Mountain TUESDAY- Vernal & Nevada Falls

Mountain Monday, but on a TUESDAY?!? I know...I know...what am I thinking?! But I knew you were waiting in suspense for what I would choose for my Mountain Monday topic and even though I've been crazy busy, I couldn't leave you hanging! So today is a DOUBLE POST! That's right, two for the price of one day. So make sure to check back tonight to get some great tips for how to get out the door for your run when its freezing out. 

I wanted to share with you about my hike to Vernal & Nevada Falls that we did in Fall 2016 in Yosemite National Park. First off, everything about this national park is absolutely stunning and this hike did NOT disappoint. It was definitely a bummer that they do not allow pets on this trail (but most of the park is really very dog-friendly), so make sure to keep that in mind as you're planning your hike. It is also a part of  both the PCT and John Muir Trail, which I think is really amazing! It is 5.4 miles round-trip to the top of Nevada Falls and while we didn't get to see it when the water was rushing, there was still a small stream coming down. 

I know I've said it before, but I love to repeat myself so...if you haven't visited Yosemite you MUST do it! It is so stunning and magical there. Anytime I am feeling stressed, I just imagine myself inside the park and a total *zen* moment comes to me. 

The hike itself is definitely a bit strenuous and it can get really busy, as it is the gateway to hiking to the top of Half Dome, so I'd recommend getting up extra early to do it. There are also a few slightly steep stairway sections so if you are afraid of heights or hanging onto ropes, then this might not be the best hike for you. The views from both the top and bottom of the waterfalls are absolutely stunning tough!!

Ever been to Yosemite? Ever done this hike?

Favorite National Park?

Travel Thursday- Pike's Peak

Happy Friday-eve! This week has both flown by and also slightly gone slow....Our kittens are still waking JUST ME (not Alex...I think his snoring scares them away) up at 2am and proceed to try to bite my face. Really hoping they'll get over this stage quickly because it's not so great when they try to pierce your nose with their teeth (but also they need to stay this cute & cuddly AS LONG AS POSSIBLE). 

Anyone ever been to Pike's Peak before? It's a 14,000' mountain and located in Colorado Springs. It's a great travel destination for those that are visiting because the views at the top (which you can drive to) are incredible. I took my Dad there a few years ago and we drove to the top (via Pike's Peak Highway) and walked around the gift shop for a bit. It was late June and there was STILL SNOW at the top (still people skiing off cliffs as well...). You can also take the Pike's Peak Cog Railway (located in Broadmoor), which I think would be really interesting. You can also hike up it, but it's a 13.5 strenuous hike to the summit.

Not wanting to hike it, but still looking for a challenge? You can also RUN up it during the Pike's Peak Marathon (or half-marathon). I've considered signing up for this race before (they have amazing swag), but it definitely would be a challenging course. The marathon consists of running UP 13 miles to the top and then running DOWN 13 miles...yikes!

After driving up the mountain, I'm not sure if I could ever see myself running up it. I'd have to be in REALLY good shape! There are so many beautiful views along the way, that it would make the ascent less terrible....

Ever been to Pike's Peak? Favorite part?

Would you ever run up a 14,000' mountain as a half-marathon or marathon?

Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas Day 4/POST RACE!

Running at night is great, but also really terrible for your sleep cycle. I was so elated from my run, but also exhausted= so I hardly got any actual sleep the night after my race. Oh well, the runner's high was strong. We went out to breakfast at New York New York at Tom's Urban and got the BEST iced coffee I've ever had. You MUST go there if you're ever in Vegas. Afterwards, we decided that we would walk the strip to go to Cesar's Palace to show my Grandmother (who had never been to Vegas), but too many stairs for me= I needed to rest and ice outside of Cesar's (with a mimosa of course) and we never made it there. It was perfect weather outside and much needed to just rest in the sunshine for a bit. 

Afterwards, we headed over to Krispy Kreme and my mom got a new tattoo!! 13.1 on her foot- it looks super cute (I'll need to get you a photo)! Then we proceeded to go to the M & M Factory Store (my gram's favorite) and I loaded up on chocolate. 

