Week 8

August 17 - August 23

Monday: 4 miles starting at Kiwanis Park in south Tempe
Start Time: 6:35 pm
Starting Temperature: 106
Post-run Fuel: chocolate milk
Notes: I checked out a group run hosted by Phoenix Pheet since I was in the area getting new running sneakers. I noted that this group waits 5 whole minutes before starting their run. This would never happen at the WVR runs! Also notable is that Monday is supposed to be my off-day, especially since I did my long run followed by a pace run this weekend. And my legs reminded me throughout the entire run that they were supposed to have the day off.

Tuesday: 4 miles out-and-back on Tempe Town Lake with RFB
Start Time: 7:15 pm
Starting Temperature: 104
Post-run Fuel: strawberry bomber and potato chips
Notes: 

Wednesday: 4 treadmill miles while watching baseball and 4 more around the lake
Start Time: 6:30 pm
Starting Temperature: 106
Post-run Fuel: water
Notes: When marathon training, I have no interest in running an extra 2 blocks if I've met my mileage for the day. Example:

Saturday: 17-miler out-and-back on the crosscut and AZ canals
Start Time: 4:56 am
Starting Temperature: 90
Post-run Fuel: Anything and everything: cereal, pasta, yogurt, Ben and Jerry's ice cream...
Notes: Starting at 4:56 am is rough. Starting in 90 degrees is less rough. Ending in the 100's is rough. Going to a Saturday work-day after all of that was the icing on the rough-day cake. But at least I brought ALL THIS FOOD.

Sunday: 8 miles on San Juan
Start Time: 5:48 am
Starting Temperature: 88
Post-run Fuel: Matt's Big Breakfast
Notes: As per the usual, a San Juan run means that pace and cadence are all over the place.

Week 7

August 10 - August 16

Tuesday: 3 miles around Tempe Town Lake with Running for Brews
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Starting Temperature:  105 degrees
Post-run Fuel: I don't remember, but Craig won Lara Bars and I won a Route 66 coozie.
Notes: 
Laura - Ugh, chips and salsa is NOT a good pre-run food.
Runner - Why not?
Laura - I ate it 2 hours ago and it's still stuck in my gut.
Runner - Two hours?! Tell you stomach to get its shit together.
Laura - That's what I'm afraid of!

Wednesday: 8.5 miles around the lake, from Priest to McClintock.
Start Time: 6:45
Starting Temperature:  100 degrees
Post-run fuel: Water
Notes: Not my favorite of lake runs. McClintock is not a fun way to get from the north shore to the south shore because it involves crossing the 202 freeway. The sun started setting earlier, which means it was dark by the time I got there. I think there are trails that could have gotten me across, but I wasn't interested in running down a dark, desolate, unknown trail.

Thursday: 4 miles from Priest to Mill
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Starting Temperature: 102
Post-run fuel: Water
Notes: I saw a guy with one wheel on each shoe. I have desperately tried to find an image of such shoes, but I cannot. It may have been a homemade creation. I was impressed. He had to constantly move his legs just to keep momentum and balance. I enjoyed watching this dance until he skated his way out of my sight.

Also, I got a little annoyed with the Thursday crowds on Mill this evening. I quickly snapped myself out of such thinking though, remembering that I'd much prefer dodging pedestrians on a crowded sidewalk to dodging cars on a crowded freeway.

This is my "I need to get excited about running" outfit

Saturday: 16 miles
Start Time: 6:00 am
Starting Temperature: 106
Notes: Hot hot hot. I carried with me one liter of water in my camelbak, plus a 16 ounce bottle that was frozen solid, plus 8 ounces of gatorade. THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH. Luckily, I ran through downtown Scottsdale around mile 9 and found a Starbucks to refill my 16-ounce bottle, some of which eventually got poured on my face because my skin felt like it was roasting. But, enough complaining. I knew what I was in for when I started trying to get into this marathon 7 years ago.

