Phoenix Marathon: Post Race

YOU MADE IT! You read about the Pre-Race drama, the shenanigans on race morning and along the 26.2 mile course, now you are ready to wrap it up with what went down after the race itself!

Well, if you know the PRO Compression crew (which reminds me, if you don't, you should probably give us all a follow, I may be a little bias but we are a pretty awesome group of people ;) [https://twitter.com/PROCompression/lists/2016-pro-ambassadors]), then you know we like to get together and have a good time. #WeRunSocial and PRO Compression sponsored a little get together for the ambassadors who were in town for the race at OHSO Brewery Saturday evening.

This crew! THEY ROCK MY PRO COMPRESSION SOCKS!

Not only was the company AWESOME and the food YUMMY [I don't know if I have been living under a rock or just really have never thought of this before, but they put corn IN THEIR GUAC! And it was DELISH!], but God treated us to an AMAZING sunset to wrap up our Arizona evening. It's sort of like He was apologizing for the HOT HEAT ;)

The sky was on FIRE!

After drinks, dinner and a night-cap we called it a night and decided a decent night's sleep was probably a necessity after the multiple mornings of EARLY wake up calls we had been 'enjoying'.

One of the many great things about Saturday races is that you still have all day Sunday! The hubby had gone on a guys weekend to camp at Joshua Tree National Park a few weeks prior and said that we could drive through it on our way home since we'd be in that area. Although adding an extra 2-3 hours of being in the car didn't necessarily sound particularly fun to my marathon'ed legs, I am always up for an adventure.

Sunday morning came (FYI sleeping in till 6:30am was a TREAT compared to our 3 and 4am wake-ups the previous mornings), we ate our "free" continental breakfast at the hotel, dropped Brian off at the airport, and hit the road again.

This time we made sure to stop for gasoline TWICE (and even arrived home with more than three-fourths of a tank JUST TO BE SAFE!), not to mention the countless pit-stops. Even though I chuckled at the frequency of bathroom breaks, my legs were much appreciative of the ability to get out of the car and walk around a bit.

We made it to Joshua Tree, paid our National Park fee, and then went exploring. Ryan had a couple places on his itinerary, but we also stopped whenever we saw something that tickled our fancy.

TOTALLY worth the extra time in the car!

A JOSHUA TREE!

Adventuring with this guy is my ABSOLUTE FAVE!

At first I thought the desert was boring... I guess I just didn't appreciate its beauty!

Skull Rock

Ryan was a little bummed I wasn't letting him do any of his bouldering on the trip

The high elevation and decent cloud cover made for perfect temperatures to explore

We were on the look out for REAL turtles, but didn't see a single one!

This was the best we could do for a "turtle"... But when you
see a giant turtle on the side of the road (especially one with lipstick),
you MUST stop for a picture, right?!

On the way out we stopped at a little vegetarian restaurant for lunch and it was DA BOMB! Who knew there would be so many amazing vegetarian joints in the desert?! 

This HIT THE SPOT! The Natural Sisters Cafe is a MUST when in Joshua Tree!

By the time we had stopped a couple more times, went to our friends' to pick up Walt and got back to the house we had been on the road for about 9 HOURS. Thankfully the hubby knew EXACTLY what I needed and offered to head out on an easy 3 mile shake out run to get our legs moving and chase the sunset. The PERFECT way to end the weekend!

In case you couldn't guess, I thought the weekend was a HUGE success! I got to see friends (both new and old), had a blast on the Phoenix Marathon course and enjoyed God's creation with some of my favorite people! Now to start planning for next year ;) Will I see you there?!

What is your take on road trips?! Love 'em or hate 'em?!

Workout Recap - Week 10

Sunday, February 28th – 3 mile run with the hubby, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Monday, February 29th – Strength Training (abs, back, legs and arms), 5 mile run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Tuesday, March 1st –  SICK DAY [literally was only awake for maybe 6 hours total]

Wednesday, March 2nd – SICK DAY, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Thursday, March 3rd –  4 mile run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Friday, March 4th –  12 mile run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Saturday, March 5th –  19.5 mile bike ride, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Although I am still in the thick of marathon training (yep, I've got another at the end of April), I needed to take a couple extra days for rest this week. Actually, I think if I wouldn't have gotten sick (some sort of NASTY stomach thing), I probably would have kept chugging right along, so maybe the bout with the bug was a blessing in disguise. I'd say I'm feeling about 95%, hopefully the extra maxin' and relaxin' this weekend will do a body good!

