Travel Thursday- Pics from Maine!!

Sharing a few of my favorite pictures that I took during my trip in Maine last weekend visiting family. 

The Fall Foliage was just starting to peak and it was SO beautiful everywhere we went. 

We went Apple Picking and I got my fill of Apple Cider Donuts and HOT apple cider! Both are soooo good.... I wish I could have more...

We went to the Fair on Sunday and got to see all the cute Animals! Including these Alpacas:

And these JUST BORN THIS MORNING baby piggies! They were so cute & sleepy...Also can we please talk about how pigs can have 10-15 babies per litter? That is INSANE. This one had 14 and she should get a medal for that. Plus some vacation time too...

We also got to see the Fryeburg Health Care Display at the 4-H buillding and they displayed my Grandfather's veggies that he worked so hard on this summer! How delicious do they look?

The Ferris Wheel looked amazing! I may have ridden this a few times when I was younger...

The display from Sherman's Farm was beyond perfect. I just love all the varied colors in it. Quintessential Fall! 

Running & Traveling- mixing them together?

I've shared before a few tips that I have to fit in running while on a road trip, but I wanted to share with you a few tips that I learned how to fit in traveling when you're NOT training for anything in particular (also remember that it's always best to run where you either know your environment or run with a friend/ indoors)​.

1. Do some research on the most popular running routes and either know how far you want to run for or just "wing it" if you can!​

2. Pack for all weather conditions. You never know when it could turn to bad weather or get really cold! ​

3. Look up a running group where you're going. I've never done this, but have always wanted to! Report back if you do (or have done this)!​

4. Find a gym that has treadmills if the place you're staying doesn't have one. I did this when I was in Las Vegas for a conference and had a membership to Anytime Fitness , so I was able to go to another Anytime to get my run in safely!

5. Leave all expectations at the beginning of your run. You may be jet lagged/ exhausted/ eating different foods- just have fun and enjoy the experience!​

6. Find a great trail or nature path to explore while you're running​

7. Check to see if there are any local races going on and sign up for one! Bonus​ points if it's a half marathon! ;)

Any other tips you have to fellow runners when they travel?​

Anyone else wish there was an AirBnB type of platform where you can look up and meet new running friends when you're traveling?!?​

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)!

Running back-to-back half marathons

Thinking back to when I ran back-to-back half marathons (one was on a Saturday & the other one was the following Sunday), the Emerald Bay Half-Marathon and the Rock 'n Roll Denver Half Marathon. This was the first time that I've ever ran two races so close together and I learned several things that worked and a few things that I would recommend not doing! I ended up PRing at both races, beating my first race PR by a minute and then beating that PR by 4 minutes! 

DO:

• Fuel properly between races (eat healthy, get a good mix of protein/carbs)
• Get extra sleep that week
• Drink extra fluids (with electrolytes, not just water)
• Limit your travel/ time on your feet
• Add in a few easy runs between races
• An easy strength training/ yoga session between races to ease stress (only if you normally do this; try nothing new during this time)
• Foam roll often!
• Legs up the wall everyday
• Keep your race expectations in-check. Maybe utilize one as a training/recovery run and the other as a potential PR/hard-effort. Listen to what your body needs.

DO NOT:

• Travel in the car for many hours between races (yeah, we drove back from California after Emerald Bay and then I drove to Denver the next weekend..not the best idea)
• Eat lots of sugar/ junk food between races
• Drink excessive coffee
• Skimp on sleep
• Run hard between races
• Not run at all between races
• Have high expectations for both races! Have FUN!

Travel Thursday- Turquoise Lake

I wanted to share one of my favorite travel spots up on the blog here today! We went to Turquoise Lake in Leadville, Colorado a few years ago (after a mis-hap with a reserved Yurt...long story...gist: it involved getting stuck on a dirt road and having to backdown the road for a good 1/2 mile...) and it is a beautiful spot with stunning views!

We ended up scoring a campsite at the last minute (because of the yurt mishap) and enjoyed a fantastic night in the high country. I was still in a boot from my PRP injection, so I couldn't do too much hiking/exploring, which was perfect to keep us relaxing with a good book by the lake (that is turquoise-looking). I can't remember exactly what campsite we stayed at, however I would recommend any spot that you come to! You really can't go wrong no matter where you set-up (but I would recommend reserving ahead and try to stay there for a few days, maybe even plan to hike a 14er while you are there!). The road that takes you to the lake continues throughout the entire lake, so it's also a great spot to run or visit various viewpoints (although the one where we set-up was my favorite since you get a good view of Mt. Elbert and others in the background).