EASY run days & thoughts on your 20's??

Happy weekend! This week sure flew-by for me!

It feels like forever since I've done a life update! I have been very busy with work, running, trying to fit in strength/stretching/foam rolling, sleep, and outdoor summer activities! I'm hoping to do a "what I eat in a day" post here in within the next few days, so don't forget to check back!

I went on an easy run yesterday morning (my first run outside since Sunday!) and really struggled with keeping my pace super easy. Now that I'm starting to gain more fitness and feel stronger than ever, I really want to play with my paces more, but I have to keep reminding myself that now is NOT the time to play with paces! I can play with my paces on my long/tempo/speed runs, but definitely not on the easy runs. The easier my runs are, the more I notice that I can recover faster and I'm gaining more fitness. 

The good thing with the slowing-down that I'm doing is that I can really take-in the scenery! It was so beautiful out and had that "early morning summer dew" smell going on- I kinda really wish there was a candle that had this smell because it always makes me think of summer mornings, waking-up early, drinking coffee on the porch, fog lifting from the valley floor, and cooler-temperature runs. 

Another thing that I'm thinking about is how there is so much PRESSURE on young people these days. I honestly feel like I've had more trouble with putting pressure on myself (and from others) in my 20's rather than in my middle and high-school years. Does anyone else feel this way? I'm sure some personalities can really thrive on this type of "flailing lifestyle" where everything is kinda unsure and up-in-the-air, but definitely not my type-A, OCD, obsessive planner self. It is nice to be a big day-dreamer and have so many goals, but if you look at them in the bigger picture it really is daunting and intimidating! I guess that's why we should really just focus on the smaller tasks (like my post yesterday?) and chip-away towards those bigger goals. 

I also feel like cherishing these times in our life are super important because we always want what we don't have or no longer have, right? So, I'm trying to embrace this stage in my life more and know that it will just make me a stronger person in the end. 

I have a ten mile run at my long-run pace (9:31 min/mi) on tap this weekend and I think I'll just see how I feel whether I do it today or tomorrow. The other day will be a rest day! We will also be resting this weekend (I think the past two weekends of camping really took a lot out of us) and hopefully a date night and maybe some paddle boarding! 

What are your weekend plans? Is anyone racing this weekend?

Thoughts on easy runs? Love them? Hate them?

What were your impressions of your 20's versus teen's? Which one was better or were they both just different?

Backpacking on the CDT

Last weekend we went backpacking on the Continental Divide Trail to the 6 Fishing Lakes in Routt National Forest and it was amazing! We had previously done this hike (but camped on a different lake this time) and last year, it was raining/lightning almost the entire time. We got lucky and had spectacular weather the entire time! 

We decided to begin our hike earlier than we normally do backpacking (we typically don't start our hike until 2 or 3pm, but went out at around noon) and this gave us so much time in the afternoon to just relax and read and fish. We set-up our camp 3.5 miles into the trail at the 3rd lake we came to (Lake Elmo) and were the only ones there the entire time. The trail passes by our campsite a bit, but it was nice to have some passersby once and a while and still feel like we had the entire place to ourselves. 

At first, I was a little skeptical towards backpacking as being out in the woods by yourself and far enough away from anything & everything is a bit scary, but this trip was SO wonderful it really began to change my outlook towards backpacking. I also think this is a great trail for beginning backpackers (I've gone on maybe 10 backpacking trips & still consider myself a beginner) because it's not so remote that you feel helpless if something were to go wrong, but it's also a good distance from anything. 

We arrived to our campsite by 2 and cooked up some lunch (we typically just pack along some snacks and a few mountain houses to make clean up easy and keep our packs light) then set up our tent and relaxed! I think I probably read about 100 pages in my book on the trip and we saw maybe 30 fish jump (but sadly caught nothing...I'm beginning to think that there's some consensus between all the fish to not latch onto just our pole because others around us ALWAYS catch something). We also saw a giant moose pass about 200 meters by our campsite- it was so out of the blue that I didn't even have my camera on me to take a picture!

Sunset views from our tent

The views were so wonderful and my photos definitely do NOT do it justice! We got up the next morning around 7:30 and I headed out for my solo trail run shortly afterwards. I ended up getting stung by a bee on the top of my ankle about a mile in, but luckily I had my compression socks and that really kept the swelling down and I managed to get in 4.5 miles and reach the final 6th fishing lake, Long Lake (the biggest one) at an altitude around 9,200 feet (we camped at an altitude of just over 10,000 feet). 

