March 2017 // Scottsdale

AZ was two weeks after LA. I was nervous that a weekend in Scottsdale would not compare. I was so wrong! I could easily live in Scottsdale. We loved it! 

Over Christmas break, KJ and I decided we wanted to run a half marathon. We wanted it to be somewhere warm and new. We found a half marathon on St. Patrick's Day in Scottsdale. 

We booked the cutest Airbnb studio. The hosts lent us vintage bicycles, and we rode them everywhere. She told us the only place that we couldn't take them was Camelback Mountain so naturally, that was one of our first stops. We rode 7 miles there and 7 miles back... the day before a half marathon. 

Before we set out to hike Camelback, a ranger stopped us. He was concerned that we were going to hike without any water. He gave us the stats about how many dehydrated hikers had already been airlifted off the mountain. We weren't concerned, but we gratefully accepted the free water and Gatorade. 

KJ knows me better than I know myself. On the plane, she told me that I was getting sick. I didn't think I was sick, but she was right. The night before the half marathon, we had an Uber driver take us to Walgreen's for medicine. 

I barely slept the night before the run. I couldn't breathe and kept coughing. My body ached all over and my throat was throbbing with pain. But I ran anyway! We came in first and second in our age group. I was so tired and achy that I barely made it to the stage to get our medals, but I knew my mom would be sad if we didn't bring back our prizes. 

We rewarded ourselves with the biggest bloody mary bar in Scottsdale. After brunch, we called the W to see about going to their pool. They told us it was a $30 cover. When we got there, they didn't charge us, and we quickly met a bachelor party that supplied our drinks all day. They had March Madness on big screens at the pool. It was crazy, crazy fun. 

This post would not be complete without this story... KJ and I cry tears of laughter every time we tell it. As we were riding our bikes back to the house, KJ's pedal fell off. She flung forward into the handle bars. I know you had to be there to understand how funny this was, but it's an image I will never forget. We were next to an overgrown field so I had to search for the pedal in the brush. The bike couldn't be repaired onsite. We put the pedal in KJ's bicycle basket, and she pedaled home with one foot. Every time she hit a bump, the pedal fell out of the basket, and I had to u-turn and get it. We laughed the entire way home. Luckily, our hosts were kind enough to fix the bike right away. 

Sister time never disappoints. This is one of my favorite weekends for sure!