On our last day in California we just relaxed, lounged around, and drove along the coast. I even got to go running along Laguna Beach. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty amazing

That night we also made a fire (our hotel has a gas firepit located in the pool area) and toasted marshmallows and made s’mores. It was lovely to just relax.

We crammed a lot into only a few days and it felt good just to chill. The next morning we woke up early to drive to make the 5 hour drive to Phoenix, Arizona where my brother lives, for the second half of our adventure. I wanted to get in a quick workout before spending all that time in the car so I quickly snuck into the fitness room and did 30 minutes on the elliptical.

I am actually quite proud of myself for the way I managed to keep working out while on vacation. When you’re out of your normal routine, you really have to make exercise a priority if you want to fit it in.

My vacation workout schedule went a little something like this:

Friday morning: 30 minutes elliptical, 10 minutes treadmill increasing the incline from 7-12

Saturday morning: 3 mile run around the hotel followed by tricep pushups/tricep dips/tricep extensions in the fitness room

Sunday: 2 hour bike tour from Santa Monica to Venice

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 2.5 mile run on Laguna Beach (barefoot + running in sand=harder than usual)

Wednesday: 30 minute elliptical in fitness room

Thursday: 3 mile run around my brother’s house in Arizona (100 degrees by 8am=running torture)

Friday: Rest (Unless you count walking around the Grand Canyon all day…which I kind of do)

Saturday: Rest (this was due mostly to my fear aversion of running again in the Arizona heat)

Sunday: Travel

I tried to get most of my workouts done early in the morning before everyone else woke up, that way it was out of the way for the day and I wasn’t worrying about “when am I gonna get my run in?”

The drive from LA to Phoenix is rather boring and uneventful…

There were mountains

and trains

And mountains with trains

Snow on the mountaintops

Weird windmill things

Horror-film-like trees

And then we were there!

Look what was waiting for us?

Next up is the Grand Canyon…