{05/19/2016} Two Half Marathons In Two States In Two Days Road Trip...Day 3 & Packet Pick-Up

Find out about the 1st day of our journey here: Crazy Road Trip...Day 1
Find out about the 2nd day of our journey here: Crazy Road Trip...Day 2



{The Events of this Blog Entry Happened on 05/06/2016}
Okay so here we are day three...and I was already tired thinking about the day that we had ahead of us.  Today was the day that we were going to be driving to the Grand Canyon and the MIL {aka Mom In Law...but that's a lot to type over and over again so we will just shorten it to MIL} and I were up early because of the fact that the Grand Canyon was not 5 hours like I thought it was from LA...NOOOOOO it was more like 8 and that meant 9 with stops because we liked to take our time.

We were up and ready to head out of the house around 0630 because we HAD to be in the Grand Canyon Village area no later the 1700 to ensure that I was going to pick up my packet and other stuff from the expo in time...but I wasn't worried about that!  I am not to proud to admit that I was totally jelly of the husband, daughter and puppy that were snuggled up together as I left because they looked sooooo comfy but I was about to start a road trip that at the end of it would mean that I would have ran a half marathon THROUGH THE GRAND CANYON!!

One thing that people tend to hype up in LA is the traffic and how horrid it is ALL THE DAMN TIME {and I totally don't get it because well I'm from Seattle and traffic happens so turn on some tunes and enjoy it!} but I will admit that I was blown away by how long it took us to get from Simi Valley to Pasadena where we had decided to get coffee - and well now I was in dire need of a potty break!

One of the things that I have always wanted to see in California, and more specifically Pasadena, is the Rose Bowl.  I see it every year New Years Day on TV watching the Rose Bowl Parade and never actually made it down there to check it out for myself.  Well, there happened to be a Starbucks around the corner from the actual Rose Bowl so of course we had to stop by and check it out!  It was even more beautiful in person than on TV {with the exception that all the roses around it were dead...} but the pic still turned out amazing and now I was able to say that I had been at the Rose Bowl.  {I am not going to lie when I say that going to the Rose Bowl Stadium made me want to register for the Inaugural Pasadena Half Marathon because the finish line is going to be IN THE ROSE BOWL...but Lordy I think my Hubby would murder me if I signed up for another race!!!}

Okay so here we were like 1.5 hours in to our journey and now we were on a hunt for Starbucks and gas...it was becoming more and more evident by the minute that whatever schedule I had created for today in my head was going to be thrown out the window in a matter of moments; if not already.  The thing about going on an adventure with me is that I am always down for anything so if someone says "OMG there is that thing I've always wanted to see..." I am the first person to help them get there because what are you going to do in your life...read about all the things you want to see, or see them when you have the opportunity? So gas was gotten and we actually got to drive down a famous neighborhood of Pasadena called the Bungalow District and it was awesome to see all the bungalow style homes being renovated and brought back to their original glory...something that the Pasadena area was famous for a few decades ago.  So after this tiny detour...coffee was gotten and gas was acquired and we were back on the road!

The drive itself out the Grand Canyon wasn't anything to ride home about...however, being a history nut like I am I thought that it was cool AF that we were driving parallel to the original Route 66 and everything that came along with that.  Because we were in such a hurry we didn't get a chance to stop in a the little towns and explore like we would have liked too but that doesn't mean we didn't find cool little towns to get gas in and/or pee in...because there was a lot of that happening {but then again I was downing a water bottle every 10-15 minutes} so why not find the neatest places to stop that we could.

One of the coolest things that we did was pull over at this Oasis of a gas stations that had a Dairy Queen built in {and a hotel that you wouldn't catch me staying in even if my skin was crawling off and rotting...oh god it was horrid} and it just seemed like the epitome of Desert America.  We decided about this point that we were hungry so we stopped here, ordered some chicken from Dairy Queen to thrown on our salads and were on our way to keep driving down the same stretch of road for about 56000 miles {okay okay fine...it was more like 300 miles but it seemed forever} and find the left turn that would lead us to the next long road we had to drive up.

