Julie: Sometimes you gotta know when to quit

This spring I settled into a routine on the mornings I was off from work: wake up, eat breakfast, fill my camelback with ice water, and drive to my local suburban mountain five minutes away. The spring weather here in Phoenix is perfect for sunrise hikes.

When the calendar hits May and you're living in Phoenix you're sure of one thing: summer is around the corner and it is going to get hot. Hiking in 90 degrees is uncomfortable, and when our summers get to 115 it's unsafe. I was anxious to get as many days in as I can on my morning hikes. This particular trail is ~3 miles long, and I got to a point where I was doing it twice. (I wasn't kidding around when I said I wanted to get a lot of hiking in.) I set a date for May 31st to be my last morning hike until November 1st.

I've been so focused about the heat I forgot about two important aspects of spring.

1) Bees. My jolly self was rocking out to some Beyonce when I was working on my cardiovascular endurance on my trail, and attempting to run stretches of it. In late April I ran straight into a giant swarm of bees. A single sting on my pinky! Man down! ... I didn't let that deter me. I decided to avoid that particular side trail and start my hike earlier in the morning

Until...

2) This one is particular to Arizona. Two mornings ago I was out on my morning hike, just finishing up my first round when I was passed from behind by a familiar morning hiker. Kanye was yelling at me in my earphones about all my mocha lattes while this guy's mouth was moving. I smiled and thought he was wishing me a good morning. He kept moving his mouth, and I decided to take out my headphones. The first thing I hear: "You seeing any of the rattlesnakes?"

Yes kids, rattlesnake season is now! This is my cue to start my hiking hiatus, as I am not interested in a snakebite. Antivenom, the hospital bill and pain for months? No thank you.

Time to focus on the gym and join the other ladies.