You need special shoes for hiking - and a bit of a special soul as well. ~Terri Guillemets

Special shoes? Check.

I am now a proud owner of these Chacos! (I don't actually have them in my possession, but they should be here soon!) When I was at Zion's with Kristen, we borrowed Tana's Chacos for one of the days. Here are the thoughts I have had since that decision:

#1. I am a believer. It was so great to be able to walk through water without worrying about wet socks. The traction was awesome, unbelievable even (although comparing them to my 3 year old running shoes that I was wearing before may not fly with consumer reports). Seriously though, I felt like Spiderman!

#2. If you ever want to attract attention to your feet, hike in these. There were so many comments, looks, questions, etc...

#3. Maybe trying brand new hiking shoes for the first time on an 8+ mile hike (half of which is a very steep incline) is not my best idea that I've ever had. Like I said, I am a believer, however the two quarter sized open blisters on my feet, serve as a reminder that even too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Or maybe they are just a physical indicator that patience is a virtue. They could also serve to teach me to always always be prepared. Okay okay, maybe they just mean that I was stupid and was not thinking at all when I wore new (to me) shoes on a heavy duty hiking day. I will NOT make that mistake again. Sorry Utah friends, I may be wearing these shoes around, everywhere, for the next few weeks until they are ready to hit the trails. 

The only picture of the whole trip where you can see the shoes! This canyon part of the hike was SO FUN!

This is just the beginning of my Summer-O-Hiking! The plan is to hike all 7 peaks in Utah Valley. Did YOU know that the water park in Provo is named after 7 actual mountain peaks? I'll be honest, I had no idea. I mean, as much as I love water parks, I'm sooooo much more excited about hiking than going here (however, at turn #8 of hiking the Y, that is not the case. The view of 7 peaks from that blasted mountain is simply HEAVENLY). 

I don't even remember who it was who told me, but after my Zion's trip (which was FANTASTIC) I decided that I needed to do it. Luckily my cousin Katie is going to take on these mountains with me, because I definitely would not do it alone! The only problem is, that these mountains will not really be hikeable until July/Aug/Sept. To get in good hiking shape we're going to have to go south (Zion's, Snow, Bryce Canyon, Goblin Valley, etc...) and hike down there in these cooler months so we will be ready to go when actual summer comes! Since not everybody can drop their lives and just hike with me whenever I want, I have been hiking the Y a lot, since it is really the only one I feel comfortable and safe hiking alone, since there is a pretty consistent flow of traffic. I've done it three times so far, and plan on hitting double digits. I would be really excited if it became "easy" at some point. I'm hoping that it will help out with my future half marathon endeavors as well!

Oh, and here are a few pictures of my hiking trip at Zion's National Park:

hiking towards Angels Landing!

"Okay, just take a few steps backward" - at the top of Observation Point

BEAUTIFUL sky on the West Rim Trail

If all goes as planned, I will be hiking and running the heck out of this summer.

I can't even wait.

Frank Shorter, 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist: "You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming."

Holy Cow! I am happy to report that I actually DO have a life! Well...at least I am busy enough that I have been extremely lame in not updating my blog. So, I will skip all the boring stuff (that is, the majority), and just get to the exciting parts! 

I am still currently on a Spring Break high! Aaaand how did I begin my Spring Break? Like this!!

As Brandon Flowers would say, "Welcome to Fabulous, welcome to fabulous, Las Vegaaaaasssssss." (I figured Brandon Flowers was a better option than "...thats what you get for wakin' up in Vegas"...although I WILL be seeing Katy Perry's Justin Bieber copycat movie, I'll just go ahead and say it right now.) Jessica, Corrie, Karen, Kyle, and I left for St. George on Thursday night, then arrived in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out-we checked into our initially terrifying hotel (The Golden Spike!), walked the strip, saw the sights, and visited the Mandalay Bay aquarium. We decided we had to be back early so Karen and I could rest up for our race. As it turns out, 5 people on two beds, in a tiny hotel room, with a 1/2 marathon looming ahead, leads me to talk, no, yell in my sleep. I apologize to the two who thought that I was yelling at them to stop texting at night. I also apologize to the unfortunate guy (Kyle) who was sleeping on the floor. I promise I didn't mean to step on you...twice! 