When you're out running for hours, you're bound to see some interesting sights. On this run, I saw:
1. A very pregnant lady lighting up a cigarette as she stood by her [husband, boyfriend, baby-daddy] as he started up his motorcycle.
2. A lady riding a bicycle as one dog ran beside her and the other dog curled up around her neck. I told her I was impressed.
3. A duck mom and her babies. I stopped to take a picture and they swarmed around me, hoping for food.
4. An older couple walking down the path. They said, "good morning." I said, "morning. It won't be good for 3 more miles."

Sunday: 7.5 miles
Start Time: 10:45 am
Starting Temperature: climate-controlled
Notes:  After Saturday's run, it was time to allow myself to sleep in and run inside. I hate the treadmill, but pairing it with the Dbacks game helped. It would have helped more if the Dbacks actually had a hit in the time I was running.
I'm a jerky, twitchy, crooked runner, so staying straight on a treadmill is hard. I tore out the emergency stop button twice. Luckily, it's impossible for me to not look at the screen every minute, so I still knew my total distance. After pulling out the stop button the 2nd time, I did the last 1.1 miles in just over 9 minutes. We'll just pretend that's how fast I was the whole time.

Week 6

August 3 - August 9

Monday: 0 miles at Tempe Town Lake.
Start Time: n/a
Starting Temperature: hot
Post-run Fuel: I didn't run, but in case you're wondering, this is what I require to get me through the first day of school:

Notes: It's the first day of school AND my birthday. I'm not running. End of story. But I will eat ice cream cake and watch the sunset at the lake.

There was this hilarious radio guy I used to listen to. Once he joked about how his girlfriend would frame all these photos of the two of them where he looked super goofy and he would bring it up to her, but she'd be like, "I don't know what you're talking about; this is a great photo!" because she only ever paid attention to how she looked.
I don't know why this suddenly came to mind.

Tuesday: 3 miles around Tempe Town Lake with Running for Brews
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Starting Temperature:  106 degrees
Post-run Fuel: Strawberry Bottle Rocket beer and roasted veggies
Notes: The theme this week was "School Spirit" which was quite fitting since it's my first week back to school. I didn't have any school spirit clothes to wear, but I figured just making it out there on the 2nd day of school was quite an accomplishment.

Wednesday: 7 miles - 3.5 miles with Aravaipa Trail runners, plus 2 miles running there and 1.5 miles running home.
Start Time: 6:00 pm
Starting Temperature:  108 degrees
Post-run Fuel: Water
Notes: This was the first training run I thought I might DNF 

Thank goodness for fancy bathrooms with a view.

Thursday: 3 miles around Tempe Town Lake
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Starting Temperature:  degrees
Post-run Fuel: Tortilla with beans, cheese, and peppers and an Orange Blossom Beer
Notes: Much better than yesterday

Saturday: 8 miles out-and-back on the Grand Canal with some of my beloved West Valley Runners
Start Time: 6:00 am
Starting Temperature:  degrees
Post-run Fuel: Pancakes, a veggie omelet, potatoes, and coffee at Joe's Diner
Notes: I went to this run with the mindset that I would have to run faster than I would on my own. I like to do my long runs SLOW, and the people I'd be running with end up being too speedy for me. So, I decided to make this a pace run. Turns out, I was the fast one. Apparently 6 weeks of marathon training through the heat of summer pays off. Still, I wouldn't have run that fast on my own and I was giddy with joy to see my running family.

Sunday: 9 miles up the Indian Bend Wash (Greenbelt) and down the Cross-cut Canal with a bus ride at the end.
Start Time: 6:30 am
Starting Temperature:  degrees
Post-run Fuel: Leftovers from yesterday. Yum yum yum
Notes: The Greenbelt was one of my first memories of Arizona. In high school I suddenly decided I wanted to live in Arizona. I can't remember why, but I have a feeling it was related to a dream. I also fell in love with Matthew McConaughey this way, even though I hadn't seen a single movie with him in it (I've loved him ever since). My mom figured I should at least VISIT the place where I planned to live, so we went to visit her cousin, Lizbeth (aka the aforementioned Aunt Liz). I remember rollerblading on the Greenbelt, while the rest of the family walked along. When I finally did move to Arizona, I found a room to rent on Craigslist. While researching the area, I asked Jill, my soon to be housemate, if she lived near "sidewalks that go under the intersections." It turns out, she did! She wasn't near the Greenbelt, but the Arizona Canal. I lived near the Arizona Canal from 2007 until just recently. I miss the Arizona Canal, but the Greenbelt and Cross-cut are so pretty. I almost feel like I'm not in the desert.