Along the way we stopped in a city called Needles and it is right on the border of CA/AZ on the CA side...but it was cracking us up because the MIL and I were using gas buddy to make sure that we {Yes I know that hurt my head too...but thanks for hanging in}.

were getting the best priced gas we could find and this city was claiming to be "The Last Real Route 66 City" and I'll be dammed if it wasn't but it was also the town with FOUR DOLLAR GAS! Oh hell no...that is a budget breaker, so we pulled up gas buddy and found that four miles away was Arizona and they had gas for just over two dollars a gallon...WINNER WINNER WINNER.  So that was the first time that we saw the "Welcome To Arizona" sign, however it wouldn't be the last because you had to go back to California just to get back on the freeway to go to Arizona.


Okay so we border hopped and got gas on the cheap and now were back on our way...and then the rainstorm and stupid drivers set in and since I was not driving so I was hanging on for dear life as the MIL was trying to go around different semi trucks, cars and stupid Volvo drivers {apologies if you drive a Volvo but for the love of god if you are going to drive in the fast lane do not, and let me repeat, DO NOT  drive 30 under the speed limit because dear god - we will attempt to move you out of the way...} and then there was the Grey Hound bus driver lady...mmm she made the road rage come out full force.  The other lesson that I learned was that if you are going to pack everything in to a big ass SUV make sure that you have everything that you need near you because wearing booty shorts, a tank top {especially when you have specific um assets we shall say} leads to the truck drivers radioing each other letting them know a good boob shot is coming and lots of awkward waves! {I'm not a blusher in life but hell I was dying by the end of that supply gathering adventure throughout the Tahoe}

The last town that we were going to hit before driving north down a two lane road up to the Grand Canyon was Williams, AZ.  We were excited to find civilization again after many many many hours of nothing but tumbleweeds.  This was legit the cutest Route 66 town I've ever explored...and couldn't wait to get back there to explore more since we were still racing against the clock and we needed to get to the packet pick up.  Okay so nothing exciting happened between Williams, AZ and the actually getting to the Grand Canyon it's self so yey we have made it to packet pick up!!!

Now this was my first Vacation Races half marathon or event in general and I was really excited about this one as I won it from my amazing running group, The Half Twisted Runners, and couldn't have been more proud to be there repping for them with our other members...tho I was by far the slowest of all them I got the most fun for my entry! {Or so I am going to keep tellig myself and I'll come back to that on the next post...because holy hell!}  The packet pickup itself tho was the BEST reace expo that I have been to yet.  It was simple, well organizaed, and each and every person there was so happy to see you and meet you.  I was in and out of the expo pretty quickly and that was mostly because I needed to go pee, find out hotel and lord we needed food.

Okay so we decided to stay at the Grand Canyon itself at a place called Yavopi Lodge and it was like the most amazing little hotel that one could have expected for less than $150 per night.  Now one of the funniest things that happened is when we went to the Ranger station to get in the park we were told that we needed to spend $30 for a 7 day pass but I didn't want a 7 day pass as I was only going to

be there for 24 hours...if that; and so becaue the MIL was 63 she was able to buy a LIFETIME pass for $10!!  I mean seriously...that's a little bit of a price difference when you think about it...but a better deal for sure.  Now back to the lodge where we were staying...there is a more expensive option on their property but you have an Eastern view vs. the Western View that I had...and frankly I couldn't tell you the difference for almost $60 more!  The MIL and I checked in to the room, got flat me all laid out and decided that before we died in bed we would head back in to town for dinner.

Now, anyone who knows me knows how excited I get about stupid stuff and I was WAY EXCITED about taking the MIL to the Big E's steakhouse in town because the last time I was up at the Grand Canyon that is where my friends and I ate and it was wonderful!  The meal this time was no exception everything was wonderful...to the point where I had the best idea for taking my left overs to eat both Pre and Post race {...and holy hell it was wondeful even cold and eating it with my fingers because we forgot to get a darn fork.  But what are fingers really for if not eating with them, riiiight?}

Well dinner was over, we found the quickest way to get to and from the starting line and the hotel and now there was nothing left to do other than go to bed...however everyone was making fun of me because it was like 8PM and I was ready to crash but I'm thinking sleep is one of those vital things that will keep me going over the next two days. We did make one more stop before actually heading to hotel, well it was on the way, but the MIL wanted to see the Grand Canyon sine we were there...and it was sunset so there wouldn't be a better time to go see the big wonderful amazing hole in the ground.

Now, the funny thing about the Grand Canyon to me is that you drive all that way to get up there, and when you don't have a ton of time because you are on a schedule you find yourself wondering how long you have to stand there to make it worth it.  Well to be honest the MIL and I lasted about 4 minutes becaue it was so FUCKING cold!!  Like could it get anymore windy and cold...but lord I sure didn't expact it to stay around {because it is May after all...} but the view was breathtaking and I'm glad that we decided to check it out & then leave before the hypothermia set in!

