Long Weekend in (Much) Warmer Weather

I'm back in the cold arctic temperatures that seem so common in Chicago this winter, after having just been in Phoenix, Arizona for the past couple days.  If you recall, I was originally supposed to go to run the Phoenix Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon, but neither Liz nor I had been training, so we decided to opt out in order to save money and have more time to catch up with all the other girls for a vacation weekend.

Even though we didn't race, we did get in a lot of physical activity!  Which balanced out with all the eating at great restaurants and drinking new, fruity cocktails we did.

We hiked up a mountain:

On the hike, Liz conquered her fear of cacti:

OK, maybe she didn't actually touch THAT cactus, but she did touch a little baby one.

We did a lot of chatting, playing "Heads Up" (hilarious game, I highly recommend it), and dancing:

We explored Old Town Scottsdale:

And we took a walk on a beautiful recreation path filled with runners, walkers, and bikers (OK, so they were mostly all retired people).  This is where I want to retire to...like now, only about 30 years early:

Did you know that Scottsdale is one of the most livable cities in America because of the proximity of grocery stores, gas stations, etc. and a recreational path all around?

Liz and I also went for a 5 mile run one morning on the same walking path.  And I have to say that almost the whole time we ran, we TALKED about running-related topics - running form, our training, what races we want to do, and even doing some triathlons.

My legs felt great on the run, but I was winded.  I imagine it was the combo of the weather change, all the talking, and just not being back in super great of shape just yet.  But I'm so glad we got out there and took advantage of the perfect weather!  It felt just like fall cross country season.

It felt amazing to be outside so much in January!  But now it's back to being bundled up and stuck indoors for the majority of the days.  I'm hoping to get in some shorter treadmill runs and weights over the next few days and then another run of 10-12 miles outside if the weather allows this weekend!  It currently says it will be a high of 30 on Saturday so let's all hope it stays that way!