Nutmeg, My Inspiration

There's something to be said for someone who can adapt to any situation, without complaints. While we humans are constantly trying to adapt our environments, Nutmeg adapts herself. And it inspires me. So here's a post about Nutmeg- my exceptionally content, adaptable cat- as told by her love of sunny spots.

The sunny spot is in this pile of stuff today. No bother, I'll sleep here.

The sunny spot is on the wall today. Well, then, I'll sleep on the wall.

The sunny spot has decided to move right onto my pile of toys? Well, then, I'll cuddle up with my toys. You'll never defeat me, sunny spot!

The sunny spot is small today. Not a problem. I can be small.

And Laura's personal favorite: when the sunny spot is on Laura's lap.

Happy sleeping, dear Nutmeg.

Guatemala: Epilogue

My trip is over, but there are many little things that I wanted to mention.

On Parenting:

• Breastfeeding does not seem to be subject to the debates that I hear in the US. If your kid is hungry, you feed him, even if it's while you're crammed into a Chicken Bus with 50 other people.
• Stroller sightings were few and far between. Most parents carried their babies in slings. I imagine this is because many parents are using public transportation or walking precarious sidewalks. Strollers aren't practical.

On Transportation:

• Lots of people have cars and motorcycles to get around, which sometimes made it tough as a pedestrian. The side streets are very small and the sidewalks are unreliable. Stop signs are optional.
• Public transportation has a variety of forms. The Chicken Buses are everywhere for longer trips. There are also lots of people driving vans as if they are buses. Someone will pop his head out the side door as he approaches to ask if you will want to board. If you say no, they just close the door and keep on driving.

On Food:

agua pura

• Eggs are for lunch and dinner, not breakfast.
• Fresh tortillas are a staple and my family served them with all of our meals.
• I noticed a lot more consumption of juice, and you can buy juice in a small clear plastic bag.
• You can also buy pure water in a clear plastic bag.
• I ate avocado a couple times in Guatemala without any allergic reaction. I came back to the states feeling confident that I could eat avocado again. I was wrong.

• In Guatemala it is easy to drink a lot of coffee (pronounced cah-FAY in Spanish and CAW-fee in Laura). It's common with breakfast, lunch, afternoon breaks, and dinner. I occasionally read these studies, like "PEOPLE WHO DRANK 5 CUPS OF COFFEE A DAY SHOWED THE FOLLOWING HEALTH BENEFITS". And I would always think, "Who the hell drinks that much coffee?" Well, I think I drank 5 or 6 cups one day and then felt in need of a huge break from it the next day.
• Also, you have to specify that you want milk when you order a coffee. Milk was not always available either. I learned that I like black coffee more than I had previously thought. This came in handy when I returned home and my milk was bad.

On Community:

• People are out and about all the time and almost everyone will greet you with "buenas dias" or some equivalent pleasantry. 
• The workdays are longer, but tend to be more relaxed. People will stop by to say hi or spend some time relaxing. Start times are not nearly as strict.
• One of the employees for the restaurant, Aurelia, has become part of the family. I think she gets room and board as part of her pay.

On Games:

• I played Connectivo Cuatro and SET while staying with my family.
• Danilo regularly solved his Rubix cube.
• Pablo and I played baseball using some balled up napkins and a plastic pipe.
• I had a piece of yarn for Cheetos that Glendy picked up to show me tricks, like Jacob's Ladder. This brought on memories of the hours I spent playing Cat's Cradle in Middle School. I showed her how to play.
• They had a stuffed Care Bear.
• One time I was about to enter the garage from outside, but heard someone entering the garage from the house. So I waited off to the side. It turned out to be Danilo and I gave him a scare. This made us both laugh. Craig and I play this game all the time (though usually we're only pretend scared).

