Matt and Ariana's Summer Vacation 2009

Matt and I spent an entire week in Heber, AZ at his parents' cabin. We had so much fun reading, hiking, cooking, eating, drinking great wine, fishing, playing games, and relaxing. (I also got some really great, difficult runs in!) We had no phone service, internet, or TV and it was marvelous! It stormed every afternoon and the temps on average peaked out at 85 in the sun, then dropped to about 67 after the rain. Awesome. We also did at 17 mile hike! We hiked the East/West trails of Mt. Baldy to make an entire loop all around and up/down the mountain. It was quite an experience, I am just thankful we had no bear encounters. It took us seven and a half hours! Needless to say, I did not run the next day. My legs were so sore! Here are some pics from the week.
Playing tiles when we arrived after my race.


Small hike in Greer interrupted by thunderstorms.
Matt cooking breakfast.
Fishing


What a cute little guy! The fish is cute too!OK, This one is a little better!
At the start of our epic hike. The East fork is 7 miles, the West fork is 7 miles and the connector trail is 3 miles.

The beetles eat away at the trees which make parts of the forst look very eerie.

Matt snapped the elusive Mt. Baldy Sasquatch.
Army airplane crash from the 1950's on the trail.
Rock formations
Forest and beautiful wildflowers
We finally made it to the connector trail! 3 miles to the car!
Hike is finished! We conquered the Mt. Baldy Loop!

AZ RoadRacers Summer Series Race #4

This 5k race was on July 18th. It was a pretty roasty-toasty morning and for some reason, I could not sleep the night before because I was so nervous about the race. I started out fast (per my awful running style) but I didn't take my Garmin with me because during short races, I tend to waste time looking at it, so I was not too sure of my pace.

Start line at Kiwanis Park


The race was around a park in Tempe and like usual, I wanted to stop during the middle of it! I really need to get some more mental strength for these 5k's. They seem to go on forever!
At mile 3, I was hot and my legs felt rubbery. I slowed down my pace and in my head, I was giving up. I was just so tired! I was the third female so far. I reached for a cup of water and my good friend Terri passed me! She is an awesome runner and a very experienced racer. I really admire her running and am just thankful we are not in the same age group! LOL! She goes out evenly and kicks up dust at the end, even at track practice. I really need to practice this strategy! She ended up finishing 7 well deserved seconds before me.

About mile 1.5. I was already hot and tired! :)

Finally the finish line!


I finished 4th female, 1st in my age group with a time of 19:39 which is 6 min 20 sec per mile average. It was a new PR for me, so I am happy about that! I am aiming to get between a 19:30-19:40 on the last summer series 5k at South Mountain, but I have heard it is a tough course so we will see. I am definitely going to wear my Garmin and start at a better pace to finish strong. Honestly, I was a little dissappointed in myself for giving up like I did, but oh well, live and learn. :)
Me, Mark, and Terri after the race. Good job friends!

Marathon Honor Roll

I'm movin' up! 26th in the state!

AZ Honor Roll

4th of July fun!

Matt and I headed up to Heber, AZ to spend the weekend with his parents and our nephew, Preston in the cabin. We had so much fun! We went hiking, attempted to fish :), ate lots of good food, and relaxed. I even managed to get in a 7 mile trail run! The weather was so great. We had some rain and thunder, but nothing too serious. It was so nice to get out of the heat. We can't wait to go back, it was so relaxing!

At the parade. Preston was Tank's new best friend. i.e. He could easily get food from Preston.

Tank and I after the parade.Relaxin' on the hammock.

Fishing attempt. We got a late start, Matt forgot his sunscreen, we didn't have breakfast and forgot the food... we will try again. :)Making some whole wheat banana pancakes. Pancakes are by far one of my favorite foods on the planet. I have them at least once a week for breakfast, dinner, anytime!