The wildflowers were in bloom throughout our entire hike and the trails were really well maintained (it's a popular mountain biking trail as well). I'm so glad I was able to fit in some trail running because that's been on my wishlist to do for a while. This trial is also part of both a 10k that our local running series puts on (I'm thinking about signing up) and their annual 50/100 mile trail run! It's pretty cool to say that my training run was along these routes, as well as on the CDT. 

Overall, this was a perfect backpacking weekend. We got back to our car around noon on Sunday and that gave us the afternoon to do (what seemed like) a million loads of laundry and meal prep for the week ahead. HIGHLY recommend doing this as a backpacking trip if you're ever in Northwest Colorado- you can tie it into a loop hike for higher mileage (10 mile or 20+ mile round trip) if you want to. Happy hiking and trail running!

Hanson's Marathon Method Week 2 Rundown

Here it is! Week 2 rundown of Marathon training. This week I really started to notice the cumulative fatigue that they talk about in the book and also definitely felt like I 1. needed more sleep and 2. needed more food. 

There was my week 2! I completed 41 miles last week and that brings me to a total of 77.5 miles this marathon training cycle. I've really been trying to keep my paces really easy on the "easy days" so I remain injury free and healthy for those speed workout sessions. 

I also got a new pair of the Brooks Ghost 10 shoes and I'm in love! They definitely have a different design/feel than the 9s, but I really love them (they feel much more like a pair of their launch 3s). They don't come up as high and are definitely lighter. Highly recommend giving them a try if you loved your 9s, but were also looking for something slightly cushier and light. 

Monday- 6 miles easy and 15 minutes of strength work (focusing mainly on arms & abs)

Tuesday- 9 miles with 1.5 mile warm-up 12 x 400 (@ 1:50 pace; recovery=11:15 min/mi) with 1.5 mile cool-down. I did this on the treadmill because it was pouring rain outside!

Wednesday- 6 miles easy with 15 minutes of strength work (arms/abs focus)

Thursday- 6 miles easy

Friday- 6 miles easy on the trails!

Saturday- Rest Day. We went backpacking- check back tomorrow for my recap!

Sunday- 8 miles easy. I split this run up with some on the trails where we were backpacking and then did the remaining 3.5 miles down to the lake later on the late afternoon when it wasn't quite so warm (it was still 85 degrees out- I guess it's safe to say that I am acclimated to the heat now). My trail run was pretty difficult (almost 1,000 feet of elevation gain over the 2.25 miles out), but I got to a beautiful lake at the end!

I'm definitely slower on the trails than I would be on the roads, but I'm starting to really love trail running! It's a great cross-training of sorts from road-running and I really think that it can only make me a stronger runner. 

Sunshine goods:

• This was my highest mileage week EVER since I've started recording my training
• I hit every pace on my speed workout
• I kept my easy runs really easy
• I did TWO trail runs this week!
• I fit in TWO strength training sessions/ONE barre class

Gloomy goods:

• I  need to continue to work on getting more sleep!
• I need to make time to stretch/foam roll at the end of the day
• I need to be aware of fueling my body with good nutrients, rather than just nutrients (I'm pretty good at this, but also really love treats)

Overall, It was a strong week and I'm already feeling as fit (if not stronger) as I was going into the Revel Rockies Marathon just last month!

Running on a Road Trip

I managed to get a run in on 8 of the 13 days that we traveled and it definitely wasn't always easy (is anything on vacation ever easy?). I do have some tips/tricks that I found helpful to keep me accountable for my runs even when I wasn't on a 'structured' training plan yet. 

• Plan before your vacation: I had a rough schedule of how many runs I wanted to get in/ mileage, but knew that listening to my body and meeting with family comes first. I kept my mileage goals pretty short (planning to only run 30 or 40 minutes) so it was easy to fit them in when I could.

• Have only one goal for your run per day: Typically my goals were to keep my runs at an easy pace, but other days it was simply to do a ladder on the treadmill (to prevent boredom) or hit a certain mileage. Having only one goal made it seem attainable and really helped get me out the door. 