How were your workouts this past week?

Phoenix Marathon Race Recap

In case you missed out on the pre-race drama, feel free to get caught up on it HERE. Don't worry, we can wait for you.

Alrighty, now that we are all on the same page, let's begin, shall we?

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Race morning came early, like always... I never sleep well the night before a race (no matter what the distance or goal), so I've come to expect it. I spend the majority of the night tossing and turning, checking the clock to make sure I haven't overslept and missed the race. Thankfully I am sure to lay out my gear the night before so I don't have to search around in the dark with a half rested brain making crucial race-day decisions.

The sweet EMZ offered to pick Brian and I up from our hotel the morning of the race (this would allow the hubby to sleep in a bit, meet us at the 20 mile mark and then see us again at the finish line to give us a ride back to the hotel).

Normally I am the type that needs to be at the start line EXTRA early, but since this was a "fun run with friends" I wasn't too worried when EMZ suggested she pick us up at 4:45am. You see, the last bus was set to leave at 5:15am (the race is a point-to-point, meaning we all park near the finish line and are bused up to our respective starting lines) and our hotel was literally 2 miles from the parking lots. We always hassle EMZ because she led some of the girls astray last year and got on the wrong bus, but, hey, they made it to the start with time to spare, so why question the pro?!

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Well, life is always an adventure, right, so why stop now?! Traffic was pretty backed up heading to the parking lot, but with all the cars we knew they wouldn't leave without everyone, so felt decent about getting to the buses with a little cushion. As we were parking, EMZ noticed that there were buses a little further down and then we saw a big, open parking lot. Shoot, we thought we had lucked out... Come to find out, the reason there was an empty parking lot was because those buses were for the 10K which had a later shuttle time than the rest of us... OOPS!

After a bit of swift walking, a minor freak out, and some kind runners pointing us in the right direction we found our way to the correct shuttles! And we made it with "time to spare", okay, maybe not really, but there were two additional buses in line after us, so it made us feel a bit better. [Come to find out, Monica and Sarah were two of the final runners to make the buses... Read Monica's recap HERE.]

Once we got on the bus, we let out a collective sigh and were able to relax for a few minutes. The shuttle was smooth sailing and we got up to the start line with no issues. By the time we got to the top we only had about 10 minutes until it was go time. The line for the port-o-potties was CRAY CRAY (not sure if everyone decided to wait until the last minute or the number of potties vs. people was inadequate) so we may or may not have found a somewhat dark bush and popped a squat. I mentioned to the crew that maybe it was the larger number of heaters this year, but MAN did it feel a lot warmer than it had the previous year...

It might not look HOT, but try starting a 26.2 mile run
with the temps already in the mid-50s and see how you feel

We made our way over towards the starting line and it was go time. Like, legit... there were a couple of fireworks and then we noticed the crowds were moving forward. We didn't even have time to move up towards the correct pacing area. I don't think I even heard the National Anthem or a "GO", but it appeared as though the race had started... Thankfully I had started locating satellites on my Garmin before we found our bush and was ready to go.

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The game plan? To have fun with my friends, hand out as many high-fives and THANK YOU's as possible, and try to encourage #AllTheRunners along the way. Originally I was thinking it would be great if I could get a 3:44, only because I'd love to PR all of my distances this year and I'm not sure how many other chances I'll have at the marathon distance this year, but numbers go OUT THE WINDOW if I have the option to hang out with friends!

Although the race is touted as a "downhill" course (and that is what the elevation chart would lead you to believe), I'd say it's more of a flat course. The reason I mention it is because last year (which was my first year running this race) I was expecting the down to pull me a little more... You totally have to WORK for these miles (especially the couple miles of UPHILL between miles 4 and 6). There is definitely a net loss, but it seems so gradual over the 26.2 miles that in case you're hoping to pick up your legs and have gravity speed you to the finish line you better prepare yourself for a different game plan.

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The race started off awesome. We were keeping great time, but noticed once we hit the hill around mile 5 that Brian started letting off the gas. Now I remember from running with him during the RnRSD Half that he likes to take the hills conservatively (whereas I'd prefer to eat them for breakfast), so I wasn't totally worried. But by around mile 7 when he hadn't gotten back to the original pace I figured something was up [my first thought was the fact that he did a spontaneous trail marathon a couple weeks prior in place of his 20 mile training run... Go big or go home, right?!].

