Arizona x 2!

As I mentioned here, I'm running the Phoenix Marathon in February, and this has been the plan since, well, last February when I was unable to run it due to a tendon injury.  My coach mentioned that it would be good to run a half marathon the weekend of January 28-29 during my marathon build-up, or the weekend of January 14-15 as a second best option.  Finding halves in January in the Midwest is no easy task!  I found one in St. Louis, the Frostbite Series Half, and tentatively planned it for January 28.  I ran the event in 2014, and while the St. Louis track club puts on a wonderful event, the course is not certified or fast, and the weather is always going to be a roll of the dice for that one (and any other one in Missouri in January).  I also thought I might just run a half time trial on my own, or probably with a training partner or two, that weekend.

I then decided I'd look at race options in cities that Allegiant Air flies directly to out of Springfield.  I found one in the Phoenix area, the Arizona Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Mesa on January 15.  I looked at it kind of in jest, and mentioned it to Jon also mostly in jest ("but it would be a great practice trip before the marathon!").  A few weeks later, the topic of that race came up during a training run, as Amy ran the full marathon at the event several years ago and said it was a great course.  At that point, I was fresh off my half PR at White River, freshly aware of how much difference an amazing course could make, and salivating to schedule a half (and one with a competitive field - even better!).  Still on my runner's high after that training run, I researched the event a little more, and discovered that I met their elite time standards for a comp entry, deducting a potential expense and getting me in the elite corral.  I then mentioned the possibility to my dad, as I knew Jon and I both couldn't go to Phoenix twice this winter, and because I would need to fly out of Wichita (near where my parents live) anyway because the returning flight to Springfield was too early on January 15.


My dad told me he would love to go to the race with me, but at that point I still felt it was hard to justify going to Arizona twice over the winter for races, as much as I wanted to...I mean, look at my past patterns; I ran two Midwest marathons this season to avoid race trips and have only flown to one race in my 25 years of running, the Portland Marathon in 2009.  A few days later, my dad told me he saw that the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction is the same weekend just outside Phoenix in Scottsdale.  My dad is a big “car guy”, and has been to this event once before and loved it (loved it enough to drive to it from Kansas when all of the flights were sold out!).  I could tell he was really excited about this possibility when we discussed it in person on Thanksgiving, so that pushed this race from a distant thought to something I really might do.

It snowballed from there, and I went ahead and applied for an elite entry the day after Thanksgiving.  When we found a Cyber Monday deal for round trip tickets on a direct flight from Wichita to Phoenix for about $80 (plus fees; there were fees) and I found several decent cheap hotel options within 2 miles of the start and finish lines, I almost felt like it would be a crime not to run this race!  So we booked our flights!  The following day I received confirmation of my elite entry, and a request for my information to include on "the start list" (I learned that this includes stats on race wins, PRs, records, etc. that they may use to announce top entrants; I immediately felt like a huge imposter, a feeling which I know will continue as I stand in the elite corral among actual elite runners).

I’m going to Arizona twice this winter!  I’m not making these trips to not go for PRs, so I am ready to get out and train for these puppies!  When does my mileage increase to 60 and when do long tempos start again?  Am I really only 4 weeks off of the Bass Pro Marathon?!?!