We made it back to the hotel to pack up our things and get ready for Cirque Du Soleil Michael Jackson's ONE/ dinner at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Dinner was OK- it took much too long to get our food (mine was cold) and we were crunched for time to get to the show 15 minutes before it started. The show was also OK- we had high expectations from seeing the Beatles' LOVE show last year (definitely GO SEE IT). They also continued to have technical difficulties throughout the show, which was a bummer. 

We gambled for a bit afterwards, then headed to our hotel to get a few hours of sleep before our 3:30AM wake up calls (we had 6AM flights home)!

I'm still loving re-living this trip and probably will be for quite some time! 

Ever been to Vegas? Favorite thing to do there? 

Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas Day 2/5k!

After Cher, we didn't end up getting back to the hotel until AFTER 11pm! Wayyy past my bedtime, so I took a melatonin (my savour during traveling/racing weekends to make sure I still get a decent nights sleep) and woke up around 7:30. We decided to rent a car for the day to go check out the scenery and save our legs/feet for the 5k!

We went to Panera first, where I like to stock-up on bagels (at a place that I know) and began the carbo-loading. I normally take in extra carbs/proteins/less veggies 1.5 days before the start of the race and load up on electrolytes/ Gatorade/ water the entire WEEK before a race. After we were full of deliciousness, we drove to see the Hoover Dam (my Gram had NEVER seen it before!). The weather on Saturday was perfect- 70 degrees with hardly a cloud in the sky. 

After Hoover Dam, we stopped by Ethel M. Chocolates to pick up some treats to take home (splurged on a coin chocolate they were handing out) and checked out their Cactus Botanical Garden. 

We stopped by Chipotle to get a later lunch (I love their chicken burrito bowls before races) and headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit before leaving for the 5k at 4pm (it starts at 6:30). 

Note: If you plan on running the 5k, either plan to take an Uber or stay at a hotel at the beginning of the Monorail. We stayed at the Excalibur and got on at the first stop for the Monorail and every stop the monorail made after ours, NO ONE else could get on because it was so full. Definitely a bonus to stay on the end of the strip. We arrived at the start line with a little over 40 minutes left (perfect timing) and I headed to my corral #7 when there was 30 minutes prior to the 6pm start. 

The 5k had A LOT of congestion and the hassle getting there really put a damper on the race, but once you got out a 1/2 mile it was MUCH better. I took it really easy (~10:00+ per mile) for the first 2 miles of the race then alternated every 0.10 with 8:10-8:15 strides and ~10:00+ easy pace. I finished with a 9:40 overall pace and it felt pretty good to pass a lot of runners when I was doing my strides! It was also a great way to get used to the race atmosphere and practice holding back my pace. We also stayed for a few of the Goo Goo Dolls songs- they were pretty good (but not as good as I expected for a live performance...). 

Overall 5k recommendation: Do it if you want a safe place to do a shake-out-run. Don't do it if you aren't ready to deal with the crowds and hassle of traveling to and from the race venue.

Also CONGRATS to my Gram for doing her first 5k!! She totally ROCKED it! Super proud : ) 

Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas Day 1/Expo Recap!

I landed in Las Vegas late on Thursday night (11:30pm!), so we slept in a bit on Friday then headed off to the expo. I wanted to get it done with as soon as possible because there is A LOT of walking involved whenever you go to a big race expo. 

I didn't do too much shopping there (got an amazing new backpack that will be used as my gym bag, sticker, and magnet), but it's always so fun to see everything they have! 

After the expo, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed a bit before getting ready to head over to dinner and Cher concert at the Monte Carlo!

We had a really late lunch (the best pizza ever at Paris), so weren't too hungry. We ended up grabbing hot dogs and a small deli in New York New York and they were really good (and BIG!). Excuse the rather unflattering photo of our dinner.

Cher was absolutely amazing and total highlight of the entire trip! I highly recommend going to see her if you can (I think her concert is only going for a month or so in Vegas). She does both old & new songs and does 11 costume changes!

Race expos- love 'em or hate 'em?

Cher- ever seen her perform live? If not, would you? Who was the best concert you've ever seen?