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.
Packet pick-up at Kickstand Kafe. Loved the number, and the shirts this year.
We rode our bikes to get around, since the RV was hooked up to the campsite.
“Holy. Hills. I might regret these tomorrow.”
But it was so gorgeous.
And the weather was amazing. I’m wearing a SWEATSHIRT. (Meanwhile, back in Phoenix, it’s still 105ºF.)
This is what you see in a mountain town, at 7,000 ft elevation. Green mountains!
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.
Pre-race fuel the night before. Perks of having an RV. 😉
Some chillin’ under the stars with the boy Rocco.
Selfie #215 because taking selfies in the dark is WAY harder than you think…
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!
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.
This is Stephanie of Now I Run, she is super cool. You can read her race recap on her blog. 🙂
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. 🙂
No words.
Stormy skies.
Absolutely breathtaking Aspens.
Proof that I was still running… 😉
Oh look at that! Mr. Zucchini Runner showed up on the course to take some pics! Woo hoo! 🙂
Giving it my all at the finish line.
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.
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.
Soaking up the last bit of the cold, beautiful weather while we could.
Purple wild flowers, I couldn’t resist!
Not sure why we don’t live here yet.
Post race recovery cookie? Sure… I did balance it out with some antioxidant dense Rooibos tea though. 😉
Instead of medals at the finish line, we got these bad boys.
Old vs. new – What do you think?
I told Vince at Run Flagstaff that my old shoes felt like bricks on my feet… you can see why here…
Look at the difference in tread?!
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… 🙂
I’d kill for running in 55 right now! Lucky! How far was the race… and don’t think less of me…we have our own ‘reasons’…i’d rather have bling =).
Shane, I’m not gonna lie. It was AMAZING. It made coming back to Phoenix pretty rough. The race was a 15k, I guess I should have added that for this year’s recap, huh? 🙂 haha I hear ya on the bling versus bottle. It just so happened I was in the market for a new one for my bike, so it was perfect! 🙂
Awesome! I can totally see why you love this race!! 55 degrees sounds like great running weather!! Let’s cross our fingers that I can make it next year and we’ll all go together!!
Oh and I recognize a lot of your pics!! Thanks for recommending this a place for me to hike on my birthday a few weeks ago – Evan and I really had a great time spending the day there!! Next time I’ll have to check out Run Flagstaff!! The new shoes look great by the way! You can really tell from the pics that they must be so much lighter than your old shoes – big difference!!
Kristin, you FOR SURE need to do this next year!! It was like running on marshmallows compared to Phoenix trails! Run Flagstaff was awesome. I could have spent hundreds there if I had the cash! lol LOVE the new shoes!! Thanks!!
I’ve only been to Flagstaff once since we moved here. True story! But I loved it. I need to get up there for some trail runs!!
SERIOUSLY! It is amazing up there Heidi 🙂
LOVE the new kicks! 🙂 I run in Brooks ASR 10 Trail Shoes and love ’em! Anyway, this race looks great! Makes me want to drive up and run in Flag every wknd. Way to go and way to snap some awesome selfies. The selfie king approves. 😉
Stay awesome and keep the adventures coming!
Thanks Jeremy! Yeah, Flagstaff is amazing for running – especially in summer when we can’t truly enjoy our outdoor runs here in Phoenix! I am SO happy the selfie king approves of my running selfie! hahaha 🙂
Great recap! I love all of the different ways you captured the run in your pictures — the sky, the runners, the trees. It’s all there. I could FEEL how cold it was looking at your starting line pic! 🙂
I haven’t tried my sample energy bars yet, but plan to do it soon. Soon I’m going to be in the market for a new pair of trail shoes. Last time I ordered online – this time I’m heading to Run Flagstaff (I get my other running shoes there all the time!). Yours are cute – are they doing the job?
Yes they are! I absolutely love them!! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the recap, and so glad I stopped to take that one picture and therefore have the opportunity to meet you! haha I’m enjoying a bar right now with my Rooibos tea. It’s a good way to pretend it’s fall while still in the hot temps of Phoenix. 😀