Just returned from a trip out to Arizona – yeah, the pictures says it all. While I did enjoy the hot weather (mid-90’s), the combination of allergies that came with me from Pennsylvania plus this plague-like cold I’ve had made it a little less enjoyable. I swear they make t-shirts and merchandise with “but it’s a dry heat” on it.
Due to the aforementioned cold/allergy double-whammy, I really haven’t run in earnest since the Crush Childhood Cancer 5K. I did, however, take the time to check out some new restaurants in Arizona. Bootleggerz had some of the best beef brisket I’ve ever had – the restaurant has a giant smoker built into the building. Really great flavor, and their Apple Pie Moonshine is another story entirely! Our second evening there (traveled with a member of my IT Operations team), we tried out Si Senor for some authentic Mexican/Southwest food. I actually tried green hatch chile salsa, and spent the next 15 minutes or so trying to get feeling back in my mouth. IT WAS HOT! And no, it wasn’t a dry heat in this case!
The plane trip back was a straight shot, rather than the St. Louis layover we had going out. While I’m not a fan of long flights, doing 4.5 hours in one shot versus back-to-back 2.5 and 3.5 hour flights is preferable. Then comes the drive back from Philadelphia, since flights are scarce from the Lehigh Valley. Now to just hope this cold goes away, and I feel better so I can get back into Dumbo training.