Time For A Change 😍

Still here, still running, but we are MOVING to Maine! Aka I left Colorado on Saturday with my mom and the cats. Alex will be driving to Maine with Stella at the beginning of June. I didn’t really share the moving news with too many people, mainly because I hate to say goodbye! Also because I’m sure we’ll be back to visit Steamboat & Colorado often. We’ve been driving around 8-9 hours since Saturday and will arrive in Maine tomorrow night! 

Stopped for a break & they aren’t so sure about Ohio... 

It’s been a really stressful few weeks/ months and I’m so excited for this new chapter. I want to put everything together for a nice blog post, but it may not be until the end of the week when the internet is set-up at our new house! 

Goodbye for now, Colorado! You are beautiful! 

So, here’s the shortened-down story for now. I’m going back to school at University of Southern Maine in Portland to get my nursing degree! I’ve always had a strong passion to go into healthcare since Middle School? And so so excited to finally be making that big-scary-career-changing jump. It has NOT been an easy decision OR easy journey to get here NOR will it be easy moving forwards, but what in life IS easy that is also equally REWARDING? 

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 -Ever made a ‘Big Move’?!  

-Anyone live in ME or Eastern NH!?! Let me know! Can’t wait to find a running tribe  here

Travel Thursday: Exploring Oregon- Recap of Our Trip!

Happy Friday-eve! This is the second-to-last day of my official #funemployment. It’s crazy how much faster the week goes by when you’ve got a free schedule as opposed to working all week?! Not really sure why that is, but I’ve been able to get a bunch of things done this week (including almost all of my runs already)! I’ve got some quick pick-ups to do today and hoping the snow/rain will hold off before I can get my run in later this morning. I’m also still reminiscing on our trip last week to Oregon and thought it would be fun to share the trip with you! I did a bunch of research before our trip to see what was on a ‘must-see’ list for the state and the time of year that we visited.

Luckily, the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival was still going on and it was on the drive to Eugene from Portland. I highly recommend stopping here if you can. We got there around 11am on a Saturday (it was a bit rainy), but honestly the lines & traffic were nowhere near where I anticipated they would be. We spent around 30 minutes here, but I could seeing spending the entire day there (and SO many cute dogs were there).

In Eugene, we were ALL about getting some delicious food post-Eugene Marathon and eating dinner at The Beer Stein did not disappoint. They had a crazy-good selection of beers, apps, and the steak salad really hit the spot (along with that delicious pretzel)! Highly recommend going here if Brewerys are your thing.

The best place we ate at all week was at Off the Waffle in Eugene. We went to the one in South Eugene and it had a great super relaxed vibe. The waffle was absolutely INCREDIBLE. Perfectly toasted on the outside and sweet/sugary on the inside. We also walked across the street to the used bookstore (if that’s your thing)- it was HUGE and so many incredible deals. I wish we had one of these close to us.

We left Eugene on Monday and traveled about an hour and a half west to Florence. We visited the Sea Lion Caves and it was AMAZING. I cannot believe that there were over 200 sea lions just hanging out along the beach area. So cool to see them in their natural habitat.

We stayed the night in Florence at a hotel overlooking the ocean. Saw the most incredible sunset. It was perfect.

We left Florence on Tuesday and headed up the coast towards Cannon Beach. This was the longest drive we had of around 3.5 hours. It was such a scenic drive of the ocean for the majority of it and we stopped along the way to see Heceta Lighthouse. The lighthouse was beautiful, but honestly the views of the ocean landscape and the seals were the best part (ha).

We kept going along our drive and the Tillamook Creamery was on our route so we just HAD to stop. It was a huge cafeteria/gift-shop area and the amount of ice cream options they had was incredible. I got the S’mores flavor and it was incredible. My mom got the cold brew flavor and it was also delicious. We also got a grilled cheese, which was the creamiest, richest, cheesiest grilled cheese I’ve ever had.