• Have a rough idea of what your next day plans look like. This one is REALLY important to fitting in a run. I only had one day where I wasn't sure when/if a run would fit into my schedule. Most days, I ended up not sleeping in so long and got my run in before 8am. While getting sleep is important, I always weigh the either hour or so of sleep that I could get if I didn't set my alarm or the feeling of accomplishment that I'll get when I wake up and get my run in. This also really helped keep me accountable during our road tripping days. I got up early and ran (half asleep sometimes..) either outside (and had a general plan of where I would run the night before/if it was safe) or booked a hotel that I knew would have a treadmill. 

• Use your runs as a way to get in your exercise/steps and 'zen-out': I felt SO good about my fitness on the days where we were in the car for over 12 hours and I still managed to hit my step goals (thanks to getting up early and getting my run/steps in). My runs also really helped keep me full of energy and awake during those evening driving hours when the sun is setting.

My runs were also the one time throughout the day where I could focus on myself and check-in. They gave me time to 'zen-out' and either process everything that we've done during the vacation or think of nothing at all. 

• Utilize down-time as a reason to get out for your run: I did this trick twice and seriously felt ten-times better when I came back from my run. This is a great trick when you really want to sleep-in or enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee in the morning. When others were showering or had errands to do, I opted to head out for a quick 30 minute run. You're not missing anything in those 30 minutes and trust me, your mind and body (and maybe others around you will thank you too if you're a little cranky) will thank you for that run!

• Scout out a local gym or class to try: Take advantage of being in somewhere different! Find a gym that you can get a day pass to or an amazing yoga studio to try out. It's always fun to see what other gyms/classes do and you can always bring back a new experience/suggestion to your community! I'm determined to go to the Heartbreak Hill Studio in Boston one day and try out one of their running classes!

• Be OK with not getting your run in that day: Know that it's not a do-or-die situation during your vacation if your run doesn't happen. You're on vacation anyways! Relax and enjoy the unstructured life of running for a bit. When it doesn't happen, I like to think of the times when I'm training hard for a marathon and I have to do a run that I'm just not into it and be thankful that I can miss a run and my body may actually thank me for it. 

Road Trip Recap Part 5- South Dakota Badlands & Mt. Rushmore

Well, here it is- the final recap of our trip! I seriously cannot believe that we only got back a week ago. It feels like it was so long ago (but also kinda feels like we just got back..). 

After leaving our hotel in Eastern South Dakota (I got in a 5.3 mile run by 6:30am thanks to the treadmill at the gym!), we decided to make a drive through the badlands (since we had the National Parks pass anyways) and then either decide to head home from there or go see Mt. Rushmore as well. I was totally gung-ho to see Mt. Rushmore (we were literally 30 MILES away from it and it was July 4th and all...), so you can probably guess which way we decided to drive through to get home ;)

We ended up getting to the Badlands super early before 8am (thanks to the hour time change that we hit an hour after we left our hotel AGAIN...*eye roll*), which really was perfect timing. It was just starting to get hot there and the crowds weren't too terrible yet. I'd HIGHLY recommend trying to see the park either in the off-season or getting up early to see it before the heat/crowds get too crazy. We did the same for Yellowstone and it was the only way I'd ever recommend seeing the park- there's something so magical about the early mornings if you can swing it. 

Dog's aren't allowed on any of the trails (probably a good thing because there are A LOT of rattlesnake signs and the two young boys that I was talking to said that they actually had an encounter with one the day before (their mom corroborated their story)). You are, however, welcome to travel on a lot of the voodoos, which is really cool! We didn't see much wildlife through the park, until we got ready to exit it and super happy I had my eagle-eye on!

The Badlands and Mt. Rushmore are also really close (about an hour or so), so I HIGHLY recommend planning to see both attractions if you're in the area. 

We didn't actually go into the park for Mt. Rushmore (which is fine because there was a giant line of traffic), but honestly we still got the most amazing view/photos of it (which is all I really wanted). 

Mt. Rushmore is only about 7.5 hours away from Steamboat, so isn't too far away for us to visit again (which I definitely want to do). Afterwards, we drove through parts of Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park. Unfortunately, the Wind Cave Nat'l Park was SO busy and dogs weren't allowed, so we just drove through it and couldn't get out and check out the caves (next time!). 

We arrived back in Steamboat a little after 8pm and it was a really long day (we drove for over 15 hours total...), but so worth-it (I think) to see all that we got to see! South Dakota is actually really pretty and has some pretty amazing things- we will be back!

Also I couldn't resist showing this photo that I took from my Canon of Stella curled up on the Ferry we took in Canada...how cute is she?!?