Just Plodding Along

Below are a ridiculous and unnecessary amount of pictures from Zion but it is just so beautiful there. On Saturday after the half marathon we hiked Angel's Landing. Now I recall this being my idea but while it was happening I didn't really want to claim it as my idea.  View from Campsite We apparently only hike trails that are marked with a stick figure falling off a cliff. Comforting.  Now Angel's Landing is only about five miles round trip but it is like 100% vertical. We had to park a bit away from the trail head due to everyone else wanting to also hike here so we got in about an extra seven miles that day on top of our half marathon. The first few miles are paved and while sheer not too scary and beautiful the whole time. If you ever find yourself on this hike don't forget to look up and around when you are not wheezing your way up/ bent over with hands on knees praying for a flat section. After about two miles of strenuous uphill c...

Can't really say enough good things about Vacation Races. They put on a great event. Okay all uphill was a bit of a killer over time but really not steep enough to be too much of an issue overall. This race was one of the slowest I have done in awhile (like when I first started running) and at first felt a bit frustrated about my lack of get up and go but then just relaxed and enjoyed the fact I was in a beautiful place. Plus I knew Bataan Memorial Death March loomed a week away so pushing it on injuries seemed a bit dumb. Sure you always want to feel strong and like you are prepared for a race but after three weeks of not running much and my hip still bothering I was not killing it. Luckily a beautiful course makes extra time spent out there not really an issue. This race was not actually in Zion National Park. The start is almost exactly 13.1 miles from the entrance in Virgin, UT and the finish right outside the entrance to the park. The start had plenty of parking and s...

Getting super excited for this on Saturday!! So excited I had to start packing which included airing out the tent  Nothing like a tent in the middle of your house. Backpacking will be an interesting experiment with packing light. Not really my thing. But when I know I have to carry everything on my back suddenly I need a whole lot less to survive. The general plan: I am flying into Vegas, and renting a car and driving to Zion. Super excited to check out St. George on my way. Camping Friday night, half marathon Saturday morning, hiking Saturday afternoon, backpacking Sunday and Monday. Then flying home late, late Monday night from Vegas. Since my hip is still a bit sore (update: been going to chiropractor and apparently my tailbone is out of whack and pushing on my hips and that caused the strain...blah, blah need to do more abdominal work to fight against super strong flexors that are pulling things outta place, a few more adjustments and I should be good to go.) my g...