We stayed the night in Seaside along the ocean again (about a 1/4 mile from the beach area) and it was a great place to run along the beach and their boardwalk. Super cute homes there as well to look at. We went to Cannon Beach the next morning and that was so beautiful.

The drive on Wednesday back to Portland from Seaside was pretty fast - around an hour. We stopped first at Blue Star donuts at one of their downtown locations. The donuts were pretty good- heavier than other donuts I’ve had- and really interesting savory flavors. It reminded me of some really indulgent cakes, where you can’t exactly finish the slice, but the bites you are able to have are real good.

The last stop on our travels was to Columbia River Gorge and Multonmah Falls. SO stunning and the pictures do not do it justice. Unfortunately the hike to the top of the Falls was closed when we were there, but luckily the crowds were minimal and the drive to the falls from Portland was also extremely scenic. I could see spending several days here to visit and hike through all of the vast outdoor space this area had. I definitely want to go back.

Travel Thursday: 10 Non-Traditional Things To Do In Steamboat Springs, CO!

Happy Friday-eve! OK so I’ve been wanting to this type of post for a while now, but honestly it always felt pretty daunting to write it all out. BUT it’s a new year and I’m up for the challenge! I’m getting in some easy miles this morning (5-8) and strength training as well. Also resting up for another ‘longer’ run Friday morning (12-15)!

Here are some non-traditional things that you should totally do if you’re ever in Steamboat Springs, CO. I’ve collected this list through my adventures around the valley over the past five and a half years.

• Walk along Yampa Avenue at night. They put up the best lights and it’s so beautiful (reminds me of that scene in The Notebook where they meet and dance in the middle of the road- I’ve always wanted to do something like that!)

• Eat at Haymaker in the winter and do their sleigh ride dinner. It is 100% amazing.

• Snowshoe hike out to Fish Creek Falls in the winter. It’s so beautiful and quiet in the winter. Snowshoes are highly recommended to get to the Falls and then beyond if you’re feeling in shape!

• Camp out along Seedhouse Road north of Steamboat Springs. This is my favorite area that I’ve been to in the Valley. So beautiful and relaxing out there.

• Cross Country ski during the full moon along Stagecoach Reservoir. The groomed trails make it easy to follow among the moonlight.

• Participate in one of Steamboat Running Series’ races. Their half marathon or Steamboat Stinger are both amazing races (and well put-together!)

• Eat at Mazzola’s and get their pizza. It’s incredible and you will not be disappointed.

• Run along Emerald Mountain’s trails in the summer. You can’t go wrong with any trail you choose.

• Stay at Strawberry Park Hot Springs overnight and enjoy a fresh soak first-thing the next morning.

• Rent one of the yurts at Pearl Lake. We did this in the winter and it was so nice to wake-up there the next morning among the snow and quietness of the park. I’m sure it’s just as beautiful in the summer too!

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Ever been to Steamboat? Tell me something that you’d add to this list!

Pre-Race Vegas Recap & WHICH IS BETTER?!?!?

Friday is tomorrow and I cannot wait for the weekend. It was a short week for me, but it honestly felt like those 3 days were actually more like 10 or more… Saturday will be a complete lazy day for me. I actually aspire to not change out of my sweats the entire day. I also will be reading more of my new Library book Shoe Dawg by Phil Knight and I’m completely obsessed with this book.

SOURCE

I figured the next best way to get me through the rest of this week (besides staying on vacation) was to recap my trip for you! So here’s recap of what we did leading up to the 5k. I’ll have a 5k recap for you tomorrow and 13.1 recap for you on Monday. I flew into Las Vegas Wednesday morning and got there around 10:30. My mom & gram flew into the airport around 11:30 that morning so I did a lot of people-watching at the baggage claim waiting for them to arrive. Then it was straight to get the rental car & then the nearest In-N-Out.

YUM. So tasty. I’m not sure if it’s better than Five Guys, but it certainly tasted really good. We then drove 4 hours to Grand Canyon- South Rim and thanks to the time-change (daylight savings + Grand Canyon being in AZ), we arrived there after dark around 5:30. Boo. We were all pretty exhausted so we went to bed early and then got up the next morning for a run (my mom & I did).

