Ahhh November…the forecast dipping into near freezing temperatures and snow on the horizon. I decided it was time to look for an opportunity to escape from it all. A few of my friends were doing the Ironman Arizona the coming weekend. I thought it would be fun to show up and support them while they accomplished amazing by things. After some further social media scanning I discovered that I had a completely different group of friends headed do Scottsdale for a Women’s only half marathon. The decision was made, flights were booked and before I knew it I was on my way to sunny and warm Arizona for four days. This is the tale of the great Arizona escape!

Day One

Jill dropped me off on her way into the office and my trip started off as usual with an early morning visit to my favorite Delta Sky Club for breakfast. My favorite bartender Stephanie was there to greet me with a mimosa and a smile.

I was the first of the group arriving in Phoenix so I grabbed my rental car and hung out in the cell phone lot making loop after loop picking up our crew. After corralling Ashley, Donna, andBecky we headed to Walter Station Brewery for an early lunch whilst we waited for Jenny to arrive and join us as well. I think we were all pretty tired and crashed pretty early after finally making it to our hotel in Scottsdale.

Day Two

Our day started with an early morning run. We found a scenic park with plenty of paved paths for us to get our miles in. It was nice to be running outside in warm weather with friends. After heading back to the hotel and getting cleaned up we headed to Old Town Scottsdale so the ladies could pick up their bibs.

While they did that I did some scouting and found us a great place for lunch. We settled in at the The Barrio Queen and sat outside eating table side guacamole and enjoyed each the warmth of the sun as we sipped on margaritas. I didn’t have a race to run the next day so I wasn’t worried about what I ate or drank.

We spent the afternoon doing some exploring at the state capital, walking amongst some amazing monuments to fallen soldiers from past wars.

After that we went in search of cacti and found a pretty cool park that had a good variety. It was then decided that it would be a good idea to hike Camelback Mountain. Although it wasn’t a long hike, the fact that we were wearing flip flops, it was getting later in the day, and the girls had a half marathon the next morning, we only made it about halfway up.

We did get some amazing pictures of the sun as it set.

After a last minute stop for some supplies for the following morning we ended up at an Applebees for dinner. Not usually a fan of hitting chain restaurants when I travel but it fit the bill so everyone could get what they wanted the night before the race.

Day Three

Race day had arrived and I drove the girls to the start line in Phoenix and then made my way over to Old Town Scottsdale where they would be finishing up a few hours later. I managed to get out on the canal and get 14 miles in on my own.

Since the course was open I was fortunate to see all the girls during their race as I got my miles in. After getting back to the finish line I met up with my friend Emily and we waited to cheer on our friends as they finished.

Post race I found us a great lunch venue close by where we were able to grab a tasty lunch and a delicious Bloody Mary or two.

After some time in the hot tub Donna and Jenny decided to go finish hiking Camelback and Ashley decided to rest and watch football. I headed to drop Becky off at the airport lane then drove in to Tempe to visit my friends Jessica and Erica for a while. They were relaxing and getting ready for their 140.3 mile journey the next morning at Ironman AZ. Spent a couple hours catching up and then met up with the girls back at the hotel.

We were all hungry at this point so off we went to find some sustenance. Our first attempt was a fail but we ended up grabbing pizza and beer at a nice little bar and grill. I didn’t get any pictures there or catch the name but it did the trick.

Day Four

I was super excited to watch the Ironman as I had never had the experience before so I got a very early start to head to Tempe to capture the full scope of the event. Due to road closures I wasn’t able to make it for the start of the swim

I did manage to make it to the water before the first swimmers emerged. It was a very chilly morning and the water was in the 50s. Everyone coming out of the water looked absolutely miserable and that was just the start of a very long day for them. I saw my three friends come out of the water and then made my way over to a portion of the bike course where I would be able to see them a few times.

After catching them come thru on their fiat loop I met up with Emily again and we grabbed some lunch. This trip was really great for spending time with people I don’t get to see neatly as much as I’d like to. Once lunch was done Emily had to work a booth at the Athlete’s Village and I made my way to watch my friends finish their bike leg before heading out on the run.

Once I was able to see all of them, Donna and Jenny joined me to hang out and watch the run portion of the race. We were able to situate ourselves so we could see my friends pass by six times.

The Inspiring Ironmen

As the day wore on and the sun started to set, I was in awe of what these athletes were doing. To put forth the effort they did for so many hours was so inspiring. As much as I say I’ll never do a triathlon, watching this event all day did make me feel that I was missing out in some way. I guess time will tell if anything comes of that or if I’ll be lucky and the feeling will just pass.

Because I had to catch the red eye home so I wasn’t able to see all my friends finish. I did get to see Erica and Nicolette cross the finish line.

Although I really wanted to see Jessica as she finished, it wasn’t meant to be. I headed to the airport and tracked her progress whilst I hung out at the Delta Sky Club and had one final cocktail before heading home. I was fortunate to secure an upgrade to first class so I had a really pleasant flight and even managed to snag a few hours sleep.

Day Five

I’m so lucky that Jill supports my crazy adventures and was fortunate to have her waiting for me when I arrive back at our home airport. It was wonderful to escape the cold for a few days but I was very happy to be home with the one I love the most.

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