drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  532,391

Post-race conversation between my friend Rustin, and my mom, Tia:

• Rustin:  So, you left them in your dust?
• Mom:  No, the dust had already settled by then.

That pretty much sums it up!  Marathon Mom has done it again by showing the rest of us who’s boss.

When my return flight from Detroit landed in Phoenix on Wednesday morning after attending the North American International Auto Show, I hit the ground running.  I immediately had to commute to the office and catch up on 270 unread emails from being out of the office for two business days.  My mom & stepdad arrived from Utah that same evening, and we spent the last several days together.

The grand finale of mom’s Arizona visit was this year’s PF Chang’s Arizona Rock & Roll Half Marathon, which I’ve run with her a half-dozen or so times in the past.  The 13.1-mile race course starts and ends near Arizona State University in Tempe in the historic Mill Avenue district.  This year I competed alongside my mom (veteran of more than a hundred competitive running events), my step-dad Todd (relatively new to the scene), and my friend Beau (first-timer!).  We made our way to the start line around 6:30 in the morning on Sunday.

The cool thing about the Rock & Roll series races is that, true to its name, the entertainment comes with the experience.  At least a half-dozen bands were playing alongside the race course as 22,000 runners pounded the pavement.  By about mile 6, I had to shift to a run/walk/run/walk strategy to save myself from burning out.  My “training” for this event — if it can even be called that — had consisted of one, 3-mile, jog around my neighborhood last week.  That’s it.

When the finish line finally came into sight, it was a glorious occasion.  I chugged not one, not two, but three bottles of chocolate milk in the runner recovery area.  It hit the spot.  I’ll share just a few pictures with you today.  First, mom’s spy shot of me getting into the Legend after Saturday’s marathon expo.

Mom’s shot of me driving through my neighborhood.

And mom’s 2003 Lexus GS430.  Still looking good at 135,000 miles.  And what’s not to love about a torquey V8 and silky smooth transmission?

Early morning eastward view down University Avenue in Tempe, Arizona, just prior to race start.

Runners congregating in their assigned “Corrals” – 20 or so in total.

Running up McDowell Road through Papago Park.

Quick selfie with my mom around mile 9.

Getting close to the finish!

Mom’s spy shot of me approaching the finish.  She seems to be handy with the phone-cam!

And, the victors!  Beau, Tia, Tyson, with our medals.

Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start.

This entry was posted on January 19, 2015 at 7:51 am and is filed under Arizona, Running. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.