Hot stuff!

Well, I left for Phoenix with such good intentions. Other then being extremly busy helping set up the house (remember-working vacation), it was WAY TOO HOT!
Wow. I'm not sure hiking in the middle of the night would have helped. It was 100 degrees F when you woke up, rose to 105-107 in the heat of the day and was still over 100 by the time I swam and went to bed @ 11 PM.
Back to it this Fri though!

On a side note, I have to tell a cute story about Westjet. As we were boarded our flight in Calgary and were taxiing away from the termianl I happened to look out my window. And there were the 4 ground crew employees holding a 12 ft X 4 ft sign that said "THANK YOU". All waving their arms.

It was such a small gesture but we were all smiling and talking about it the rest of the day. Go Westjet!

September is vacation month?

I am off to Phoenix tomorrow for the weekend. It is being called a working holiday however, setting up a house with a pool in 40 degree sunny weather seems much closer to holiday then work!
I will be up and out of my house by 5:30 AM and will then miss my Friday hike! Before you start laughing and although I am extremly happy to be going to Phoenix....I am sad. I have been hiking at least 10 km 95% of Fridays since April. It has become my routine and I love it.
So of course, I have been searching hiking in Phoenix. Luckily for me the house in Phoenix is 8 miles from a huge provincial park! Estrella Mountain Park. With miles and miles of trails. Who knew!
There is a sunset hike Friday night but am not sure I will be able to pull away the first night.
I would however like to go with a group as there are different hazards down there.
Here....bears. ok
There...scorpions. Not ok.
Here.... cougars. ok
There.... poisonous snakes. NOT OK!
In reading some information on the animals and how to be careful. It said to stay on the trail and not to grab onto branches. Yike. Well, I guess I better just face my fear head on.
Mental note, pack my hiking poles. They may come in handy as weapons!
So who knows. I hope to get at least one hike in. It looks like beautiful country and lots of elevation (my favorite).

Well I finished the half marathon @ 3:29 (unofficial time) and have learned a bunch. First of all, that I can do it. Yeah me! Secondly, I still have some work to do on footwear issues but they aren't too bad. Third, don't wear pants in the rain, they get wet and heavy.

But to come around the corner and see my family cheering me on, was one of the best feelings. The one drawback to having your family waiting for you is that there is a great chance of having to carry one of them!

It was pouring when I started, rained most of the way and was coming down pretty hard at the end.

All in all I was wet.

Great snacks at the end which was great for me and the kids were pretty happy too.

Now off to put my feet up. Bed will feel fantastic tonight.

Don't Get Lost in the Woods!

Even though this title is the actual name of the race tomorrow it seems to have quite a relevance for me. I received a phone call today that I am the only person entered into the 1/2 marathon as a walker, would I mind walking alone. No problems, but I hope it's marked well.
Glad to have my bear bell and my ipod, I may not see too many people on my trip.
Looking forward to getting through it. It was about my goal of completion in 3 hours anyway, not about beating someone else.
It will be great to have some of my family and friends cheering me on at the finish line.
See you before 11? (I hope)

Getting started

After deciding to do something totally out of my comfort zone this year, I chose to hike the Juan De Fuca trail on Vancouver Island in June for my 31st birthday. Due to the training, scenery, friends and fun this summer, I have become addicted to anything that revolves around hiking.

I have even started receiving eye rolls when I talk about my next hiking trip, escapade or "crazy" plan. All I can say is that I am thoroughly enjoying every time I step out. How far will we go today? How long will we be gone? Where should I hike next? Why doesn't anyone want to come with me????

I have continually received another question. How is your running? My answer is a version of, "I don't run, I'm a hiker." It seems to me to be such an obvious difference. I am out to achieve a distance or goal and not necessarily a time. Not that running may not become something I do as I add another dimension to my repertoire of things to accomplish. But who knows.

I am going to be completing my first half marathon (as a hiker) this Sunday and am very excited. It is a great achievement and something I never would have thought possible if you had asked me this spring. What a great feeling to look back over my Summer 2009 and see where I have come (and gone)!
I have been on the lookout for the next big challenge and entering into this half marathon got me thinking about races. There are so many out there that are more about finishing then winning. More about the team then the individual.
Count me in!
However, now that I have been searching for them I realize how many there are and how much training I will need to do. Especially in the mountain biking area!
And so becomes my search and preparation for the 2010 Adventure Race Season! Which ones? I will keep you posted.