My trip to Phoenix was awesome on so many levels. I truly planned this trip out months in advance. I wanted to see so much in Arizona so planning was key. There was no specific reason for choosing to run in the Pride Run, Phoenix race, which is part of the Pride Run series. Certainly it is for a great cause and I am so happy that my money went into supporting acceptance, equality, and inclusion of everyone but was also chosen because it was a flat course in Arizona at a time that wasn’t going to be too hot.
When I stepped out of the airport I didn’t expect to see mountain ranges in the distance and they were beautiful. I rented a Chevy Camaro, which I later regretted. The widows were small and limited my view. Immediately, I headed north toward the Grand Canyon.
Purposely, I chose a scenic route which did not disappoint. I was astonished at the lack of grass and the different kinds of trees I’ve never seen before. There were also so many different cacti everywhere. The drive north out of Phoenix was fun! The interstate split as you drove through the mountains then all of a sudden, there were no more of the giant cacti. Only small ones.
I spent a couple nights at the southern rim of the Grand Canyon. It was breathtaking to say the least. I was surprised at how cold it was and was not packed properly for the temperature. Thankfully, there was a place to buy clothes in the national park. In another post, I’ll tell about my Grand Canyon adventure.
I drove back down to Phoenix on Thursday. Brett flew in that night so we could have a little vacation together. We traveled around the city Friday and picked up my race packet.
The morning of the race, I was excited to be running in the capital city of Arizona. We were running in the downtown area. It was mostly flat with only one part of the road dipping down under a bridge with a turn around point right after the dip. There were plenty of aid and water stations and the race was put together well. This was the first race where I saw someone fall due to likely dehydration. I was about to run across the street to help but about 5 people had her and there were police there as well, so I kept running. Had it been only us, I certainly would have stopped until EMS arrived.
I kept the 2:15 pacer just ahead of me most of the way. At some point, maybe mile 9, I passed her. I was shocked! Only a week prior to this race, I had run my fastest time in Asheville, NC. Perhaps I’d might make another PR this race! I had also hiked 8 miles of the southern rim of the Grand Canyon a few days prior, so I didn’t think I would be doing that well.
While running this race, I didn’t make any friends and only briefly spoke to one person. There weren’t many people around me and I was on a mission! I passed the finish line at my fastest time – 2:14:23! Brett wasn’t there when I finished which didn’t particularly bother me. He doesn’t generally stick around the race area while I run and I told him to expect me to finish around 2.5 hours. He usually will grab some food and coffee and try to be back for when I cross the finish line. Neither one of us expected me to finish that fast!
The next day, Brett and I spent in Sedona, off roading and having a blast on the trails in the Razor we rented for the day. When we got back to our Airbnb that night and that’s when he proposed. Of course I said yes!
For many reasons, this trip and race was my favorite so far. I saw things I never thought I’d ever see, I ran for a great cause, I got a PR that I can’t wait to beat, and I got engaged to the love of my life.
