Trails and Dells - Reached 10k Today!

For my third year in a row, I'm on track to run my yearly half marathon! The best part is that this is my second year trail running - which has turned running from exercise (a necessary evil) to one of my favorite hobbies. Today I reached the half way point in my training with a trail 10k! :)

The north end of the PeaVine Trail in Prescott, Arizona

In 2014, I ran in street races. I felt like a little mouse running around in the circles and had to force myself to focus all my energy on the good feeling I'd have when I crossed the finish line. Compare that with my 1/2 trail marathon last year in Moab when I was actually sad when I crossed the finish line, not wanting the gorgeous run to be over. There is just NOTHING better than running in nature and soaking in the energy that comes with being outside of the city! :)

Read about my 1/2 Marathon Moab Trail Run >>

The "trail" for the Moab race...it was so legit!

Anyways, I've been staying in Prescott with my family for a bit and have been LOVING the miles and miles of trails that run through this area. I started training on the PeaVine trail behind Watson lake - running where the old railway tracks used to be.

My first trail of the season:

My brother, Micah, and I cycling PeaVine at sunset. :)

The rock formations are out of this world - most people don't even know places like the Granite Dells exist! :)

I have so many memories of hiking or cycling this trail as a kid - I had no idea how amazing it was back then.

I also have memories of pedal-boating or kayaking in Watson Lake. Even had a date out in the middle - my cousin jumped in and lost all of our keys, IDs, and wallets he was holding for us. Ohhh, the memories! :)

My other brother, Jonas, and I hiking the rocks at Watson Lake after a run.

One of the highlights of being home is that Jonas and I have been running/hiking together 2-3x per week and making awesome memories together up in the mountains! We've been taking turns between the PeaVine trail and the mountains behind Lynx Lake. He is AMAZING at running and far beyond my abilities, but he's such a chill kid that he makes a great running companion.

Jonas and I running behind Lynx Lake (Walker Road)

Prescott is just gorgeous. As a kid, I couldn't wait to leave and see the world. But I have absolutely fallen in love with this place this trip (even with the 100+ degree weather - but at least it's not 115+ degrees like down in Phoenix this week!). The mountains are only minutes away and the smell of the pine trees is just so refreshing!

My family lives in a somewhat mountainous area of Prescott. What's awesome is that there is wildlife EVERYWHERE. At least once a day deer come by my window or a roadrunner crosses the yard, or like in the video below, we have a whole herd (flock? family? pod?) of javelinas (plus a few deer)!

I love living in nature! :)

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Today was that wonderful moment when I realized how far I've come. Reaching the 10k mark brings just such a great feeling every year. Pardon me for sounding like an old fogie - as in "back in the day..." - but I am so full of gratitude that I feel I have to share a bit of my journey to get to this point. After four years of trying to get in shape and "failing" each time as my health would crash and I'd be worse off than when I started, He gave me the idea three years ago to try training in 30 second increments. I then slowly, slowly increased my running a few seconds at a time - it seemed to take forever, but it never pushed my body too far and as a result, I was able to run!

At the start of the north side of PeaVine Trail this morning.

What's amazing to me is how quickly I've been able to get into shape this year. Some days, like yesterday, I could hardly walk 2 miles (with lots of breaks), but today I'm able to run nearly the entire 10k. (Depending on how many spoons I have for my day.) BUT, it is a night and day difference from three years ago! I am just in awe and can't help but say tons of 'thank You' prayers while I run. :)

It's a miracle...it's MY miracle. And I just can't help but smile when I run - I never thought this would be possible!

Happy trails, everyone!

Destiny

P.S. Oh, and I have to just show something (I'm quite proud of it). As part of this year's journey to getting in shape, I've been cooking healthy meals more than ever before. (My mom can't help but say, "It's about time!") We've been doing a lot of BBQs (steaks and shishkabobs) and I even cooked Thai curry with bamboo shoots and herbs and was SO pleased when it turned out. :)

Thai Chicken & Coconut Curry!

Kielbasa Sausage & Zucch Shishkabobs

Steaks from our Cattle

Parmesan Vegetable Medley w/ Spices

Mother/Daughter Salad & Mango Date

Check out another post:

HOW MANY SPOONS DO I HAVE LEFT? >>

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