Mountain Trip and Fourteeners

Hello everyone. Hope your week is off to a great start.

Yesterday my family and I headed up to the mountains for a winter getaway. It’s been super busy in my world lately so it’s really nice to sleep in, hike, and just relax. 

This morning we went on a hike, we only went for about 5 miles because we didn’t think we would need our snowshoes… but we did. Oh well, it was fun fighting through the snow, and you burn more calories that way too right? Plus Hershey got to run around in the snow like a crazy person so he was super happy. I don’t get to go hike in the mountains with him too often so when I do it’s really special. (Keep reading to hear more about our recent goal that involves fourteeners!) 

Is this a big chair or is Hershey just a small dog?

Hiking in the snow is hard work! I will never get tired of watching him sleep.

So recently I’ve really wanted to get out and hike with Hershey in the mountains more often. I feel really bad coming home from work to a crazy dog that has been stuck in a room most of the day with only a small walk. He deserves more and I need the exercise. I’ve been super lazy with running since my last race and I needed a goal to get me active again. So one day I was looking in a book about dog friendly hikes in Colorado and came across a page about fourteeners. I never really realized that most fourteeners in Colorado are open to dogs. The book listed the fourteeners based on their difficulty and dog accessibility. In total, there is a list of 39 Colorado fourteeners that I think Hershey and I are capable of climbing together. Our goal is to do all 39. We did Quandary Peak a couple years ago so that makes 38 left. As an added incentive I decided we were going to donate $10 to a different dog rescue organization for every fourteener we summit. I’m super excited about this and it has given me renewed motivation to get out and exercise so that we are in the best shape to do the fourteeners. We have at least three planned for this summer and we will see how it goes from there! I’m going to make a recap post for each fourteener but I’ll probably post it on another page in my blog. I haven’t figured it all out yet so I will keep you all updated.  Thanks for listening to that long explanation. I hope it made some sense, my thoughts are kind of jumbled right now because I'm so excited about it. 

Have a great Monday!

Treadmill Miles and Winter Tupperware

The other day I did about three miles on the treadmill because it was super cold, icy and dark outside and I am super clumsy. That combination would not have made for a successful run in my book. So I decided to use my treadmill. I personally am not a huge fan of the treadmill so to make it easier for me to get up and use it I thought of all the pros of treadmill running:

    

        1.    I don’t have to worry about how I look- I can just get up, throw on my running shoes and I’m good to go. I don’t have to worry about the fact that I look like a half asleep crazy haired girl because no one is watching me. (Except for the cat, but cats are judgmental no matter what.)

       2.    I can run in shorts and a tank top when it is snowing outside- I don’t  like running in with layers because I end up extra sweaty and stinky at the end of my run, super uncomfortable. I also feel lighter and faster when I wear shorts so it helps me get more out of my running. 

       3.   I can watch TV while running- When I’m on the treadmill it sometimes seems like time is standing still. So turning on the TV or watching Netflix on my phone helps the miles pass by more quickly.

         

         That’s about all I got. I really prefer outside running but I am grateful for the treadmill on those days where going outside is not really an option. Something else that helps me while on the treadmill is bringing a towel to cover up the display. If I don’t cover it, I end up watching every .01 mile that passes and time goes even slower. If anyone has any other treadmill running tips I’d love to hear them too. 

Some random happenings in my world recently.

I found winter Tupperware! It’s sad how happy this made me. (you can't really tell from the picture but they have snowflakes on them)

Went on a beautiful snowy walk with the pup. 

The walk was extra awesome because it made Hershey do this when we got home.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Long Time no See, a Trip, and in a Rut

It’s been forever since I posted anything. Sorry, I’ve kind of been stuck in a rut lately which I’ll explain later in this post.

First some fun adventures recently!

I got to go to Yellowstone National Park for a few days. I’ve never been before and it is something you must do if you haven’t been already. There is so much beautiful scenery and animals to see there. I didn’t get to see any bears which I’m kind of disappointed about but maybe that’s for the best because it means I didn’t get eaten!

We did see a lot of buffalo and one came super close to our car!

Old Faithful, pretty cool seeing it go off.

It was an awesome trip and I got a book about accidents that happened in Yellowstone. It’s called “Death is Yellowstone”. Am I weird for being excited about a book like that? Maybe…

The downside of my trip, Hershey had to stay home. He was waiting for me when I got back though.

I’ve been so busy with life that recently I’ve kind of fallen into a “rut.” I haven’t been running nearly as much as I want to be. I just lack the energy and motivation. I believe it’s partly because I just got a job working nights so I’ve been more tiered during the day and not waking up early enough so by the time I’m ready to run it’s too hot outside. I’m working on it though, hopefully I will soon be out of this rut and back to my normal happy running self! 

Sorry for the small rant.

Speaking of heat, I took Hershey for only a 20 minute walk/fetch in the park and he decided he had enough and collapsed in the shade, so much for motivation Hershey.

Have a great rest of your day.

