fairly close to the base of Mt. Lemmon. A perfect spot for cyclists to meet! (Thanks Google for all the photos!)
  

• Working like a mad woman. I have recently taken on a few more projects at work, which in turn has taken up most of my free time. They are really rewarding! But also very exhausting. And it has been taking a toll on my training. Also, I am not full time right now, and it's feeling like a full time job. Definitely tough.
  
• Geocaching! I have been browsing locations on Geocaching.com and there are a lot of caches in my area! So I had to try it. I made Chance come with me on a late night geocache hunt! It was a ton of fun roaming the park at night looking for "treasure". We didn't actually find one (geocaching is hard!) but we had a good time. I want to go hiking this Sunday in search for one! :)
• School. Almost done! I'm working on my second to last semester right now. While this is my "full time job" for the time being, I sometimes find myself putting it on the back burner second to work and running. I'm so close to being finished with my undergrad, isn't 5 years in college enough??
  
• Stressing. I have 2 laptops and they both broke. Imagine how stressed that is making me! Not only do I have homework and midterms, but I also have my blog which has been totally neglected. :c  And I'm sorry for that. I also have my own photos (instead of the ones used above) but my computer wiped all of them. I. am. so. sad.
  
• Just so I don't leave you on a sad note... The Mt. Lemmon Half Marathon is in less than two weeks!!! I am so excited!!! But the question is...Am I ready? I'll let you know in a future post... :)

Happy Running!

Training is in full swing!

I went to the first TriCats meeting on Thursday. 

And I won some cool swag. Which means it's a good sign I should be in this group. :)

I won this:

And I never win anything. I'm telling you...it's a sign. 

Friday was the first swim practice.

No pictures from that...didn't want to be that girl taking photos of people at the pool. Maybe as the year goes on I'll get some pics...

That practice was fun, and crazy and hard all at the same time. I inhaled soooo much water. Let me remind you I haven't been in a pool for quite awhile. I was beginning to feel pain in my legs after that practice.

Then, on Sunday, we had our first running practice at Reid Park.

I had eaten a semi-large-ish dinner beforehand (i know, stupid, stupid). So, I wasn't feeling it. I ended up trailing behind everyone, with major cramps. Great first impression I left for everyone. And running is supposed to be my thing. Ugh. I could barely make it around one loop.

My legs hurt pretty bad that night.

And then Monday, Labor Day, I decided a hike would be fun, even with the pain in my legs.

Hahahaha.

What a fool I am.

Chance and I hiked from the Palisades Trailhead (#99) on Mt. Lemmon down to Mud Spring, and back again.  The elevation started at 7850 ft and went down to 6700 ft. 

Found it! It's hidden in some bushes. I know bears love this place! Lots of water, berries, and good places to hide. Good thing we didn't see any...

The spring is behind us. Isn't Sookie's backpack too cute?

Why it's called Mud Spring.

The trail near Mud Spring. A big change from the rest of the trail.

Great views. One day, I'd like to hike down to Sabino Canyon one day. That's about 15 miles one way. 

Back up the trail to my car. 

This is what finally killed my legs today.

It was about 6 miles total. 3 downhill and 3 back up. And that is one hard hike!

We hiked half of the red dashed line. 

So, last night, I covered my legs in Tiger Balm. Smelly stuff, but it works. The pain in my leg has faded a little. But I have more practices coming up. I hope my legs can handle it!

*crossing my fingers*

:)