Road Trip Recap Part 4- Canada & Upper Michigan!

We got to our first campsite in Canada around 7:30pm (after driving since 7 that morning) and we were exhausted! We grabbed some fresh pasta, chicken sausage, and marinara sauce at the local store nearby and got right to cooking dinner!

We got super lucky and our campsite only had one neighbor and we were completely surrounded by water! The unlucky part was that we had to leave our campsite the next morning at 5 to catch our Ferry at 6am (the only time that we could reserve it), so we couldn't spend too much time enjoying the site!

We made the best of the situation and got in some much needed r-n-r while there though.

Verrryyy tired in that photo clearly. haha. We got to bed pretty early (maybe 9:30 or 10), but it was Canada Day and those Canadians seriously LOVE their fireworks! They kept shooting them off for the next 2+ hours....Which meant a VERY early wake-up call and also a beautiful sunrise.

We took the MS Chee Cheemaun Ferry from Manitoulin Island to Tobermory (both in Ontario). It was probably the favorite part of our trip! The Ferry takes up to 150 cars and has 4 different shuttle times throughout the day. It took us 1 hour 45 minutes from the time our car got on the ferry to us being able to drive off. There was also a TRACTOR TRAILER on the ferry with us! We parked on the bottom deck and were able to bring Stella up to the outer observation deck to hang out with us during the trip. 

We saw this one lighthouse on our trip and the ferry also had a cute little gift shop and cafeteria, so we got breakfast & coffee there. I also met a fellow runner on the ferry who was wearing her Boston Jacket and it turns out she lives in Canada, but her and her husband have traveled all over the US (and she's currently trying to get into the Big Sur lottery)- including Colorado! What a great world where runners can unite to the most unexpected places!

Once we got off the Ferry, we were on our drive again and it immediately started down pouring (and proceeded to downpour until we got to the Canada-US Border.

We arrived at our next campsite around 1pm, but decided to keep on going further since it was still super early (a decision that we would later regret). We ended up not being able to find any other campsites in MI and had to continue to drive until 8pm and could only find an Econolodge to stay in...

I hadn't been on a run in 2 days and had the serious itch! The hotel was directly across from the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds and I ended up doing my run Monday morning around the grounds!

I think we both definitely learned how beautiful Michigan was on this trip! It is seriously magical. I ran a total of 3.55 miles and started my run a little after 6 in the morning.

I couldn't resist getting a few action shots in front of some of the fun displays in the fair grounds before we left..

We were on the road again by 7 and per usual, hit the Central Time Zone within an hour of us leaving....Onto our last night of trip- South Dakota!

Weekend Things!

Last week felt like it went by so slow (and it was only a 3-day week) and then when the weekend hits, it goes by in a blink of an eye! Anyone else feel this way?? We were blessed with BEAUTIFUL weather here and it was hot. 

We slept in Saturday morning and didn't even get up until 8:30! I can't even remember the last time I slept in that late- we got over 10 hours of sleep Friday night. Definitely finally feel well-rested from our trip. 

I got out for an easy 7 miles (at the gym because sleeping in + over 80 degrees + no cloud cover= too hot to run outside) then 20 minutes of arms/abs. Here's a photo of my run on Thursday because it's too pretty not to share!

After getting home, we just relaxed for the evening! I finished reading up on the Hanson's Marathon Method (training plan I'm starting this week for the Las Vegas Rock 'n Roll Marathon in November) and it really is an interesting/unique perspective on marathon training! I'm starting to follow the 3:50 marathon training plan, but will alter it later on if I feel like the work-outs are either too hard/ easy.

On Sunday, I worked on putting their work-out plan into my own homemade calendars!

The calendars are now up on our fridge and I love that I also added in the paces that I need to hit for each work-out and think this training plan will be both fun/a challenge. 

Rewind to Sunday morning and this view with my coffee:

We took Stella out for a walk around the lake Sunday afternoon and she just had to get in a swim too. 

We came back and I started doing some meal prep for the week. Hoping to also fit in a run later this afternoon/early evening when it cools down a bit, but we'll see! I'm trying to relish in the last few days of an unstructured training plan before mine starts on Wednesday. 

Also totally obsessed with How To Get Away With Murder right now- anyone else watch this?! So happy that I can watch Netflix at the gym again, since I'll need to start doing more afternoon training runs to prep for the late start that Rock 'n Roll Vegas has (the marathon starts at 4:30pm). 