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon

I litterally couldn't believe that when I woke up I would be heading out the front door to do something that I never thought I would be albe to do and that was amazing but the more and more I thought about it...Yup, I'm crazy...but sometimes it takes a little crazy to do awesome things!!!

Meg
aka Nutmegz
HF#120333

(<--- Lord I look like I need some beauty sleep!!)

Next Blog Post: Crazy Road Trip Day 4 (GC Half Race Review & Getting to Disney)

{05/01/2016 Race Recap} Tacoma City Marathon & Half

I knew that the Tacoma City Marathon...or half marathon that I would be running would be a challenge but I have been working hard to get back to the shape that I was in when I made strides last summer before my accident that has caused a few set backs...well that and you know eating!

Hotel Murrano - Tacoma, WA

Packet pick up was at the beautiful Murrano Hotel in Tacoma, WA and what a great time that was!  I love it when you can get to a packet pickup, have no lines, expo folks all to yourself and get in and out pretty quickly.  It is even nice when the place that your packet pick up is could double as an art exhibit.

About the time that I picked up my packet I was having a debate with myself...could I do it? Should I do it? Would my knee like it? Wouldn't it just be easier to sit at home and spend time with the family and so much more!!  And yes, it would have been easier to skip it but nothing AMAZING has ever come easy...and I was never going to get back to where I wanted to be fitness wise, where I was and where I wanted to go by sitting at home.  Even if I sucked it up I would just be going for a super long walk through Tacoma - but I wouldn't have to worry about that because I was going to rock it! ...and I kept telling myself that!

Race Course Map...I did the blue route

I am not a person to dwell about courses because mainly I tend to stay away from hills as I am not ready to make them my B!*#H quite yet, but this course was amazing!  The first 5ish miles were all a slow climb but after that it was downhill and flats for like 8 miles...I could do this!  I might be slow at the beginning but I would be able to make up the time for sure!! I think that I counted on that a little too much in the end...and I can only chalk that up to a "Lesson Learned" moment in my life.  {You would think that I would know by now in life that if I think it is a good idea I should just remember that I am never right and prepare for dooooom!!}

Don't leave home without the important stuff

So I went on with life *cough* all sorts of delusional *cough* with the belief that this was going to be no big thing and gave it no other thought! I Saturday morning I gathered everything together that I would need to get me from the starting point and the finish line maybe not quickly or even in the prettiest manner but I would be alive, finished and have new bling and well that's what we call WINNING!

Packing this was my enemy!

Now, I am going to have a rant moment here for a minute...have you ever had a moment in your life where both of your kids have baseball games & pictures, your husband loses his wallet, you have not only a birthday party to go to but also the surprise after party AND you are trying to pack your over night bag that needs to contain: sleep ware, pre-race stuff, race stuff and post race stuff?!  Oh you have, well let me ask you, DID YOU ALMOST LOSE YOUR MIND TRYING TO DO IT?! I must have packed my bad about 3 times because I thought I was forgetting stuff throughout the day but  thank god I did because the things that I was forgetting were like my bra, socks and oh I don't know a shirt!!  I think that I was losing my mind with everything going on!

Flat Nutmegz

So here we are...post baseball crazy, post parties and missing a whole lot of sleep! It is the morning of race day and "Flat Meg" is waiting for me to put on and get to work.  Now, I am not going to try and lie, sound like a hero or anything when I say that I WAS NOT EXCITED!  Normally on race mornings I am nervous but excited to get out there, and this morning was nothing like that.  I would have done anything to have slept through my alarm clock, to trip down the stairs and sprain my ankle or to even have a freak snow storm that would confuse everyone and make them cancel the race...but no such luck.  When you have those moments in your life you have to remember to thank all the people who do believe in you, who are waiting for you at the starting line, and who telling you "BITCH GET MOVING YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO BE" because without them my mental block would have won and I wouldn't have ran that race that morning.