Like I said, this race was NOT about a time on the watch, but about time with friends! EMZ and I would run together, notice Brian had fallen back and wait for him at the next aid station. Although we weren't necessarily the three-man wolf pack that I was originally anticipating, we made sure to meet up and check in to make sure everyone was doing alright.

I was totally pleased with the temps the first half of the race (and remember thinking to myself that if I was "only" running the half that it would have been a perfect morning). The sun was at our backs for the majority of the time, so even when it was rising and getting a bit warmer it wasn't terrible. I would say around mile 18 or so is when the heat made its presence known - THANK YOU MENOPAUSAL MOTHER NATURE! IT'S FEBRUARY FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!

Thankfully we didn't see the 90 degree temps they were
originally predicting, but 80s is hot enough...

Ryan was planning on being out on the course around mile 20. He was at this location last year and it worked out great, so why ruin a good thing?! (It's near the start of the 10K, has decent parking, and still allows him to get back to the finish in time to see us come through again.) He caught some great pictures of the three of us.

Smiling and chatting it up the entire 26.2 miles!

I think Brian was hoping Ryan made good on his word and had tacos and Tecate at his cheer stop.

You know #WeRunSocial and the streets of Phoenix!

I normally HATE when Ryan takes pictures after I pass him... I mean who wants a picture of their backside?! But this might be my favorite one of the day!

Brian saw a friend from NPSF shortly after this who ran along with him for a while. I think it was just the spark we needed to keep the train heading towards the station, especially with the heat rising and the scenic views behind us (the first half of the course is gorgeous, the second half is more industrial but at least does have more spectators and crowd support).

Around mile 23 or so, EMZ and I stopped at an aid station to wait for Brian. When we saw him approaching he was walking with two women. EMZ looked at me and said, "Did Brian make friends on the course?". "I hope he isn't trying to replace us." Low-and-behold, it was Monica and Sarah! They were two of the last runners to cross the starting line (one of the great things about chip timed races is your time doesn't begin till you actual start) and had caught up to us! We chatted it up for a bit and then remembered that we were actually running a race and should probably try running some.

I've gotta say, although we were on the course longer than I was originally expecting, the miles FLEW by! And being the second marathon I ran in less than two weeks, my body AMAZED me! EMZ, Sarah and I were even to pick up the pace and kill the last mile or so.

Crazy-faced-Carlee coming in hot... Whereas EMZ and Sarah just look so graceful... I need to get some pointers from these ladies... Not only on how to take decent race pictures but also how to be SPEED DEMONS!

We waited for Monica and Brian to join us at the post-race party (shoot doggy, if I could eat after running the Phoenix Marathon post-race party is where I would LOVE to be... they've got BBQ, huge plates of french toast, popsicles, etc) and grabbed a couple quick pictures.

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The Muscle Milk crew said they'd take our picture if we held some of their product ;) Guess it was a fair trade.

We be all about that Garmin and Momentum life ;)

Stoked to have finished my SEVENTH full marathon
(remember how I said I would NEVER run a single one... HA, yeah, that was a funny joke!)

After finding the hubby, it was time to head to the hotel so I could shower the thick layers of salt off (I know, I know, it might be TMI, but I am a super salty sweater) and relish in the feat I was just able to accomplish!

Official results, even though numbers mean nothing!

A pretty snazzy medal, right?! And a few folks even pointed out that it appears
as though the cactus is applauding my accomplishment! 

And just in case you were wondering, you better believe I'll be back again... At least for the next four years ;) Because the medals create a STAR and I'm all about that bling life (not to mention the awesome company and great race!)!

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And if you wanna join me, NOW IS THE TIME TO REGISTER! Prices are SUPER LOW, so do NOT miss out! Register now and EARN THE BIRD (and don't forget to share your registration on Facebook and save an additional $3 - every penny counts, #AmIRightOrAmIRight?!). [To be on the safe side, since we all know life happens, the Phoenix Marathon offers a deferral option in case something comes up between now and February 25th, 2017.] Who's comin' with me?!

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Do you prefer to run to run with friends or on your own?

We Need To Stop

I will say it again because it needs repeating... WE JUST NEED TO STOP! 

We need to stop thinking that there is a one-size fits all process, a step-by-step guide, or a magic solution that will fix it all. There is no simple fix, no easy way, no silver bullet... Don't get me wrong, I wish there was, but it will take time and it will take work!