Running in the Grand Canyon (we did the Rim Trail, which spans over 7 miles one way?!?) was SO beautiful. It was not a pancake-flat run, but oh so beautiful. I cannot get over these run views!

Our stay at the Kachina Lodge was perfect (the Rim is literally out the front door of the lodge), but parking for it was really challenging (especially arriving there in the dark). We drove around several times before we found where we needed to check-in and then drove around some more to find a parking spot.

After our run, we walked over the Canyon edge and saw a baby fox just curled up on the ledge! How cute is he?!?

We also did the Desert View Drive, which I can’t recommend enough. So many great viewpoints and also apparently you may see a Mountain Lion?!?

I had never been to the Watchtower on Desert View Drive and it was so beautiful! Not just the views, but really the history itself really interested me.

We drove back to Vegas Thursday late afternoon and checked into our hotel, the Flamingo. At first I was a bit hesitant on switching to a different hotel this year, but I really liked the Flamingo. The casino itself didn’t smell as cigarette-smoky as others and the rooms had recently been renovated. They had a great flat screen TV, shower was awesome, and the location itself along the strip was great (especially close to the finish line of the 10k/half/full marathon).

On Friday, we went to the Expo (I’ll include the recap of that tomorrow with 5k recap), returned the rental car, went to the Premium North Outlets (didn’t see much to purchase), and then went to see Celine Dion in concert!

I’ve been a HUGE fan of Celine since I was maybe 9 or 10 so it was amazing to see her perform live. I was so excited that I actually TEARED UP when she started singing?!? Anyone else ever get emotional when they heard their childhood favorite artist (or just favorite artist in general) perform?!

Also sporting my $10 jacket that I scored at the Gap Outlet that morning!

Also my mom looks like she isn’t a day over 40?!?!

We slept in on Saturday and prepped for the 5k!

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In-N-Out or Five Guys?

Favorite childhood singer or artist?

What are you currently reading?

How I Fit In a 47-mile Week While Traveling

Well... we made it past Monday friends! I'm on a serious struggle-bus these past few days after returning home and working well-over 50 hours last week. I'm either coming down with a cold or just cannot re-adjust to my normal schedule. Regardless, I am struggling! My runs are harder than usual, paces are meh..OK, and nutrition/sleep could be better. I am resolving to get my act TOGETHER and figure my *ish out. I did manage to fit in all my workouts and runs in last week (despite having some difficulties adjusting) and wanted to share with you a few tips that helped me still get those runs in. 

• Research the area ahead of time. I knew that there was a gym super close to where we were staying and also knew there was a trail to run on relatively close as well (both great options to fit your workout in on).

• Try to get it done in the morning. This one is really TOUGH, but that is literally the only way I still got my runs done. The more exhausted I was at the end of the day, the less likely I was to really be motivated to do anything besides more work or just go to sleep.

• Have a flexible training schedule. I knew that I would be jazzed if I got in all my runs, but also knew to not be disappointed if not every run was fantastic or every mile was fit in. Somedays, it's just best to get in quality over quantity. So re-adjust your expectations for those weeks where training will be difficult.

• Try to keep a consistent sleep and nutrition schedule. Both these are things that I definitely struggle with the most. I can somehow get my run in wherever, but try to have me eat healthy homecooked meals and go to bed at my normal 9pm time and shit hits the fan. If I DID do this, things would be so much easier for me to readjust back to my normal schedule. 

What tips do you have to fit everything in when you're traveling? What things do you have as a priority?

A few photos from our weekend because I only had to work for a few hours Sunday afternoon and it was amazing!

Stella tried on some socks because she missed me so much

Brady got himself into my sweater and refused to move (while also simultaneously looking adorable).

We took a sleigh ride dinner and yes, it was absolutely amazing.

We took Stella on a few snowshoe hikes and she proceeded to chase around the ball and bury her head in the snow. Fun times.