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. :)

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!

Three Things Thursday

1. School started on Monday. I'm one week in and I'll be honest...I'm not loving it. There are so many people! I have been so close to running multiple people over while on my bike. Sure, I speed pretty fast through campus, but it's ridiculous to walk in front of bike traffic. Silly freshman. Also, why do so many people look nice when they get to class?? I show up sweaty, smelly and I'm basically a mess. WTH? And, there are motorcycle cops everywhere! Guess who they're after? Cyclists. Of course.

These guys would love to give me a ticket.

2. I am into Week 3 of my MLHM training plans. While I may not be completely sticking to the plan (yet) I am doing good enough. I plan on heading up to Mt. Lemmon sometime this weekend for a short trial run and to see how my body handles the altitude...again.  I was up there for a little while this summer and I felt like my body was getting used to it. But, now I've been back in Tucson for over a month now. How do you train for high altitude races?  

3. I joined the University of Arizona Women's Rugby Team!  This is very exciting for me because I am very competitive and I'll admit, a bit aggressive. This. Is. My. Sport. Other than running and cycling, of course! Lets see if I survive the first practice....

I like to pretend this will be me soon.

Friday Favorites

1. My last Friday of freedom. Not sure if this can be classified as a favorite. Yay for Friday, but I start the beginning of my last year as an undergrad Monday. Somewhat bittersweet. Although, I'm not quite sure how I feel yet. Give me a few days. ;)
   
2. I saved a dog yesterday. Really. I was driving home when I saw this small shih-tzu running around in circles in a front yard near a main road. I didn't see anyone in the front yard, so I stopped the car and got out, just to make sure. I'm a sucker for animals, so this happens all. the. time.
   As soon as I got out, the little pup ran right over to me and tried to hide in my legs. She was muddy, shaking and soaked. It was storming pretty badly and I guessed she was freaked out by the thunder, escaped from her house and got lost. She was pretty small so I figured she wasn't far from her house. And I was right! My mom and I went door to door (yup, it was still storming) and about 5 houses later...we found her owner! And she was really really happy to have her back! I think I wouldn't have felt as great if they didn't even know she was gone. But that wasn't the case. They were really worried about her! It was perhaps the highlight of my week. I'm still smiling about it. :) :) :)
   
3. I love love love my job. I work for the Girl Scouts now and it is an amazing job that gets more and more rewarding each day. What more could I ask for?
   
4. I started my training plans for the Mount Lemmon Half Marathon. Yes, I'm moving down to the half and I'm okay with it. Sure, I had plans to run the marathon and I was so excited about it. However, life gets in the way, as it did in my case. But I made the decision on my own (as in, no one influenced me) and I'm proud of myself for stepping down. I know I can be very competitive, so this is a major step. All of my runs have been at night and I can't wait until I can starting running in the morning again. I have this wonderful plan of waking up early before school, biking over to the rec center, using all of the fancy machines, and being extremely fit this year. Think I can do it? *crossing my fingers*  I sure hope I can!
   
   
   
   
5. I am seriously considering sending in an application for the Real World. One of my life goals is to be on The Challenge (it used to be called Real World/Road Rules Challenge). I'll let you know if I plan on doing it. I have to send in a video so I'll definitely have to show you that. :)

RNR AZ Official Photos

I love these photos! I had so much fun at this half! :)

RNR AZ Half Marathon Recap!

I'm a half marathoner! :D

The weekend began with the RNR AZ Expo in downtown Phoenix. My sister drove us there (thankfully, otherwise I would have been very lost) and took us around the expo.

We won some awesome Brooks beanies and posed for some photos. Check out our awesome time! 

They also had wine at the expo. Great idea! 

I also met Lauren from When I get a little, run run run. It's so cool to meet other bloggers!  I swear I looked around for you Adam, but you weren't anywhere to be found! :p

It was great meeting you! We'll have to meet up again next time I'm in Phoenix. 

And I got some free stuff and my RNR t-shirt, of course. 

 

The next morning was the big day. I'll admit I hit the snooze button a few times. I didn't have to be there until 8:54am technically, so why wake up so early? 