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That doesn't mean that we will give up searching for one (I mean, isn't that why the "Three Tips to a Perfect Life" or "Five Easy Ways to Lose Weight" or "Seven Steps For Success" books make it into the Best Selling spots time and time again?), it just means we've gotta be willing to give it our all.

Just know, if you are putting in the effort, continuing to grind away, YOU ARE DOING IT! You may not be there yet, and you may not be there tomorrow, but know that some day you will be there and BEYOND!

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Determination builds habits and habits build character and character builds YOU!

KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT! KEEP GRINDING! HUSTLE HARD, ENJOY THE JOURNEY, AND NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP! WE FREAKIN' GOT THIS! 

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YOU ARE WORTH IT! (And don't you dare forget that!)

Phoenix Marathon: Pre-Race

I thought, similar to last year, that I would break my posts for the Phoenix Marathon into three pieces - a pre-race, race, and post-race recap. Because, let's be real, I am a chatty Cathy and have a hard time editing myself... otherwise the post would take four days to write (and no one would finish reading it because they'd fall asleep in the meantime).

And just in case you want to check out last year's post about the PHX Weekend, here they are:
           *Phoenix Marathon - Pre Race*
           *Phoenix Marathon Race Recap*
           *Phoenix Marathon - Post Race*

So, here goes... Ryan and I left Friday morning around 5:30am. The #WeRunSocial Meet-Up was scheduled for 1pm at the Expo, so I figured that gave us plenty of time to get there... Well, as I should has assumed when I posted my Instagram picture before we left, things don't always go as planned...

Now I am in NO WAY throwing the hubby under the bus here, but he is on some medicine for his high blood pressure (hereditary, we try to eat healthy to keep it under control as well), and it makes him has to piddle a lot. We all joke about it because he normally has to stop before we even get on the freeway, so I knew the scheduled five and a half hour trip would probably take us a bit longer with the pit-stops during the drive.

At least we had some amazing views along the way!

We were actually cruising along at a decent rate, we made a couple stops, but I was proud of how well we were doing on time. I was actually thinking we would get into the Phoenix area close to about 11:30am, have time for lunch and maybe even peruse the Expo before the Meet-Up.

Come on, it was #NationalWearTheGibblersDay AND I was heading to AZ,
I HAD to stop on the expressway for a picture, right?! 

Shortly after we grabbed this picture Ryan asked how we were doing on gas. I told him we still had 138 miles till empty, so we were totally fine. He suggested we stop but I told him we'd stop in a bit. Well, apparently I forgot how sparse the gas stations (and life in general) can be out on the open road through parts of Arizona. And here is where the beginning of our adventure begins...

Ryan fell asleep and I realized it had been a while since we had seen the last full service exit. The notice went off on the car and it said I had 50 miles until empty. I started getting a little worried, but figured there had to be something coming soon. Well, when I was down to about 12 miles before running out I saw there was a rest stop coming up in about a mile. I got off at the rest stop and woke up the hubby...

           Ryan: "How are we doing on gas?"
           Carlee: "Uh... I made a mistake... I think we are going to run out..."
           Ryan: "What? You're joking, right?"
           Carlee: [holding back tears] "Ry, it says we have 9 miles till empty, but the numbers are dropping quickly 
                      and I really don't think we will make it. I swear I thought I would have seen gas in the last 50 miles."
           Ryan: [puts 'gas station' in his phone] "There is a station 7 miles from here. The only choice we have is to try 
                      and get as close as we can and then walk from there."

Yeah... NOT my best moment... Thankfully God provided and we BARELY made it (I mean, He can feed thousands out of a tiny G.I. Joe lunch box, why couldn't He give my Ford Focus a little boost?!). Like about a mile from the exit my car alerted that we had ZERO miles till empty, but somehow we made it there on fumes before the car shut off.

I really was sweating my balls off worrying that we were going to be stuck in the middle of no where having to run 20 miles to go find a gas station... Thankfully that did NOT happen!

Once we made it to the gas station and I stopped having a breakdown, I decided to put the Expo back into my maps to see how we were doing on time. OH CRAP! How did I forget that there was a one hour time change?! Maps forgot to alert me of this fact when we were leaving (it said we'd arrive around 11am), so now our 11:30am arrival time (due to our bathroom breaks and frantic gas stop) was actually a 12:30pm arrival time. The Meet-Up was scheduled for 1pm and I knew we needed to grab some food or else I would be running on fumes too.

