8 miles on the Rillito

Here I am posing Catra 'Dirt Diva' style on my favorite offshoot trail from the Rillito River path.

I ran 8 miles today - it was hot. I've had some blog readers ask about the heat here in Tucson. Yes, it is hot. Already. I'll be switching to morning running in about 2 weeks, when the sun rises earlier, which will be lovely! Until then, the trick is to bring enough water along and make sure you stay hydrated when you aren't running. I'm a southern gal (born and raised in the New Orleans area, y'all, and moved to Tucson when I was 19), so I don't mind the heat, I guess. You don't have to wear much! In Tucson, it is fairly dry, so it is easy to think you aren't sweating or losing electrolytes, when in fact, the sweat is just drying up as fast as you sweat it out! I use Hammer Endurolytes to keep my electrolytes up on longer runs.

Come visit in the Winter and you'll know why so many people flock to Tucson. Beautiful. I was wearing a skirt to run in for most of the Winter months.

I visited my friends 'the goats' at Green Things plant nursery, which is just off of the Rillito, also. It was a good excuse to get into some shade for a moment.

I feel very spiritually connected this week, knowing that I'm strong and capable of handling my very busy life, completing a marathon, and getting ready for my first ultramarathon!