12Ks of Christmas

Just as in the 12 Days of Christmas, I did a race of the 12Ks of Christmas. It started at the "North Pole" aka Gilbert, Arizona. We were all given Santa hats to wear along with special Christmas socks. Most everyone dressed up. I found a red technical t-shirt to get into the spirit of the race. Dogs were colorful with wreaths around their necks and red and green leg warmers on their four little legs. One man was a human wreath; one girl dressed up as the Grinch and dyed her hair green; some just colored themselves all red and green. One guy dressed up as Scrooge and wore a top hat and a full suit. Along the route were choral groups including a children's bell group and a choir dressed to the nines in Victorian fashions. I loved it. Santa was there with his reindeer (dogs with antlers). However, there was a police officer who stopped all the runners to allow traffic to cross. I was stopped for 2 minutes by a cop who held out his hand and let cars go by...say what?? There goes my pace. It was a timed event and the race directors paid money for that road to be stopped. But the police officers decided that cars were more important than runners. I appreciate the volunteers (in this race they were called "Santa's Helpers") and the cops who make races possible, but come on...we were in a timed event and held off running.

Training hard

The training for the 50 mile, or 80K race, has begun. I now have 1 track session/week, 1 double day (run in the morning and at night) and two long days back to back. It is going to be interesting. I can already feel my legs getting tired and complaining. Hopefully it will go well. But I can always back out if my body doesn't hold up.

Race Report and Cover Shot

I completed my 26th half marathon this past weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona. I love this race; unfortunately, my quad does not. I pulled it on Tuesday and after mile 4.5 I struggled with pain. I had to walk a bit, so my time was 50 seconds slower than last year, which is unacceptable. But I do LOVE this race.

Also, just last November I finished an Ironman. This November I was featured on the cover of Scottsdale Health Magazine. November is a good month for me :) I don't recognize myself with my new dark locks, which actually are even darker in person.

The article can be found by clicking on the magazine's site here.

Gone!

My Rapunzel hair is gone! Vanished to a dark garbage can in a salon in Mesa, Ariz. My Lady Godiva hair is no more! I have hair that reaches just below my shoulders and is a brown/reddish color. It is now life on the dark side for me. I have in extensions for volume. I am trying not to pull it out, so wanted to do something to help. Hopefully this will.....but it is just hair and can always be changed.

Race Report

I finished Iron Girl today--10 mile run around Tempe Town Lake. I ran into an old friend and we got to talking. It slowed my pace down, but sometimes good conversations are better than PRs. Love running during the winter here. I love getting bundled up and peeling off the layers as the sun rises. So a half marathon on Sat., 10 mile race today and half marathon last Sat. Is it time to slow down? Never.

Race Reports #24 and #25

I finished my 24th and 25th half marathons exactly one week apart. I flew to Santa Barbara with the flu for a gorgeous, yet hilly race. It finished right on the beach in Leadbetter Park and was a simply breathtaking course--through a woodsy area, along the coastline and through the hills. I loved it, despite my sore throat. I was glad to be out of Phoenix that weekend for personal reasons.

Seven days later I did my 25th half marathon in Mesa. Flat course, but didn't get my best time. Oh well. Still recovering from my illness. I have been dehydrated lately and I lie in bed at night and my muscles are spasming--not exactly how I should feel before a race.

Now I am going biking to try to spin out some lactic acid because I have a 10 mile race tomorrow known as Iron Girl. It's an all female race around Tempe Town Lake. I love it. This will be my 4th year doing it. So I'll be covering 23.1 miles in two days, not even a full marathon. No prob.

Still in braces :(

Happy Halloween!

I dressed up as a hula girl this year and baked a graveyard cake. I thought I was being original and handpainted RIP on Milano cookies and stuck them into chocolate cake with mashed up cookie crumbles to look like dirt. The shape of the Milano cookies looked like gravestones. We had a potluck at work so I brought in my cake and someone else decorated a cake in the same way, only much better. My cake looked like the before version; his looked like the after version. Mine was Step 1, his was Step 2. So funny.

So I am all moved out of my place and a renter is in. I am now in Mesa, Arizona. Glad moving is done. So stressful. Many years in that home. A longer commute to work is now my plight. But all is good in my life. Just my trichotillomania is out of control. I have a wig and a cosmetologist is going to work with me on getting extensions.