Phoenix Dessert Botanical Gardens

Yikes, looking at these photos makes me realize that I haven't taken out my camera for quite some time. There are moments when not taking out the SLR is refreshing, but then I take time to actually look back on the photos I take with that camera and I am always glad I did. I guess it's finding that balance of capturing photos to remember for years to come, but also living in the present so you don't miss it while it's happening. A tricky balance to find that's for sure.

My parents came down for a visit in February. They have been here quite a few times and are getting to know the area quite well, but it's always fun to find something for them to do that they haven't done yet. This trip we decided to check out the Desert Botanical Gardens. I had never been there either, so it was a new experience for all of us.

Sebastian had to work this day, but Aliyah and Isaac joined me. The weather was perfect, probably touching about 75 degrees in February. Aliyah loved being outdoors and I spent quite a bit of time making sure she didn't bound into a cactus (It's happened before when she was two. She ran into it because she is wild. It was a tiny little one, but she still talks about the experience with much drama.) Endless amounts of energy that little girl has.

This was at the time when Isaac was not mobile yet. Little did I know that would change completely. My chill baby, has now turned into a crawling, determined boy. (That's a whole new post.)

The plants in this garden were obviously very different from that of the Midwest. A lot a cacti, and herbs, but all still so beautiful. It was a fun time and nice to be able to experience a new place in the valley with my parents.

100 Mile Month: Recap

Well, I made it to my goal of running 100 miles in one month. (I did not, however, manage to succeed at posting my progress or an interesting photo during my run each week.) Running 100 miles took quite a bit more planning than I anticipated. In the beginning of the month I estimated that needed to run about 5 miles, 5 times a week in order to stay on track. I figured with this mentality I could go on a few runs longer than 5 miles and a then have the opportunity to run a some that were shorter. What actually ended up happening was that most days I ran an average of 4 miles, and then as the month drew nearer to a close, I started realizing that I needed to up my game.

After Sebastian and I came back from our Grand Canyon trip, I sat down with a calendar and planned out the rest of the month for running. There were a few days in mid-month when I wasn't so sure I'd make my goal. The last week and half of the month, I was pretty much running every day, sometimes twice a day, trying to get as many miles in I could.  I also wanted to be able to run a nice, easy short distance on the last day to get to 100, so that it could be a fun run, rather than a daunting one. 

Some of my setbacks: Not running longer miles in the beginning, hiking an 8 mile, steep, Grand Canyon trail that left me sore for days (Days! My entire leg from my ankles to my quads were sore), and generally trying my hardest to not be bored (a lot of my runs were pretty slow as I was just trying to log in miles and not necessarily keep a fast pace.) 

Some achievements: Running 100 miles (a given, right?), really pushing myself with this goal and taking it seriously. Even when the future looked like a lot of work and even when there was the possibility of not making the goal, I still tried for it and gave it my all. I don't think I've worked so hard at an athletic goal since high school basketball. And overall feeling good after each run. 

Final thoughts: I'm not sure I'd do this again. I might, just because it was a good motivator for getting me out there, but it ate up a lot of my free time. If I'm looking to keep up a good monthly mileage without the pressure, I think I'd scale it back to 75 miles. Also, on most runs, I completely forgot to take a photo of something interesting, and when I did, I had to stop, take the photo and then start back up again. I tried taking a few while actually running, but those photos are pretty laughable. 

Overall, just glad I did it! Now on to the next goal....hmmmm?

And finally, some snapshots while out there.