Anyone else been stuck in a non-running rut? What did you do to get out of it?

Dogs As Exercise Partners

It’s been so long since my last post. Sorry, summer is a pretty busy time, as I’m sure it is for all of you.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how different my fitness would be if I didn’t have Hershey. I think I would still run, but I don’t think I would enjoy it quite as much. So I put a list together of all the great things about having dogs as exercise/running partners.

Why dogs make great running/fitness companions:

     1.   Motivation- Nothing motivates me more than thinking about how Hershey will benefit from a run. Even if I really don’t feel like running one day Hershey gives me that needed push because I know he will be miserable if he doesn’t get out, and that’s the last thing I want.

     2. (Silent) Companionship- Running with friends is great; knowing that someone is waiting on you gives you a push to get out of bed and go run. However, there are times when you just need a good solo run, some time to think and not worry about anyone else. I don’t know about you guys, but if I’m in a bad mood starting a run, I’d rather be alone so I don’t ruin anyone else’s day. Running with Hershey on those days though puts me in a little better mood, because I know he is there, loyally running by my side.

   3.  Safety- Especially as a girl, I feel a lot safer running with Hershey by my side. This is more for when I’m running on an unfamiliar trail but I love knowing that having a dog gives me a good level of protection.

    4. They make you look good- No matter how bad I look or think I look on the trail I know Hershey always looks adorable. Whenever I run with Hershey I always get smiles from people passing me no matter how bad of a hair/face day I’m having. (Or maybe they just feel bad for the crazy looking, wild haired girl trying to run and feel it’s best to smile :-P)

       

   5.   Accomplishment- Seeing Hershey tiered at the end of a run makes me feel like I accomplished more than just running. A tiered dog is a happy dog and having a tiered Vizsla is definitely an accomplishment!

      So there you have it, some great advantages to exercising with your dog. I don’t take Hershey on all of my runs but for the majority I do. Sometimes it is nice not to have to worry about holding a leash but then when I get back he’s jealous ;-).

      

      Doesn't this face just make you want to run?

       

      

     For those of you with dogs,

What kind of dog do you have?

Do you run with your dog?  How often?

Crazy Dog Lady and Blueberry Muffins

I am the crazy dog lady this week. I am watching my friend’s two dogs for a little bit so right now I am in charge of feeding, exercising, playing with, and whatever else dogs need for three dogs! I don’t know how you people with more than three dogs do it; I give you a lot of credit because it sure takes a lot of work. Thankfully they all get along so we all hang out together and I don’t have to do crazy things like go for three separate runs each day.

To make this week even crazier, I’ve been sick. I caught some sort of cold/flu thing so yesterday I decided to make some blueberry muffins (I read somewhere that blueberries help when you are sick but who knows if that’s actually true or not). I used this recipe that I’ve been using for a while now and I will never go back! They come out so good, and they actually have muffin tops, when my muffins actually come out with muffin tops that go over the edges I get way too excited.

They are super easy to make too! Here’s the recipe (I did link it but it’s so much easier when you only have to have one web page open at a time :-P).

 Ingredients:

-          1 ½ Cups all purpose flour (I used organic)

-          ¾ cups sugar

-          ½  teaspoon salt

-          2 teaspoons baking powder

-          1/3 cup vegetable oil

-          1 egg

-          1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk because I was at my parent’s and they’re weird and only drink almond milk ;-P)

-          1 cup fresh blueberries (I like to heat them up before putting them in the batter because I love it when blueberry muffins are purple/blue inside, you don’t have to though)

      

      Topping ( I cut the topping recipe in half because I’ve found that unless you like your muffins covered in topping, it always makes too much and I end up throwing a lot out, so this is the topping recipe I linked, just cut in half)

-          ¼ cup sugar

-          1/6  cup flour

-          2 tablespoons butter cubed

-          ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon

What to do:

-          Preheat oven to 400 degrees, get muffin tins ready.

-          Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Put vegetable oil in a 1 cup measuring cup; add egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix all at once to flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top and sprinkle with crumb topping.

-          Bake for 20-25 minutes

-          To make crumb topping: mix together sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon with a fork until it resembles a crumb topping.

The finished product!

Go have a great day and make some blueberry muffins! (You don’t have to use the recipe I used :))

Do you like blueberries?

            My brother is the only one in my family who doesn’t enjoy them. Too bad for him, he sure is missing out!

Bolder Boulder 10k 2015

I had a lot of fun at the Bolder Boulder 10k this year and thankfully the weather was perfect. I was a little worried that it was going to rain because of all the rain we’ve had recently but it held out for us and it turned out to be a great race.

I got up early to get ready for the race; Hershey wasn’t having anything to do with getting up that early so he stayed in bed. I know his eyes look scary, it was dark, 

 I’ve always been kind of worried about eating before a race, sometimes I go without eating but this year I decided to eat a Cliff bar before the race. I’m not sure if it helped at all, my stomach bothered me a little bit in the beginning of the race so I may have to experiment with a different pre-race food in the future.

