Archives for August 2014

Gaspin’ in the Aspen Race Recap 2014

Enough pictures were taken on this short 40 hour trip, that I’m going to let them do MOST of the talking. As some of you may remember, I did this same race last year at the Flagstaff Nordic Center. It held true to its name again and I was indeed gaspin’ in the aspens.

A baggie full of goodies greeted me at Run Flagstaff off Route 66 by the ever sweet FancyRunningGirl. <3 Awesome.

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Packet pick-up at Kickstand Kafe. Loved the number, and the shirts this year.

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We rode our bikes to get around, since the RV was hooked up to the campsite.

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“Holy. Hills. I might regret these tomorrow.”

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But it was so gorgeous.

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And the weather was amazing. I’m wearing a SWEATSHIRT. (Meanwhile, back in Phoenix, it’s still 105ºF.)

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This is what you see in a mountain town, at 7,000 ft elevation. Green mountains!

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Oh, and I maaaaaay have bought some cool new trail running shoes since I HAD to go to Run Flagstaff to get my goodie bag.

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Pre-race fuel the night before. Perks of having an RV. 😉

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Some chillin’ under the stars with the boy Rocco.

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Selfie #215 because taking selfies in the dark is WAY harder than you think…

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It was COLD at the start line. I just left 100 degree weather, remember? It was 55ºF at the start, not to mention nice and damp… so no dust this year! Yay!

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Amidst the gasping, I would stop to take some pics along the way. I just HAD to capture some of these moments with something other than my memory.IMG_8015

This is Stephanie of Now I Run, she is super cool. You can read her race recap on her blog. 🙂

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I didn’t catch her name, but I told her I’d post her pic to the blog! Hopefully she will comment below and I can update this. 🙂

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No words.

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Stormy skies.

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Absolutely breathtaking Aspens.

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Proof that I was still running… 😉

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Oh look at that! Mr. Zucchini Runner showed up on the course to take some pics! Woo hoo! 🙂

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Giving it my all at the finish line.

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I finished 2 minutes and 45 seconds slower than last year… and I am OK with that. Spending time with Mr. Zucchini Runner on the bikes the day before, and burning out my hammy’s was worth it. It was also worth it taking the summer months off from any hard training this year. This was the perfect intro into my racing season.

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Lyndsay Hupp, of Huppybar was providing little samples of her whole food energy bars. I snagged two flavors to try. Needless to say, I just placed an order for a dozen of the orange spice ones. 😉 You should go check out her site too! These suckers are loaded with the good stuff.

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Soaking up the last bit of the cold, beautiful weather while we could.

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Purple wild flowers, I couldn’t resist!

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Not sure why we don’t live here yet.

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Post race recovery cookie? Sure… I did balance it out with some antioxidant dense Rooibos tea though. 😉

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Instead of medals at the finish line, we got these bad boys.

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Old vs. new – What do you think?

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I told Vince at Run Flagstaff that my old shoes felt like bricks on my feet… you can see why here…

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Look at the difference in tread?!

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All in all, this was an amazing weekend. We both love Flagstaff, and I’m not even exaggerating when I tell you I was looking at homes for about an hour online today. That happens pretty much after every visit. Maybe someday we will call Flagstaff home… 🙂

SUP Yoga

If you are like me, you may be wondering what the heck SUP is… or maybe you are from California or somewhere near a body of water where stand up paddleboards are more common than the desert. 😉 Either way, now you know for SURE. This weekend I had the pleasure of experiencing yoga while on a stand up paddle board — SUP Yoga! Apparently, there are some really pretty lakes in Arizona – WHO KNEW!? I kid… kinda. Of all the lakes I’ve been to here, I think Lake Pleasant is by far the nicest. 🙂 See the red marker at Lake Pleasant Marina below? That’s where we did our SUP Yoga this weekend.

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You’ve heard me mention my friend Kristin, of Cook and Run with Kristin before, right? Well I can always count on her to introduce me to new things and this SUP Yoga was no exception! She discovered a local yogi, Rhiannon, who leads yoga classes in the coolest places! (Next up on my to-do list, is yoga in Butterfly Wonderland!) Now, without reading another word, go check out her site, don’t worry, it will open in a new window — I’m not going anywhere!

Cool, right?! If you end up signing up and taking a class with her, be sure to mention I sent ya. As a fellow small business owner/entrepreneur, it’s always nice to know how the word is being spread! She also has a Facebook page as well.

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Rhiannon did a great job at making me feel comfortable on the water, and her instructions were very clear and patient. 🙂

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Kristin snagged this pic of me trying to catch the board’s fin on the tie down line. Can you imagine doing SUP Yoga, with a whole group of people all being carried away by the current? haha

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Once we were all tied down, Rhiannon started us off with a centering pose to get us focused in the present moment.

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Then it was time to get up and start some poses, but first, mentally prepare! haha

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Mr. Zucchini Runner looking very Zen.

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I was able to do Warrior One, pretty well… so I was feeling a bit more confident at this point!

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Kristin’s husband, Evan snagged this pic of Rhiannon demonstrating how to do a modified Warrior Two, which worked great for Mr. Zucchini Runner. 😉

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My all-time favorite yoga pose, because it is so centering and “easy” for me. On the board, it was a WHOLE other story. I was concentrating pretty hard here, and my posture is pretty off! I will call this “Leaning Tree” 🙂 hehe

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And don’t let this pic fool you… it was HARD for me to get to this pose. After many failed attempts, and ALMOST falling into the water (which I would have been ok with, but was trying to avoid), I managed to hold it just long enough for Rhiannon to snag a quick photo!

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And surprisingly, Crane was probably the easiest one to hold, since you are so low to the ground and have a good base!

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Kristin and Mr. Zucchini Runner holding Upward Plank Pose.

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My Upward Plank 🙂

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Side plank!

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Had to represent and do a little PiYo move!!

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After we got to play around and do some fun moves on our own, we all hung out and just relaxed out on the water. It was so peaceful. 🙂

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Kristin and I after enjoying some lunch back at the Marina and Boat Rental area.

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Oh HEY! Then we decided to extend the day and do a little kayaking. Boat rentals were very reasonable, so why not explore a little more?

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Kristin snagged this cute moment of us. <3 Thank you!!

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And we’re all in!

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Nothing really beats this…

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We only spent an hour out on the lake with the boats, but that was plenty. It was 108 degrees!!

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I’m not gonna lie, I fell asleep within 2 minutes of getting on the road back home. It’s about an hour drive from where we live, so I got a decent nap in! Mr. Zucchini Runner was a trooper! I’m sure he was tired too. I can’t wait to go back and explore Lake Pleasant more in the future!

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A special thanks to Kristin, Rhiannon and Evan for the majority of these photos!