I really needed a sun break from the cold and snowy Seattle winter. When we arrived in Phoenix it was about 75 degrees. I had arrived in heaven. We got off the plane, picked up our bags and headed out to the car rental area, located some distance from the airport. We got our car, (a Nissan Versa), and headed to our hotel.
We got to our hotel and were happy to see a familiar corporate logo right outside our door: Starbucks. At least we would be able to get a decent cup of coffee while we were here. Unfortunately, our joy was short-lived. We opened the door and were slammed with the scent of about 5,000 Glade air fresheners. We aired out the room a bit and then decided to hunt down some dinner. We went to some pub and had burgers. Or maybe we had sandwiches. I don’t remember. But we drove around ASU and Sun Devil Stadium and through Scottsdale. We got very little sleep that night. We had a double bed but are used to a queen and the noise from the freeway was deafening.
We got up the next morning, grabbed something from Starbucks and headed out to packet pickup. The expo hadn’t started yet but already there was a line. We finally go inside and picked up our packets. Then we were off to get our shirts. Then we picked up our goody bag. We wandered around the expo; picked up a t-shirt at the Brook’s exhibit, several mini-energy bars, a small taste of Miller Genuine Draft 64 (awful!), filled out some entry forms and then headed out. By the time we left it was getting busy.
We headed out to Piestewa Peak (the locals still call it Squaw Peak) for a hike. By the time we got to the parking lot it was time to unzip the convertible pants. Very warm, and considering we were going to hike 2.4 miles up we figured it’d be best to go in shorts. That was one of the best decisions we made. We took a few breaks on the climb up. We were used to 26 degree temperatures, not 76. But the sky was blue and nearly cloudless. It was wonderful. We kept thinking we were near the summit but we weren’t. The entire way up, people were running up and down. Obviously they were used to the temperatures. Finally, we made it to the top. The view was awesome. We stayed at the top for about 10-15 minutes and started to head back down.
The going down was almost as difficult as going up. It was so steep in places and the trail consisted of jagged rock. But we finally made it back to the car. We headed out to pick Susan up from the airport. We found her at the baggage claim and off we went. We went to dinner but I can’t remember where we went. Again, the bed was too small and the freeway noise was, well, noisy. I didn’t sleep very well.
The next morning was a repeat of the day before: Starbucks and packet pickup for Susan. We roamed around the Expo and managed to buy a few things that we’d seen the day before. I don’t remember what we did right after packet pickup. Eventually we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. Along with all 50,000 other Phoenix Rock ‘n Roll participants. We waited for quite some time to be seated. We finally did get a table and gobbled down our pasta. Then we headed back to our hotel for another night of fitful sleep.
The next morning we were up and at ‘em! Went across the street and got a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee at Starbucks then drove off to where we thought we could park. Except all the streets were blocked off so we couldn’t park there. So we drove around. And around. We finally settled on a spot about a mile from the train station. So, we walked. And walked. And walked some more. Finally arrived at the train and hopped on. We hopped off near the convention center and had to walk some more toward the start line. The start time was getting closer but we still had to check our gear bags and go to the bathroom.
We checked our gear. That was pretty uneventful. Then we queued up for the port-a-potties. This is usually an endurance event all its own. But it moved fairly quickly this time. The only issue was that they were out of toilet paper in most of them but the one Morrie went into had seen better days. Before we knew it we were lined up in our start corrals. More or less. I decided that I was going to line up with Morrie instead of the corral behind her. Just let them try to stop me!
As we inched our way up to the start line, we laughed at the people decked out in gloves and sweatpants. Didn’t these people know 50 degrees is a warm summer morning in Seattle? Anyway, soon we were off running down the street. My foot felt pretty good and there was a band just around the corner. And then another band just a little bit later. Aid stations were all very well stocked and frequent. We were always in a crowd of people, despite running down a 6 lane street most of the way. We ran into a few Half Fanatics whose names I forget. At about mile 5 we stopped to use the port-a-pottie. The break was nice. Then we were off again. My foot started hurting somewhere between mile 5 and 6. But it wasn’t too bad. The sun was out full force and the temps. began to rise. Do I need to mention that there’s no shade in Arizona? At the aid stations I’d drink electrolyte and dump water on my head. It felt good for a few minutes but then I was back to being hot.
Finally, we got to mile 11 and were in the home stretch. The home stretch seemed to really stretch, too. We could catch glimpses of the Stadium but didn’t seem to be getting any closer. And even when we were next to it we discovered the entrance was on the other side! We crossed the finish line in just under 3 hours, got our picture taken and headed for the food. Bananas, some sort of bar, water. All delicious. Then we picked up our gear and they had bagles there. Also delicious.
We staggered back to the train station and waited for the next train. But the next train filled up before we got on so we waited for the next one. We forced our way onto the train but we had to stand. Susan had hurt her ankle so when a seat became available, she sat down. I sat in the next available seat. At some point, a woman standing in front of us passed out. Twice. After the first one someone sat her in the seat next to me. But it was too soon and down she went. We put her on the floor and she came around. It was weird to see her come out of it. You could tell the minute she became aware that she was on the floor. Anyway, she laid there until her stop and someone helped her off. It was all very exciting.
I forget what happened the rest of the day but in the morning we got up and packed our bags for home. We drove around Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale one last time. We drove past a gas station with an electronic reader board. It boasted 82 degrees. We dropped Susan off at the airport (her flight left before ours) and we took the car back to Hertz. We boarded the shuttle back to the airport and checked in. I was sad to leave and even threatened to not get on the plane. But I did and we arrived home to cold and rain.
Did I mention that during the Expo we managed to sign up for the 2012 Phoenix Rock and Roll Half Marathon? See you in January, Arizona!
Me on Piestewa Peak
Morrie on Piestewa Peak
Sunshine and blue sky
Three Fatty-Bo-Batties at the finish!