On Italian:

• My Italian speaking skills helped and hurt on this trip.
• At first I pronounced five as cinque (chinkway), which is the Italian word. Then I said cinco (sink-o), which is the Spanish word. Then I said sinkway, which is a blend of the 2. 
• When I had a sore throat, I wanted to ask for salt, so I went with the Italian word - sale (soll-ay), which worked because the Spanish word is sal (soll). 
• My Spanish instructor told me I spoke Spanish with an Italian accent.
• Even for words that are pronounced exactly the same, the spellings are different, such as che/que or montagna/montana
• And words that are spelled exactly the same often had different pronunciations, such as piscina (pee-SEE-nuh in Spanish and pee-SHEE-nuh in Italian) or cena (SAY-nuh in Spanish and CHAY-nuh in Italian).
• At first I would think about what words to say and my brain would tell me the Italian translation. Then I took the Italian word and my brain had to find the Spanish translation. 
• I don't want to lose my Italian skills, but I also want to become much more fluent in Spanish. This makes me think I'm going to have to work extra hard to maintain all 3 languages. Luckily, I have a super cool Italian friend who plays Tetris with me on the internet and I work with someone who speaks Spanish and un poquito ingles.

On communication (and miscommunication):

• We talked with our family about where they were from and Chris asked if Danilo was born in the lake instead of at/near the lake.
• I described my cats as picante (spicy) instead of pequena (small).
• When teaching Daniela English adjectives one day, I taught her the word smart. "Smart?" she asked. She walked away and got her phone and laughed. "Smart phone?" "Si, si!" I laughed. Then I walked away and got my basic phone and said, "stupido phone!" 

On Getting Home:

• I started my trip back to the states by getting a shuttle at 5:45 am. I arrived at the airport around 9:00 am and then spent some time doing not much of anything until my flight at 2:00.
• I flew to Atlanta, where I spent a lot of time going through customs.
• When I was in the Phoenix airport getting ready to leave, security flagged my bag for my metal spork. They searched my bag, found it, and said it was okay. So when I flew into Atlanta, I took my spork out so I wouldn't have to get searched. They took it. Grr.
• I saw 4 movies during my round trip flights: Ted 2, The Martian, Inside Out, and Brave. I recommend all of them. Ted 2 was hilarious, The Martian was interesting, funny, and visually enjoyable, Inside Out was creative, funny, and made me cry a little, Brave had a sub-par story but the scenery, Irish accents, and Irish music made up for it.
• I caught my flight from Atlanta to Phoenix and arrived in Phoenix just before midnight.
• I caught the light rail and walked home from there, arriving at my door just past midnight.
• Craig had locked the doors. Even my sneaky way in for when I was locked out was not an option. Luckily, I was able to wake him up by pounding on the door. He said, "You're going to put this in your blog aren't you?" I wouldn't have, but since he asked I kind of had to.

Guatemala: Day 10 - Panajachel Part 3

January 18

Did I say Monday would be relaxing? Okay, okay. It was, for the most part.

I started the day lounging in bed and planning my day. After that, my first priority was to find something for my lingering cough and my problemas femininas. I went to a farmacia for these needs. Everything was in glass cases, so it was hard to find what I needed. I almost bought a pregnancy test because the box looked about the right size for tampons (which I was surprised by, because tampons are supposedly hard to find in Guatemala). Luckily I saw the image with little check boxes marking "si" or "no" and moved on to different products. I got what I needed, plus a pack of strawberry cream cough drops.

I walked to a cafe to enjoy a morning coffee. I strolled through town in hopes of finding something worth buying as a souvenir, which I did.

Me, and the lake, and my awesome new hand-stitched skirt

I continued to walk through town and somehow walked full-circle. I was not at all interested in being lost this time, so I caught a tuc-tuc to take me to the playa publica. My next goal was to figure out where I could actually dip my feet into the water. So I wandered about and continued to pass through shops and lake views.

One dog adopted me and started walking with me. I happened upon 2 more dogs who had their rear-ends touching and I tried to figure out what could possibly be going on in this position.