So...I'm at the starting line and now the BIG panic attack sits in - I have to run over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  A bridge that scares that piss out of me.  A bridge that I white knuckle over each time I drive it...but thank god my friend was there and stayed with me until I made it across!!!  So Jennifer and I took off together...now she is beast who can do half marathons much faster than I can (tho I'm going to get to her level one of these days) and she was helping me with intervals and keeping my pace up...I was feeling amazing & thought yup I can do this and I'm going to do it FAST!  Well after the race took off I don't know who didn't get the memo but the half marathoners began running down a part of the course that was designated for the marathoners and we added an extra mile right off the back! ...are you kidding me?! I know that it means longer course, more fun and more value for your money but talk about MIND GAMES when your Nike+ GPS voice (who I've named Bertha) tells you "You have completed 1 mile" and you're saying to yourself...um, what?! and where is the marker?!?!  ...and it as like that the whole course! But we have to love Bertha because I yelled at her quite a bit throughout this race!

Way too beautiful for words

This picture here is my proof that I ran across the bridge...well I guess I also have a medal to show that I did it as well, but this picture is so pretty.  Now, let me just note that I am thankful I didn't drop my phone off this bridge as when I walked up to the railing to take it I was shaking worse than a hairless cat in the winter without a sweater!

So now I am in the thick of it so to break it down a little better...Miles 0-3 (Bertha Miles 0-4) were amazing!  I had an amazing friend get me across the bridge, helped me run further and extend my intervals, make amazing time and remind me why I want

Jennifer & I Made It!

to get faster because I don't want to run alone...Jennifer took off after we took our post bridge selfie because she was going to kill my time and I didn't want to hold her back! I was going to concentrate on intervals and getting to that finish line as quickly as my legs would carry me!  {Note: I do not like off ramps...why do hills in cars seem like nothing but hills or inclines on your feet feel like you're climbing Mr. Everest each and every time...this needs to change soon or I need to grow wheels!}

Once I got to the top of the off ramp, told Jen to go and leave me in her dust I knew that I just needed to make it to the park and things would begin going downhill and flat until the finish line so Miles 3-6 (Bertha Miles 4-7) were going to be where I rocked my world and proved to myself that I could do things faster than I thought I could...but yeah, about that - can you say walking?

View from Tacoma's Skyline Pedestrian Walkway

There was a second bridge around mile four that I needed to cross and I was able to steal this quick pano of a view that I've never seen with my own eyes and loved it! On the other side of the bridge there was a huge out pour of cheers and support from the families who lived in that area and I was able to do my 2:1 intervals for the most part until I hit about mile 5...when the biker from hell crossed my path!  Now, I am the first to admit that when I see a cyclist blaze by me while I am not just struggling but I'm chasing the struggle bus down and not able to catch it and they ring their little bell and wave...yes yes I see you just keep on peddlin' sir!  But at mile 5 of this race there was a cyclist that didn't let me know that he was coming and clipped the back of my heel, sending me falling and rolling off the sidewalk and the yelled at me because I got in his way!  Oh I was mad! I so wanted to run ahead of him and throw a tree branch in his wheel while he was flying down hill and see if he liked it...but #1: I am a nice person and couldn't so that & #2: I so wasn't running ahead of him, no way no how...so my imagination would have to be good enough.  I got to mile 6 behind the time that I wanted too, telling myself I couldn't do it and looking at a mental wall that just about broke me!

When I reached the half way mark I was excited...I was almost there...it was all downhill and flat from this point and now Miles 6-13.1 (Bertha 7-14.2) would fly by as if they were nothing! Yeah, again about that delusional thinking thing I mentioned earlier...*insert crying face here*!!  I was doing good at running the downhills but the flats were much harder than I expected and it seemed like everything was building that damn wall in my head grow higher and higher...it was hot, I needed water, I was HANGRY and I just needed the race to be over!!! The things that I held on to was that I had amazing friends who were waiting to cheer me on - I mean how many people wait almost 2 hours to cheer you in for the worse race of your life.  I had friends blowing up my phone reminding me that Finish Times do not matter...it is the fact that I am doing it and getting there and making the choice to come back after injury.  I had bling waiting for me...and most importantly I had fooooooood waiting for me and it was needed!

I have amazing runner hair...

When I crossed that finish line I was spent and done! I came in at 03:54:59 which was my worse time so far by about 30 minutes...however, it was my longest half marathon ever (LMFAO) because the course ran long...but it was amazing!!!  I GOT MY BLING!

