On our last day in Arizona, we stopped at the Desert Botanical Gardens and were amazed at all the different kinds of cactus plants. This was definitely a different kind of botanical garden than we are used to visiting. I find cactus plants fascinating but they are not my favorite plant, nor is the desert landscape of Arizona on my list of places I love. I do not vibe with Arizona very much, but I did enjoy exploring something that makes Arizona unique. It was a great reminder that although the weather in the winter months is pleasant, most of the time Arizona is dreadfully hot, dry, and just not that interesting to look at. The mountains of Colorado will forever be my happy place and the place where I feel the most like me!
After an incredible cross-country season in Colorado, Emma was ready to crush one last race at Nike Regionals where she was hoping to PR at sea level. She was fortunate enough to be able to hang with some of the Coronado runners after the course run through. Since she had been training with that team and coach Lisa the last several weeks, they adopted her as one of their own. It was so sweet to see them all surround her with excitement. Everyone's spirits were high the night before the race. Race day was a different story. What are the chances that this year’s course was rained out just like Garmin Running Lane last year? It rained all morning and when we finally got to the course it stopped raining and the sun came out. The problem was that the course was a soggy mess. Emma was in the very last race which was the Championship race for the girls and the course was already in such poor condition from all of the other races that morning. Even with 1-inch spikes the mud was so overwhelming. Even though she didn't get the time she was hoping for, she ran that race with everything she had. I couldn't be prouder of her for the determination and grit I saw on her face every time she passed me on the course. She finished this muddy and somewhat hilly course in 18:44.24. course previewrace dayBEST COACH EVER
Nike Southwest Regionals (NXR) was Emma’s last race of the season, and we couldn't be prouder of how she finished her 2021 XC season. She was 47th out of 181 in the coveted championship race, 2nd for her team, and finished the race in 18:39 on a hot, dusty course after battling a week of being congested. While her time is impressive, what is even more impressive is the fact that she ran the 5K on a crappy course that ended up being longer than an official 5K (3.10 miles). Many logged it as over 3.20 miles which means that her true 5K time was about 30 seconds faster. Some overhead several of the Nike officials talking about how they really messed it up this year. Well isn't that nice...looks like we may be looking at Footlocker for next year's regional race. On a positive note, the Pine Creek girls team placed 9th out of the top 22 teams from Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. The girls decided to race as a team this year and to just have fun and that is exactly what they did. It was fun to watch them run out to the starting line as a team holding the flag with their team's name written on it. This truly was a great way to end an awesome season.
Mike and I were able to sneak away for a few days while my parents watched the kids so that Mike could attend a Thyroid conference. We stayed at the Marriot Resort Tempe at the Buttes. It was a gorgeous little resort at the top of a majestic hillside with breathtaking views of the desert. The resort had amazing pools and waterfalls. During the day while Mike was at his conference I enjoyed sleeping in, running at sea level, ordering room service, sitting by the pool, getting a massage, and getting my nails done. We were able to meet for lunch every day, which was nice. On Friday night we met up with our good friends from BYU. Kelvin and Susie Ning took us to a fantastic Japanese restaurant in downtown Phoenix and then we came back to our hotel for desert. It was so fun to catch up with them. On Saturday night we headed into old town Phoenix and ate at Citizen Public House.The food was so ridiculously good. We enjoyed walking around Old Town before heading back to our hotel. On our last day in Phoenix, we were able to enjoy spending the entire day together since Mike’s conference was finished. We spent the morning hiking at Camelback Mountain. We started up the Cholla Trailhead to the summit and then went down the Echo Canyon side. This hike was relatively easy for us since we were used to hiking at elevation. The hike was rated Extremely Difficult for steep elevation gains, very uneven terrain, and unprotected from the elements. Lucky for us it was a nice day and not too hot. The views at the top were amazing. Later that night we got to spend some more time with Kelvin and Susie while eating dinner at her parents house. It was the perfect way to end our quick getaway to a warmer climate.
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