We found an AMAZING sandwich stop with tons of veggie options (Ike's Place), so popped in and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading over to the Meet-Up. I don't know if we were just super hungry or I was over-the-moon thankful that we didn't run out of gas or the sandwiches really were THAT good, but they were DELISH!

The only picture I took at lunch... The cool table
tops... Because once the sammies arrived we
inhaled them and were on the road again.

Around 1:08pm we pulled into the parking lot at the Expo. (Ryan said anything before 1:10pm was still technically on time, but I feel as though being early is on time, so was a little panicky again.) But AT LEAST WE MADE IT!

Thankfully things were just kicking off when we snuck in so we didn't miss a ton. There was actually a much bigger turnout than I was expecting. Saturday races always throw me off because that means you have to travel to them on a Friday, which is hard for working folks. Even so, we still had a great group show up and hang out!

The #WeRunSocial crew knows how to #KeepItTight!

Some of the PRO Compression Ambassadors!

It was a blast getting a chance to chat with so many friends (both new and old). If only we had more time... NEVER ENOUGH TIME! Ryan, Brian and I hung out at the booth for a while afterwards trying to sell some socks and let Suzanne have a little break, but soon enough it was time to head over and check into the hotel.

Time to do this thang!

Although I love the big get-together's, a couple of us decided that a small gathering would be best for the night before the race. A chill night at La Grande Orange Grocery was JUST what the doctor ordered. And, #RealTalk, even though the three of us were planning on spending a few hours together on the course the following morning, I can never get enough of my peeps!

These two next to me are ABSOLUTE ROCKSTARS!

Eventually we had to call it a night, seeing as we would be having an EARLY morning. (The Phoenix Marathon is a point-to-point race, so everyone parks near the finish and gets bused up to the start. The LAST bus leaves at 5:15am, but more on THAT tomorrow...) We parted ways and hit the hay, all to see each other in a few hours.

Alarm(s) SET! Now time to sleep!
[And don't judge me for having an alarm
specifically for Disneyland adventures ;)]

Do you prefer large get-together's or small shindigs?

Will I Try For A BQ?

I've had quite a few folks ask me if I will attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon again in the near future. After I've had time to sit and ponder it, I figured I'd write up a little post and maybe work through some of my thoughts on the topic.

Ryan and I watched the movie 4 Minute Mile a few weeks ago (I'd totally suggest it if you haven't seen it yet). After it finished I looked at him and said, "I think I could definitely qualify for Boston {someday}, I just don't know if I want to put in the effort that it will take." Because, let's be real, the training is pretty insane! To qualify, I'd realistically need to run around a 3:32 marathon (which means take 13 minutes off my current PR).

If I am totally honest with myself (and everyone else), I don't think I have ever actually been ready to attempt to qualify for Boston. Sure, I've put in the miles, but I don't think my fitness level has been on par with what it should be is necessary. Speed work is HARD and at times most of the time IT SUCKS. Not to mention, my mental game, and believing that I could legitimately run "that fast for that long" is pretty non-existent. [Running is 100% ABSOLUTELY a mental sport!]

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You see, I'm so close (at least in the grand scheme of things; 3:45 vs 3:35) to qualifying that it's hard for me to want to hang up my BQ attempting hat and say "never again", but then, at the same time, I'm not super stoked on failure. Hear me out, I am NOT saying that I am a failure at running if I don't qualify for the Boston Marathon, but what I AM saying is that if I have a goal to BQ and then don't hit it, THAT feels like I've failed... at that specific goal during that certain race.

I had a friend who was surprised to learn that their PRs (personal records) are faster than mine. Although I run a lot of races, I don't race a lot. Maybe it's because I worry I won't hit my goals (so, in turn, I don't attempt them so I won't be disappointed if I don't meet them), maybe I'm scared I will lose the love of running, or maybe it's just because I love the camaraderie, the time spent on the course, and the sport more than a specific time on my Garmin. Whatever it is, times don't define me (or you). I run and therefore I am a runner. And THAT is something no race can take away from me!

So, I guess, as you can see, I am not necessarily leaning more one way than the other. I would LOVE to qualify and run the Boston Marathon at some point in my life, but I am not sure if I am ready to put in the effort that I know it will take, at least not at the present time (because, in the back of my mind, the fear of doing the work, not hitting my goal, and losing my passion for the sport in the process is a total possibility and I don't know if that is worth the risk).

If you were me, which way would you be leaning? Or would it even be a difficult decision for you?