Destination: Day 2: Jonestown/Hersey NE KOA Journey, Day 3: New York City North Newburgh KOA Holiday The quote above, “adventure is worthwhile in itself,” is very important here. My goal for the camping section of my trip was to take some great hikes. Well, unfortunately, there were no close hiking trails to be found near my campsites on days two and three. This was very disappointing. I know that on day two there was part of the Appalachian trail nearby…
Destination: Walnut Hills Campground Staunton, VA. With my car filled with camping gear, food, and enough clothes for a 3 week road trip, I took off from my home in Tennessee. I didn’t know what to expect but I was excited to start my adventure. My overall plan for this trip was to drive and stop along the way in 3 hour increments. The trip to Maine would take 5 days. On my first day, I left home at 9am…
I went on a road trip. My plan was to blog along the way and share my experiences in real-time. I’m not sure what happened, but I didn’t write one post. I can come up with a lot of reasons for this, but I think the basic truth is that I was just having such a great time living in the moment, that any type of technology was not high on my priority list. For the first three days, I…
This beautiful Portuguese prayer can be found at the head of one of my favorite trails. It reminds me of the beauty we’re so lucky to experience. It makes me appreciate and respect nature as I enjoy its trails, waterways and all that it offers. Not only are the forests beautiful, they also provide us with the oxygen we depend on to live. As you hike or run the trails, breathe deeply and observe the beauty with the awe it…
I heard someone say that to be an ultra runner you must have a demon. Recovering addicts, people with mental illness, and people with some sort of tragedy in their past seem to flock to the sport. It becomes part of their recovery. In some cases, it becomes the new addiction. Pain replaces pain. Crazy replaces crazy. I definitely have my fair share of demons. I’ve never been an addict. I haven’t experienced a lot of tragedy in my life….
After running the End of Summer 5k, I realized that my training for that race took away from my larger goal of trail running and long distances. The day after the race, I happily hiked my favorite trail– Lone Oak. Now, my focus is on my upcoming half marathon on October 30th. I believe the course is also on a road but trail running will only make me stronger. Right now, I’m up to 8 miles, so I think I’ll…
September 2021 9/7/2021 5mi. Bay’s Mountain Lakeside trail (2x around) Running 9/9/2021 4mi. Greenbelt Trail (paved) Running 9/10/2021 4mi. Lone Oak Trail (hard trail) Hiking 9/11/2021 8mi. Greenbelt Trail (paved) Running 9/13/2021 5mi. Bay’s Mountain Lakeside trail (2x around) Running 9/14/2021 3mi. treadmill easy run 9/16/2021 4mi. Greenbelt Trail (moderate) 9/17/2021 2mi. easy treadmill, 40min. stair master 9/18/2021 10 mi. Greenbelt Trail (easy/moderate) 9/20/2021 4mi. hike/run St. Mary’s Wilderness Trail 9/22/2021 4mi. run off-road trail 9/24/2021 4mi. run off-road trail…
Well, I ran my first 5k in a very long time. I just wanted to get back into the racing mode, which I’m hoping will give me more motivation to keep working toward my long-term goal of ultra running. My next step will be a half marathon which I’ve already signed up for. I decided to do a fun race and the Haunted Half sounds perfect! It’s on October 30th and we will be dressing in costumes and celebrating Halloween….
Yoga is another activity that I thoroughly enjoy. Apparently, my cat enjoys it too!!! This week, I have been preparing for a 5k race that will take place this weekend. I’ve been running slow 4 milers and on Tuesday I did some “yoga for runners”. After the session, I felt so good that I realized how important it is to include stretching and targeted poses in my training plan. When I started this training journey, I totally focused on hiking…
When I began this blog, my focus was definitely on hiking and running. That will still be my focus. However, I have realized that I can have more than one focus and there are other aspects of my life that I would like to discuss. My background and experiences with mental illness, nutrition, and general everyday life are also subjects that I would like to touch upon. I feel a bit hesitant writing about my mental illness because it isn’t…