Finishing up my recap on our Hello Fresh experience and I'll post it over here in the next few days so be sure to check back! We weren't too impressed with Blue Apron, but decided to give this one a chance.

Ever tried HelloFresh?

Favorite training plan?

Are you currently training for anything?

Favorite Netflix show you're watching right now?

Road Trip Recap Part 3- Vermont

We left NH and headed off to Vermont to spend the next few days with Alex's parents. After visiting with them for a bit, we headed to Massachusetts to spend the night with Alex's brother and sister-in-law!

It was about a 2.5 hour drive to VT from Maine and then about a 2 hour drive to MA. We spent the night eating a fantastic barbecue dinner with chicken and corn-on-the-cob and playing some yard games! We left their house the next morning around 10 to get back to Vermont to spend time with Alex's parents. 

First stop back in Vermont- THE VERMONT COUNTRY STORE! This was my first time visiting and this store is amazing- everything you have ever thought New England was/is wrapped up in one place. 

They had a food truck outside and we had one of the most fantastic burgers ever. After shopping around (they also have a ton of free food samples inside, so I definitely recommend coming hungry) for a bit, we couldn't resist getting a black raspberry ice cream to share!

They were also having a tent sale when we arrived (I think it is still going on through the month of July) and I scored a beautifully knit Woolrich sweater for less than $20! 

We also couldn't resist not getting a kissing photo in the Kissing Bridge!

His parents live in a small southern Vermont town called Springfield, which is REALLY cute and you should definitely go visit! We went to the Hartness House for dinner that night (they were having live music- we made a reservation) and Alex & I split their Cheddar Cheese Potatoes & Fig Balsamic Pizza! The pizza was to.die.for. 

On Friday, we headed out bright and early to go for a hike up Mt. Ascutney. We drove up most of the mountain and it was a 1.5 mile hike up to the fire tower, where you had a fantastic 360 degree view of all the surrounding mountains (even Mt. Washington)!

We made the hike a full loop by taking the Hang glider trail on the way back (which is totally tree covered and we could never see how any hang-glider could get through the thick forest). It was definitely a pretty rugged hike (hello Vermont rocks), but totally worth it!

After we got back, I headed out for a run when I saw a short window of opportunity (everyone wanted to shower/get ready for lunch) and did a quick 30 minutes! It's so much fun to explore a new area (as long as it is safe) outside. I managed to sneak a peek of this horse eating the grass through the open window.

The run was definitely super hilly!

3.25 miles to round out our last day in Vermont! The last part of my run was downhill and I felt super badass to sprint past this 10 or 11 year old trying to run and keep up with his friends. 

We left the next morning around 7 to head on our way to Canada!

Road Trip Recap Part 2- Maine!

Being able to stay where I grew up was truly special and something that I know not everyone can experience! My mom was generous enough to open up the home (it's usually boarded-up) for us to stay there while we were in Maine and it was amazing. Stella also loved having so many places to explore! 

Saturday I went for a short 4 mile run around the roads before my Dad's wedding. 

Holy humidity! But also running at sea level was AMAZING! My paces were consistently 20-40 seconds faster per minute (without any extra effort) than they typically are at altitude. 

After my run, I quickly showered and we were off to the wedding! Luckily it was super close to where we were staying and we could just walk over.  

Sometimes we dress up and look fancy!

On Sunday, we went out to lunch with my dad before he left for their honeymoon and then we went kayaking on the Saco River! It was super beautiful out and thankfully the humidity started to die down a bit. 

We also learned how much Stella enjoys Jeep Rides (like us). She hardly ever moved from that spot and she couldn't be happier! Monday morning we planned to get up early to go for a hike, so I got up early (so rough) to get my run in. 

4 miles later, we were showered and off to go hike in Crawford Notch! It was a bit chilly out, but luckily no rain showers showed up. Alex had never been hiking in NH before, so I took him and Stella on a relatively easy, but beautiful hike to the top of Mt. Willard! I've done this hike a few times and the views from the top still get me every time. 

It was pretty muddy on our hike and unfortunately I only brought along my running sneakers, so it was slower-going than normal. The hike to the top also brings you by a set of small falls that pour into Centennial Pool- super beautiful place to stop and rest. 