I knew better than to interfere with what might be a sensitive situation. The dog that was tagging along with me went over for a sniff and quickly got growled away. I had a good guess about what was happening, or had happened, but is this what normally happens? I don't think so. I waited for a while and then continued onward.

I found an entrance to the lake and dipped my feet in and took some pictures. A man came along to make small talk. I wasn't interested in conversation, so I headed back to find a new quiet spot. I sat on a nice little bench and knitted while looking at the water. Some women passing by showed a lot of interest in the knitting.

Then I went to find lunch. The attached dogs were separated and a new male was already expressing interest in the female, who was NOT in the mood. 

A little further along, I found myself a lake-front restaurant.

A few salespeople came through trying to convince me to buy bracelets and other trinkets. I had to say "no gracias" many many times. I accidentally said, "si" to one woman who asked if I might want something later. I instantly kicked myself for this, because I'd already learned that they will follow through. When Chris admired some goods outside the school earlier in the week, she told them that she'd come back another day. The woman asked which day and held Chris to it. In my case, I just repeated some more "no gracias" and she finally gave up on me.

As beautiful as the lake was, there wasn't an easy place to set up for the day, so I headed back to one of my wrong turns from the previous day to explore the Nature Preserve, which was about a mile and a half away. 

I paid my admission and took a look at the map. I decided to head for the monkeys first. After seeing the monkeys high up in the trees, I hoped to continue on the path to see the waterfall, some other stuff, and then end with the butterflies. To continue this hike, I had to cross a rickety bridge about 15 feet across. About 3-4 inches of space separated each plank, which meant that scaredy-cat Laura needed to carefully step on each plank of wood.

I approached another bridge and started walking before I realized what I was in for. By the time I realized that this bridge was at least three times as long, I was committed. I knew I should put away my tablet, which I had been using as a camera, but coordinating that action while on a rickety bridge seemed far too difficult. So I continued to carefully cross the scary bridge, clinging on to my belongings.

As I arrived at the middle of the bridge, my tablet slipped from my hand. Crap!

But it landed on the bridge inches in front of my feet. Thank God!

And bounced. Super Crap!

And gracefully dove between the wood planks to the ground 20 feet below. Super Duper Crap!!!

Suddenly, I had a reason to walk faster on the bridge. I got to the other end and scurried down the hill of dirt and branches to the ground. I climbed over a giant pile of other Lost Forever items before eyeing my bright orange tablet on the ground. I retrieved it, and climbed my way back up, thankful for the branches that I used to hoist myself up because flip flops are not the best hiking shoes.

And then I continued on. For about 10 feet. Until I arrived at another long, rickety bridge. Screw this, I said. I cut my losses, PUT MY TABLET IN MY BACKPACK, and then headed back across the 2 previous bridges. 

This turned out to be a good call, because when I got back to the monkey area, there were some new animals hanging out. I wasn't sure what they were, but when I approached one, it bolted away like a cat. So I was fairly certain it was harmless. This one was brave enough to continue to approach me. I couldn't get a still shot of him, because he moved like this.

Then I was off to sit in the butterfly sanctuary for a bit. I also happened to catch some peacocks. After that, I headed back to the beach to enjoy the sunset.

Don't mind us. We're just hanging out on our car.

At the beach, I found some concrete steps to sit and relax. Children came to play and 2 of the younger ones sheepishly stripped off most of their clothes to swim in the lake, giggling the entire time. I made small talk with a man collecting cans. A young girl selling trinkets admired my knitting and asked about it.
"Para usted?" she asked.
"Si," I responded.
"Para mi?" she asked.
"No."
Which prompted her to leave.

An older woman selling items sat next to me. We talked about my knitting and her beading. We talked about the sunset and the clouds. She pointed as a crane flew by and I asked her what it was called in Spanish.

"Grua," She replied. Soon after that she continued on her way.

At around 6:30, it began to get cold and the clouds had ended the sunset early. So I went to the public bathrooms, paid dos quetzales for my share of toilet paper, and then headed in the direction of my hostel. The streets that had been bustling with pedestrians and vendors had turned into a ghost town, so I flagged down a tuc tuc for a ride home.