Joann was trying to convince me that getting there early would be a good idea. It probably would have been. Considering I ended up in the wrong corral. 

The race begun at 8:30am and my corral (20) was set to leave at 8:54am. I was dropped off at about 8:25-ish and then I stood in the horrendously loooong line to the smelly port-a-potties. 

And that took a few minutes. I jogged down along the fence that held the runners (like cattle, seriously) and had to jump the fence because there was no way to get in. 

I stood among the other runners for about 10 minutes, getting very antsy. I decided at that point I came too early and the waiting was driving me crazy. That's when I started to look around and I noticed a sign that said Corral 22. Oops.
So, I darted through the crowd and under some ropes and I was finally in the right corral. Yay.


The beginning was in sight and we were off!

My family was waiting for me up the road, which meant that they got to see Kara Goucher! Jealous.

It's a little blurry, but she's behind that guy. And she has pink shoes.

Unfortunately, I am not elite enough to run at Kara's speed so I was not able to meet her. Sorry.
But I can give you a mile by mile recap. 

Mile 1: It was very cold and since I didn't want to wear my sweatshirt, I was freezing in the beginning. I remember my hands being very stiff and cold. I kept shaking them out and it probably looked like I was dancing.

Mile 2: I saw my parents, my sister and Chance here! I loved that they came out to support me! :)

Mile 3: This was somewhere in a neighborhood and this is when the muscles/tendons/I'm not exactly sure what it was above my ankles started to hurt. I felt both sides pulling and I was freaking out that I may have injured them. 

Mile 4-5: Just cruising along to my music. Taking in the sights of Phoenix.

Mile 6: I was eating a Gu when I saw my family at the 10k mark! I had texted them at mile 6 (yes, I was running and texting, but only a little and off to the side of the road, promise) and I wasn't sure when I would see them again. Apparently they got there a few seconds before I did. Great timing!

Mile 7: Zoning out to my music.

Mile 8-9: At this point, all of the  cytomax drinks they were handing out (and I'm sure the Gu too) kicked in and I got this weird energy boost. I was speeding down the road, passing people like crazy! I felt really good and unstoppable. I also saw my family again at mile 9-ish. I was in a little pain, but nothing too bad.

Mile 10-11: At the end of mile 10, I really started to feel the pain creeping up my legs. I never felt this pain before! It totally freaked me out but I just kept running. It was really hot at this point and I remembered I didn't put on any sunscreen.

Mile 12: We ran over the bridge over the lake. It was beautiful! Best part of the course in my opinion.  Near the end of this mile, I saw people wearing medals. That gave me a kick in the butt to keep moving! I also saw the more photographers. I took off my sunglasses and flashed a few smiles. :)

Mile 13-13.1: I remember seeing so many people with medals along the side of the road and I knew I was close! My legs were screaming at me and I'm sure my finishing photo is a look of pain. I saw my family a few seconds before I crossed the finish line. Wow, I saw them 4 times!  They were really running around! And I finished!!!!

Time: 2:41:22
Overall Place: 13141
Sex Place: 7212
Division Place: 712
Avg Pace: 12:19

I got in line to get my photo with my medal, got some snacks (they had Mojo frozen yogurt!) and went painfully in search of my family. Thankfully, Joann found me wandering (I had NO idea where I was going) and we took some photos (again, pain face Jamie).

Overall, I had an awesome time! At some parts of the race, I wished I had someone to run with, but it was also nice at some parts to enjoy it by myself. I wish I wore sunscreen. I have added some more weird tan lines to my collection. And I wish I trained harder. I would have been in less pain at the end had I done that. But it was fun, and I'd like to do the marathon someday. I wasn't particularly fond of the scenery at the beginning of the race (at least up to mile 9). How is the scenery with the marathon? Any different? I know it's not all about the scenery, but it's sure a plus! 

This recap was very detailed, but there was a lot to say! I would totally recommended running this half at least once. It's a nice tour of downtown Phoenix and some surrounding areas, and the views at the end + party are well worth it. :)