Travel Thursday- Lake Powell, Utah

Lake Powell is definitely one of the premier natural wonders that Utah has to offer! I had no idea how stunning the majority of Utah is, until I moved to Colorado! If you haven't been there yet put it on your bucket list (and at the TOP of your bucketlist). The amount of natural canyons, rock formations, hiking, boating, rock climbing, biking that this state has to offer is incredible.

I traveled to Lake Powell over July 4th a few years ago and as a group, we had rented a house boat (DEFINITELY do.this. if you can). We were there a few days and it's such a large body of water that you feel alone (at times), also the fireworks on the water remains one of the best I've experienced (besides those that I saw in Florence). It does get really hot there (I'm not sure about the weather come late Fall/winter), but because you are surrounded by water there's no better way to cool-off!

Ever been to Utah? Favorite part?

If you HAVEN'T been to Utah, what is on your bucket list?

What other spots are on your must-see? -->I'm dying to go to the PNW, Seattle and Vancouver particularly! 

Travel Thursday- Zion National Park

Zion National Park in Utah is one of the most amazing National Parks in Utah! It gets so busy in the park that by the end of March they only allow shuttles to drive through the park (until Labor Day). I ended up signing up for the Zion Half Marathon (it was held in the middle of March in 2015), so we were able to drive through the park! We also ended up camping right in Zion, which I HIGHLY recommend. It isn't a super dog-friendly National Park, so we didn't do as much as hiking as originally planned, but the warm weather was a great change from the still very snowy Steamboat. I'd recommend planning to visit the park during the Spring or Fall, when you are able to drive-through and crowds are minimal. The trees were already blossoming when we visited, so it did feel very Spring-like in mid-March (ice cream cones were also a huge bonus). Make sure to plan your trip early and highlight some of the must-see canyons/ hikes. It's great to have a plan of what you really want to do, but have a loose schedule for doing them!

Travel Thursday- Bryce Canyon National Park

I drove to Bryce Canyon National Park with my mom in early June and we managed to get a campsite right in the park. The camping areas in the park are all amazing and you really can't go wrong with any one of them! We stayed in Bryce for a few days and there is so many great hikes there. We did a few smaller hikes, but I would love to go back there to explore some more. Dogs are not allowed on the hiking trails, so make sure to plan accordingly! We also drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon during the same trip (I think it was around a 7 or 8 hour drive), which I highly recommend! The north rim is SO different from the south rim (and I definitely recommend visiting both). 

Feature Friday-In The Running News & Perserverance

Happy FRIDAY! I'm currently back in Maine visiting family and enjoying the beautiful Fall Foliage (with some apple picking on the menu hopefully), but wanted to bring you a few of my favorite running-related headlines and also talk about how persevering/ accepting the pain has really helped me push through really tough work-outs (cough..cough..strength workouts...cough...cough..). 

Here's the top headlines that really caught my attention this week:

• Eliud Kipchoge won the Berlin Marathon last weekend with a time of 2:03:32, but didn't break any world records. He was part of the Nike breaking-2 project and came SO close to breaking that barrier, but fell short. This course is supposedly really flat (also added it to my bucketlist!), so it had been talked about being a possibility of creating a new world record (current one is 2:02:57). Honestly, regardless of whether it was a WR or not, this time is SO fast and hats off to all the runners who performed well! I'm certain that within the next 5 years, we'll definitely see at least a new WR (and possibly a breaking-2 barrier as well)...

• Fenway Park Marathon- 116.5 laps around Fenway! This race wasn't a Boston Qualifier (it was USTAF certified) and only had 55 participants, but talk about some serious history in the making on this course. I can't even imagine running around ANYTHING for 116.5 laps, but I feel like the amount of history and pressure put on by runners (and the fact that it's an open course) would push you to not walk and power through all the marathon pains. This was the first-time that a marathon was held on Fenway and hopefully it won't be the last! Hmmm...I may have to add this one to my bucketlist. 

• Best National Parks for Running- Ok, this one is an older article, but I loved revisiting it! I've been (and ran) at a bunch of these, but thinking maybe Hawaii or Northern Cascades should be next on my list to visit (or run/ race in)! 

Perseverance. I normally equate this word with going through difficult life choices or decisions, but starting to relate it more to those really tough runs or races where you really just want to quit on yourself and throw in the towel. I'm sure most of us have been there. Everything hurts, you're tired, and another mile or 2 seems so far. I definitely remember my last marathon and just totally giving in to the pain train and not even caring what time the clock said when I finally got to the finish line. The strength work-outs in my training plan definitely simulate that pain you feel at the end of tough race. I've been running through them and thinking that there was no way I could do this repeat again, but I pushed through and felt stronger afterwards. I love to repeat the saying to 'dig deep' when things get tough and remember that the pain is temporary. We should expect the pain to come and even embrace it, because living through tough situations/runs/ races is always temporary. 

What phrases do you repeat to yourself to get through tough times?

Favorite running headline from the week?

Can you imagine running around ANY field for 116 laps? 

Travel Thursday-Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park was an impromptu visit that we made last year on our way to California. We visited in October and it was SO hot. I think the temperatures in my car got up to over 100 degrees and there were even road signs that advised drivers to limit their air-conditioning (so their car would not overheat). We also drove through several sandstorms, which is scary/exhilarating/crazy! I couldn't imagine hiking through the sand dunes (some people were doing) and also can never imagine visiting this park in the summer! I'm sure it could be pretty enjoyable in January and the camping spots looked amazing, but it was so hot and windy that there was no way we could envision ourselves camping there in October. It's a great park to drive-through with a dependable car (and lots of gas)!