We got to Boulder City bright and early, and a few hours later (with no help from the casino manager) were ready for the race of our lives! 4 miles up (hardest 4 miles ever) and 9 miles down (hardest downhill run ever). Holy Cow. I wish I could follow that with "Dang I'm fast," but alas, I cannot. I could follow it with "Dang, my time was remarkably not that great but I sure did finish!" I didn't really have fun during the race, but was ready to sign up for my next right as soon as it was over! We soon took our sore muscles and blue toes to breakfast. Who knew "The Egg and I" would have such great breakfast??

The rest of the trip was pretty chill - hung out by the nearly frozen pool, visited some friend, went to dinner, etc... The drive home was pretty uneventful as well, made exciting only by the cop accusing a passenger of being in "unauthorized parts of the vehicle." Who even knows what that means? (Possibly that everyone should have been inside the vehicle while it was moving?)  

In short - Best. Vegas. Trip. Ever. (I know that this blog doesn't describe that at all, but seriously, it was so fun! Please so my facebook album about the trip to see full story of the adventure). 

Under the lights tonight

I may be just a little obsessed. (But I promise, only a little). 

Here is my defense:

1. They are older than Justin Bieber
2. They remind me of the group that sings Juliet (yes that is a defense)
3. They are European, that adds about 2000 cool points
4. One of them is in a tie, so he must be classy
5. Can I say that they are European again? 
6. They are excellent for running (most songs)

Yep, here I am, admitting that I like a band that 12 year olds love. Shoot. Now its out there-no going back.

Done and Done

After this run I don't have the same enthusiasm for running as a did after the nine miler...I'm not sure why... maybe its because I went slower than the windy run the week before (who knew that was even possible-good thing I'm not in it for speed)? Maybe its because on mile 8 (again) my knee got all crazy and hurty (yep, I did say the word "hurty"), or maybe its because I thought I had a rock in my shoe the whole time? Nope, turns out it was a blister. It ALSO turns out that I have to get new shoes before the race. Any suggestions?

Well, this was the last long run before the half marathon. I am getting so nervous!!

Yes!

Regardless of how I look...I did it. NINE MILES!!!!
Half marathon, bring it on.

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard...is what makes it great!" -Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own

Now don't be getting any ideas...I am definitely not ready to say that I like running. However...I have been experiencing this feeling lately, that is hard to explain. I mean, I have experienced it when it comes to other things, such as...chocolate, sleep, a hoodie, homemade bread, etc... Never have I EVER experienced it when it comes to running. I think I might actually crave it. Is that even possible? Like I said, I don't LIKE it, but I guess my body needs it. What other explanation could there be? However, it definitely did not NEED the short but horrible run up 9th East yesterday, from the gym to the Temple. If you aren't familiar with that road, picture a 2 mile hill, with literally, no break. It was awful. The uphill was so horrible I coudln't even enjoy the downhill!

To date, in training for the half marathon, I have covered an approximate total of 97 MILES!! Holy cow. (If only that number was actually as impressive as it is to me...). Last weekend I ran 7.6 (career high) and tomorrow is 9-10 (depending on how tired I am at mile 9). I'm tired just thinking about it. Needless to say, I am taking today off, due to yesterday's mistake of a run, and tomorrow's run looming in the near future. My poor legs need a little rest.
Here's what the run tomorrow will look like, if you don't hear from me in a few days, maybe come drive (because who in their right mind would run) along this route and look for me? Thanks.

Oh yeah, ignore the "21 minutes." I forgot to hit the walking button. I will run 9.9 miles in 21 minutes in my next life. When I get to be a cheetah...or Sonic the Hedgehog.

1/2 Marathon Woes

I am officially doing a half marathon. Why? I'm not sure. Most people have commented, or assumed that its one of those things that has been on the bucket list...but alas that isn't the case. It's NEVER been on any sort of list, besides maybe the list that is titled: "Why in the world do people do these things?" Even so, however, I am doing one. Luckily, it will never ever ever be hanging over my head as something I should have done...because after April 7th it will be over! I am excited about the chance to get into shape though I guess. I really do like exercising and being active so at least I have that. Running has really never been my "thing" (so please explain why I did Cross Country for a few years...) but it is the cheapest and most straightforward form of exercise. Honestly, my problem isn't that I physically can't do the workouts, but mostly that I get BORED! So that is what I am here for today. What can I do to keep me from getting so BORED?! Suggestions? I sometimes watch movies at the Cardio Cinema at Gold's Gym, however I don't think that uploading movies onto my ipod for the actual race would be a very good idea... Does anyone have any great running songs/playlists, ideas for motivation, really great endurance strategies? Anything would be much appreciated!