I packed up, wound down, chatted with Craig, and got some sleep before my early morning shuttle to the airport.

My host sister, Daniella, liked to ask about English words and phrases that she saw on signs and TV. One phrase she asked about was THE END.

Guatemala: Day 9 - Panajachel Part 2

January 17th (Still)

At 1:30 on Sunday, I thought for sure I had made it to my destination, Panajachel. I was in the center of a city and caught sight of a few street signs. I looked for these signs on my map, but couldn't find them. I saw a sign pointing to the beach and decided to go for it.

By the time I realized that the city I was in probably WASN'T Panajachel, I was in too deep and walking on a road with no turnoffs. I could turn back, but that would require me to head back uphill and I figured it just couldn't be that far, right? But after some more walking, I saw a billboard advertising some place in Panajachel that was 5k away. I convinced myself that this would mean that the beginning of the city would be closer. So, I continued to walk on the side of a reasonably busy, winding road, with the occasional drainage that I could walk in for added protection. This wouldn't be so bad if:
a) Chicken buses weren't flying past every 10-15 minutes.
b) I wasn't walking in flip flops that had already taken me 3 miles to the bus that morning.
c) I wasn't battling a mild cold.
d) I weren't in the middle of some problemas femininas and in need of more, ahem, equipment.
e) It hadn't been 5 hours since I'd last peed.
f) There weren't random dead animals in my path.

dead snake

There were some silver linings: I was going DOWNhill. The weather was nice and it was daylight. Plus, I occasionally caught view of the lake.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Eventually, I arrived at a little area with souvenir stands. I asked a man if taxis would stop there. He said yes. So I waited. I flagged a couple of taxis and the drivers looked at me, but didn't stop. After 15 minutes of this, I continue onward.

Finally, there was a turnoff! I headed down this road and saw children playing soccer and some roosters milling about. I saw a church and thought this was a good sign because it was probably the city center. I continued walking, determined to make it to the lake. I ended up at a dead end with a sign telling me I was on private property. I headed back UPhill to the church to look for signs that might tell me where I was. I learned from a man in the church that I was in Santa Cruz, which is so small that it doesn't even have road signs, not even on Google maps. There was a church, a bunch of guys playing soccer, some roosters, and a view of the lake that I couldn't seem to reach. 

I asked the man at the church if taxis would come to this area and he said yes. I asked how long and he said 10 minutes. So I waited. After 15 minutes a taxi passed by. I flagged the driver and he continued to drive. I even waited an extra 10 minutes in hopes that he would loop back around after dropping off a passenger. He did not.

So I continued to climb back UPhill to the main road again. After another hour of walking, I arrived at another turnoff. There were billboards for hotels, so I felt a bit more optimistic. There was also this sign:

But if I followed that sign, I would have had to continue on the main road. So instead, I walked down a quiet road, lined with small houses and people working on farms. I saw the lake, but again couldn't get to it. I passed a sign for Reserva Natural Atitlan, which would have been intriguing if I weren't so desperately in need of a bed (and a toilet). But I reached another dead end. So I turned around for the millionth time. At this point it was nearly 5 pm and I resigned myself to becoming a Guatemalan vagrant.

But on the way back, I passed a big fancy hotel and a tuc-tuc (aka mini taxi) pulled into the parking lot. I ran over and asked for a ride to my hostel. 

tuc tucs

And for 10 quetzales (less than $1.50), I received a ride to my hostel. When all was said and done, it turned out I was in the main city of Solala and walked 6-7 miles to the tuc tuc, which should have been a 10-minute chicken bus ride if I had known I needed to take one more bus.

My hike from Solala to Hotel Atitlan, with a 1 mile detour in Santa Cruz

The final stretch of less than 2 miles that I completed via tuc tuc.

Around 6 pm, I arrived at the hostel, relaxed for a little bit, and found some food. I also figured out that I could take a shuttle directly from the hostel to the airport on Tuesday. And I learned this from someone speaking English, so I was pretty sure it was true. I booked a second night in Panajachel, planning to have an exceptionally relaxing day on Monday.