Tuesday we split off and did our own things (Alex went to go visit his friend that lives in Maine now & his nana/ I went off with my mom for the day) and we met back up at night to go have dinner with one of my oldest friends! I got in a run that morning of 3.25 miles before heading off to do some outlet shopping!

Wednesday, I got in another run and a quick strength training session before we headed off to Vermont (about a 2.5 hour drive) for the afternoon (then onto Massachusetts for the evening)!

While our trip was definitely short and we didn't get to do/ see everything that I had originally planned, it was really amazing. I think it made us both appreciate the area more and how lucky we were to grow up there. 

The ample amount of roads to run on definitely made me a bit envious (since Steamboat doesn't exactly feel like it has many route options to vary it up), but I made sure to soak up the amount of running time I had there and managed to get in runs on 4 of the 5 days we were there, so I'd say that was a bit of a success.

Getting up early definitely contributed my being able to get my runs in because after we ate breakfast, we were off for the rest of the day doing fun activities and seeing family/friends! It was also a great way to kinda just 'zone' out for 30 or 40 minutes and think of nothing but how beautiful it was out. Running in New England is special.

Stay tuned for part 3- Vermont/Massachusetts!

Back from Vacation & Thoughts on June Mileage!

Phew! We are FINALLY back from vacation after 13 days away! I had the full intention of continuing to do posts while away, but we only had about ~5 days where we had internet and believe it or not, we were actually really busy the entire time. I thought vacations were supposed to be relaxing?!?

Currently working on my vacation posts, but I'll recap my back from vacation mode now and put up the vacation recaps shortly!

Getting back on track after vacations are REALLY hard. All my body wants to do is sleep for eternity, but after not having much structure with my workouts for 3 weeks (including 2 weeks of vacation and 1 week of post-marathon goodness) I was seriously craving some good sweat sessions.

Endorphins from working out is definitely a thing because even though I'm still sleep-deprived my body is happier with being back into the work-out routine! We got back home Tuesday evening at 8pm (and still stuck on East Coast time, so it felt like 10pm) and unpacked the majority of our things and went straight to bed. I got up at 5 and still managed to get in an easy 4 miles and 30 minutes of a full body strength training. The rest of the day was spent at work catching up on everything I missed and teaching two skating lessons yesterday afternoon! Our internet has still been down since we arrived back (I swear this ALWAYS happens to us!), so we cooked up some chicken and topped our baby spinach salads with it (along with cucumbers, chopped carrots, and a bit of Parmesan). Super happy to be eating healthy again! 

This morning I was surpisingly pretty sore from my workout yesterday, so tried to take it a bit easier on my run. I did 5 miles, but probably should've slowed down my pace even more- live and learn, am i right?!

I tallied up my June mileage and was pretty disappointed with it. I ran a total of 81.7 miles, which doesn't seem like much, but June was a pretty scattered running month for me! It included 1.5 weeks of taper for the marathon, 26.2 miles for the race, a week totally off of running, and then 2 weeks of short runs (while on vacation). So all in all, I'm pretty happy that I even got over 80 miles this month- plus I got a shiny new PR for the marathon, so that counts for quite a bit!

This thought pattern also just brings me back to the thought of why are we so concerned with all the numbers and comparing ourselves to others? What's a high number for one person may not be considered high for another. This is SO true not just to running, but to others weights, how many races you've run, what your race PR is, how far you have or have not traveled, etc. 

We are all individuals and that is what makes us UNIQUE- be true to yourself and proud of your accomplishments because the person next to you probably thinks you're a ROCKSTAR (and you should probably think the same thing about yourself ((and them too))). 

I came across this quote last week and fell in love with it. Isn't love all that matters in the world?! 

Maybe I'm just being sentimental or all mushy from my stress-free vacation, but this really stuck with me and I'm going to try to center my thoughts more towards love and peace, rather than focusing on others. 

So enough of the mushy stuff! How's your dreaming beyond your comfort zone going?!

I'm still a work in progress on this (aren't we all?), but continuing to work towards improving myself and breaking down the barriers that I put up for myself. 

Three things that I am thankful for today:

• My Health
• My Family
• Green Tea with Honey <- currently fueling me through the afternoon slump!

How did you spend your Fourth of July?

Getting back to training/running/work-outs after a vacation- any tips?