I remember one of my BFFs, Alyson, was picking me up from the finish line because it was a point-to-point race and when I checked my phone and saw a text from her I swear to god I went dumb because she sent me a screenshot of Google Maps of where she was parked to where I was so I could find her and all I could think was "Bitch Please! What the hell is that...a drawling?!  Do you expect me to find my way to you!? Can you send Uber? Thanks!" ...and it was weird because seriously I couldn't have found my way to her if I had tried at that moment in time...and all I had to

Bertha's Tracking Bull-ish

do was walk up some stairs and turn right and walk for five minutes; but in my head she was asking me to walk across Texas after running like Forrest Gump.

Once I got to the car, got some water and made our way to Katy Downs (BEST BURGER IN TACOMA) I took out my phone and looked at the GPS Data for the race from Bertha and Nike+...ugh I didn't like what I saw but what are you going to do? Dwell on it or do better next time and train more?! That's right...do better!

MMMMM...BUUUURGER!

...but no matter how bad I thought I did in my head or how much I hated how long it took me to complete this half marathon (plus some) there was one thing that I was sure of...I GOT TO EAT A CHEESEBURGER!!  Holy Molly was this cheeseburger amazing!!  I have decided to go back to the cheeseburger being my reward for running a half marathon because if not I could eat them daily and then I'll look like Chris Farley and that wont help with the whole go faster goal stuff!

...Well Done?

Overall it was an amazing day! I'm glad that I not only had people who would have slapped me silly had I not showed up but also that I decided to not skip it like a whimp because even throughout all my misery each and every race that I run is amazing and I love it!  However, this race was exactly what I needed to remind me that my goals coming up are going to come true if I don't rock my training and keep pushing through the mental blocks and pain!! ...I also learned that even if you don't think that it is going to be hot & sunny outside wear sunblock anyways because glowing from being sun burnt isn't an extra perk of running a half marathon! {I apparently forgot 4 things when packing my bag 29840392480 times!!} 

Don't Tell Me To Move..

The most comical part of the night for my husband was when I was struggling to keep my eyes open watching Game Of Throws (BECAUSE DUH!!!) and my Garmin 920XT decided that I'd not been moving for long enough and send me a reminder to get up and move and I yelled "LEAVE ME ALONE I DON'T HAVE LEGS ANYMORE"! I mean crap...I think I had enough steps and crushed my daily goal obviously that you think the thing could give me a break for a little while...or at least let me finish Game of Thrones and watch the Kardashian's Premier in peace with my Stump Brew Cold Brew Coffee!!!

Nom Nom Nom...Guilty Pleasures

I hope everyone had a great race weekend!!!
Next post will be my workout schedule for the week, next races & what ever random stuff might pop in to my head!

Meg

{#Nutmegz}
HF#12333
Half Twisted Runner

Computer Nerd...Half Marathoner...and More?!?

So the girl in that pic is me! Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Meg...

I look way cooler than I am in that pic...but hey a nerdy computer girl needs live it up when she can right?  I am a PNW native and am living the story that you have probably heard a thousand times over, the one that goes something like this...

I used to be really big in to sports but then I got married, had kids, blah blah blah and life happened and before I knew it I didn't look like myself or feel like myself anymore because I was the size of a blimp...So I started running.

Well, that story is me...it's true...and there is nothing easy about first admitting that you need to do something to change your life and then actually doing it.  I have been working on a better me for about a year now and let's just say that I am no where near my goal yet.  Pizza, cupcakes and a love for everything crap TV is always what I call my anchors...they sometimes overcome the need and/or want to actually get up and go for a run, ride or swim...even when I know that I need too - BADLY!!

One thing that I found when I joined the community of runners that are all around me is that they are the best supporters in the world, even if you have never met them before.  Some of my best friends are people that I have never met - CRAZY, but amazing all at the same time!!!  

So, I am writing this blog because I believe that one person can make a difference to someone, and that difference could mean them succeeding or failing.  I believe that it doesn't matter what your finish time is as long as you cross that finish line...but I also believe that I never want to run a half marathon in just under 4 hours ever again (that race SUUUUUCKED).  I believe that we are all human and cupcakes & hamburgers happen, it's what happens next that matters.  I believe in shameless selfies, bling and post race beer!  And I believe more than anything that if you are trying to change your life & your story you will fail many many many times but getting back on track is all that matters.

I hope that my weekly workout reports, race reports, travel tips and just my thoughts will help someone believe that they can do it...that and I'm sure that many of you will think that I am crazy by the end of this! But...life isn't fun when you can only describe it as boring, right?!

Meg

#HF12333

#HalfTwistedRunner