Just Remember to Breathe

I arrived in Flagstaff one week ago and am loving it. I have been diving right back into training and the local endurance scene. Everyone I've met has been great; Trijacks team, other local athletes, The Chamber and local businesses, and the neighbors have all made it incredibly easy to become part of the community.

Yesterday, I, along with Nicole Ewert of the NAU Trijacks, ran the Tusayan / Grand Canyon Half Marathon. It was a pretty challenging course with lots of hills and a pretty solid headwind on the return trip, not to mention the average elevation was over 6,600 ft. With only a week living at altitude, I was gasping for air the entire race. Nicole and I won were the overall male and female winners with a 1:29:56 and 1:47, pretty respectable for the type of course we were running. Plus, it was Nicole's first time racing a half marathon. Awesome! Go Trijacks!

Course Profile

This win was a great confidence builder and a great way to start off my AZ racing resume. I'm excited to get rolling as both a coach and athlete for Grasky Endurance Coaching and I'm pretty sure I've finally found where I need to be to achieve my personal, racing, and career goals.