For those you who have never run this race, it is a pretty big deal. Thousands of people run it every year and there are always crazy costumes. One of my friends saw someone dressed as the abominable snowman and said he was exhausted by mile two. The way the Bolder Boulder is organized is by qualified and unqualified waves. The qualified waves start earlier, starting with AA and so on. I was in the qualified wave EA with a 7:11 start time.

During the race I felt surprisingly good. I hadn’t been training nearly as much as I should have been so I was a little worried that I would push myself too hard. However, I listened to my body and pushed myself just enough I feel.  I ended up with a time of 53:21. I just wanted to break my time last year which was around 54 so I was quite happy with my time.

Here’s my mile splits:

Mile 1: 7:49 Mile 2: 8:21 Mile 3: 8:48 Mile 4: 8:50 Mile 5: 8:38 Mile 6: 9:08

I had some friends cheering me on around the 7k point so that helped out a lot. It gave me the extra push that I needed.

All in all, it was a great race with great weather and I can’t wait to run it again next year!

The race ends in a stadium, this was after the race, watching everyone finish. 

Have an awesome Tuesday!

What do you eat before a race if anything?

What's your best 10k time?

Rain and a 10k

It’s been raining a ton here and I hate it. A little rain is fun and exciting but after a while it just gets kind of depressing. Ever since we did the 5k in the rain a couple of weeks ago Hershey has decided he wants nothing to do with this weather. He’d rather stay inside and be lazy and only go outside when absolutely necessary (aka potty breaks).

I do have a 10k coming up though. Tomorrow I’m going to be running the Bolder Boulder. I do this race almost every year and love it every time! The atmosphere of the race is great, so many spectators cheering you on and keeping you motivated. Last year I did my first marathon only a week before the race. I thought it was crazy to do a 10k so soon after but I ended up getting a PR that day so I think it actually helped. This year I’m hoping to get a PR again but I’ve been kind of lazy with training so we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. I’ll try my best to take lots of pictures during, before and after the race.

I have a whiteboard hanging in my living room and this is a little doodle I did when I was bored. Can you tell who/what it is? I guess I kinda gave it away...

Have an amazing rest of your day! 

Exploring Buddy and Random Stuff

One of the awesome things about having a dog is that you have an exploring buddy. If I didn’t have Hershey, I wouldn’t be motivated to go explore new trails because I’d be afraid to go alone. It’s so fun just taking an hour or two with him to go for a walk, not caring where we are going, but knowing that we will have fun. This past week we explored this trail not too far from our apartment. It was really cool, there was no one on it and Hershey and I had fun walking on a path we don’t take much. That is until Hershey found a dead snake and thought that it smelled so amazing that he wanted to roll in it. Thankfully I caught him before he delighted in that pleasure. Rolling in dead things is something I will never understand about dogs.

The path looked amazing on our way back. Can you tell it rained that day?

This was Hershey after he found the dead snake, proud of his discovery, but upset that he had to be put back on leash because of it.

Some other random things that I thought would be fun to share;

An awesome snack paired with an awesome show, the best way to end the night. (Can you guess the show?)

I finished the bag and Hershey finished the crumbs. We make a good team.

Fetch, you’re doing it wrong Hershey. 

Have an amazing Monday. Go for a run, walk the dog, do anything that makes you smile!

Canine Classic 5k

Last Sunday Hershey and I ran the Canine Classic 5k. It was pouring out when we got there and it kept raining throughout the race but we still had a fun. I didn't get the time I was hoping for but with all the rain and mud on the course I was happy to even break 30 minutes. We ended up with a time of 28:01.4. Not even close to my best 5k time but I still got first in my age group (there were only 12 people in my age group) I guess most people my age don’t want to run a 5k in the rain on a Sunday morning.

Hershey wasn't too sure about a race in the rain. We waited in the car before the race started. 

We left right after the race and went over to my parents place and ate waffles and Hershey passed out on the couch.

I wish I could say more about this race but to be honest, I don’t remember that much of it. Most of the race I was just thinking about how much I wanted to be done.  The course would have been great if it hadn't been for the mud. Here’s to better weather next year.

Have a great Sunday!

Florida and Biking with the Hersh Man(that’s his nick name if you were wondering)

We are in Florida! Unfortunately the pup couldn't come...

A couple days ago Hershey and I went on a long bike ride, about 10 miles. I wanted to try out his new bike trailer that I got him. He runs along the bike for a good portion of the run but I’m trying to teach him to ride for a little bit. He’s getting older and I don’t want him to hurt himself running that long, he really wanted to run it all though. Anyone have any advice for training dogs to ride in one of these? Right now he will ride for about a minute and then whine to get out. Maybe I just have to get him really tiered first…

Once he gets good at riding I’m hoping to go on some really long bike rides with him. Pulling that trailer up hills is hard work but cross training is good for races. :)

On a side note, I got my parent’s cat this bed and I could watch her sleep in it all day, she just looks so peaceful!

Have an amazing rest of your day!