A Hoka Experiment

Hi Friends! I am still alive! It's been a rough week, so I was extra excited to find a package waiting for me when I got home after a long day. Look what was inside!

Yep, I'm jumping on the Hoka bandwagon!

Actually that's not true, I don't jump on bandwagons. I'm not trying them because they are the hot new thing. I'm trying them because I think they'll work for me. I'm a heavier runner so I could use some extra cushioning. I also am a midfoot striker with a neutral stride.

Plus they were on sale for $50. Score!

I couldn't resist taking them for a test run around the neighborhood (Sushi needed a walk anyway). First impression? LOVE them. They are light, but provide a good cushion, and make my stride feel fluid and natural.

I'll be back to let you know how I feel once I start running in them regularly.

Anyone else out there a Hoka fan?

Trails to Ale 10k

Now that I have finished my 7 continent goal, I finally am able to try out all the fun local races that I've been wanting to do for years! This Sunday, that meant the Trails to Ale 10k. The race is a benefit for Portland Trails, which builds and maintains great trails all over Portland.

I was psyched to finally get to run this race, and even more excited to run it as party of a team. I ran with a great group of people from nursing school. Since we are all going into medical professions, we made a pun with a medical term and called ourselves Tachy Cardio.

team Tachy Cardio

I had been hoping when I signed up mid summer that it would be a perfect, crisp fall day. Instead, when I woke up it was humid and raining. It started to clear as I walked to the race. By race time it was sunny, but still humid. Whomp.

My focus this fall has been school, not running, so I didn't have a major goal. I was just hoping to come in under 9 minute/miles. The race starts on top of Munjoy Hill, so the first mile and half had a lot of downhill. My legs weren't loving the combination of downhill and asphalt. Luckily just past mile 2, the course turns onto back bay trail, which is dirt. Despite the crazy head wind in places, I really enjoyed the 3 miles around back cove. 

Although we had all decided to run our own races, my friend Rose and I ended up running almost the same pace and so we stuck together for most of the race. It was really nice to have someone to chat with. It made the time go so much faster!

Just after mile five, the course crosses a bridge and then loops off on a paved extension of the trail. The combination of the concrete, an uphill, and my pace hit me. My legs felt like absolute lead. I told myself I had less than a mile to go and tried to push on to the finish. 

I finished in 53:03, an 8:36 pace. Goal met! It was awesome to come across that finish and have most of my team there to high five me!

It was also awesome to head up the hill after the finish and get Portland Pie pizza and beer! Although it felt like summer, I decided that based on the date it was time to have my first Shipyard pumpkin head of the season! It was so good, I had one more. Nothing like beer at 10 on Sunday!

We hung around for quite awhile, enjoying our ale and chatting. Making great runner friends is a nice fringe benefit of nursing school!

This was such a great race, I think it may become a yearly event. 

Nursing School: A Day in the Life

Hey, remember me? I used to blog here. Then I decided to do an accelerated nursing program and now I'm having trouble finding time to do things like shower. So posts around here may be pretty sparse for awhile. Just so you understand why, here's what my life looks like now.

A Tuesday

4:45 Alarm goes off. I grumble and haul myself out of bed.

5-6 am Run. This week my headlamp decided to die exactly half-way through my run so I was stuck 3 miles away from home in the pitch black.

6-6:40 Shower/Breakfast/Internets

6:40-7 Drive to Spring Harbor

7-3 Mental Health Clinical
This is a pretty emotionally heavy experience. We usually break for lunch around 12:30 and then debrief during the last hour.

3-3:15 Drive to Maine Med. Eat a snack in the car.

3:15-6 Prep for my med-surg clinical the next day. This involves checking my patient assignment and then researching the patient's history, the pathophysiology of his/her conditions, all about his/her medications. I have a care plan to fill out with all of this information.

6:15 Get Home. Let dogs out.

6:15-7 Shove some food in my face. I am usually starving by the time I get home, so I've given up eating anything that takes more than 15 minutes to prepare. After I eat, I pack my lunch for the next day, set the coffee maker, pack my bag, and lay out my clothes.

7-8:30 Finish my care plan and do some other homework

8:30-9 Foam roll/yoga/strength training while watching TV

9-9:30 Get ready for bed and read

9:30 Attempt to fall asleep. I am usually exhausted, but still worrying about all the things I need to do that it takes me awhile to actually fall asleep.

Bulu Box Review

I LOVE getting mail. I always had pen pals growing up and as an adult I've signed up for Foodie Pen Pals, Nature Box, and Graze. So when I had a chance to try Bulu Box, I jumped at the chance. 

Bulu Box is the first health, nutrition and weight loss discovery box designed to help you feel your best. Each month, you’ll get a custom box filled with a new mix of 4 to 5 premium samples from top brands to try. Every sample is sufficient enough to decide if the product is right for you.

I love this idea! There are so many health and wellness products out there that I never even know to try. With Bulu Box, I get exposed to a whole bunch of new products and get to make sure I like them before I buy a whole container. 

In this month's box I got:

Quest Protein Powder- Peanut Butter Flavor: This is perfect because I've really been into peanut butter and banana smoothies this summer. It will be great to add a protein blast. 

Earth's Care Anti-Itch Powder: This also couldn't have come at a better time. I swear, I get more bug bites than anyone else I know, so I can't wait to try this. 

Mediterra Savory Bar: I am pretty intrigued by a savory sundried tomato and basil bar. It will be perfect to bring with me to school for a snack. 

Movit Energy Gummies: I love using gummies when doing long runs or bike rides. These have folic acid and protein in them, so I am interested to see how they help to sustain my energy.

Fiber Plus Powder: I am sure that once my crazy fall semester starts, I won't be as good as I should be about getting my daily fiber. This will be a big help. 

Want to try your own Bulu Box? Use discount code SWEATPINK for 50% off a 3-month subscription to BuluBox.

Rest Day

You know what I didn't do yesterday? I didn't run. I didn't bike or go to bootcamp or do any real workout. Instead I went to a gentle yoga class.

That folks is progress. That is me recognizing what my body needs and accepting that. That is me ignoring what I had planned for the day and my strongly rooted habit of exercising intensely every day.

Maybe I am getting wiser with the years?

Do you live for rest days or hate them?

Block Party Island Style

During my two week break from school I am staying at my Mom's and working on the boat I worked on in high school and college. This means that I am getting to participate in a lot of fun summer traditions that I have missed since I moved away- including the Cape Newagen neighborhood party.

Now when your neighborhood involves several islands, the party is a little different than most block parties!

You don't have to worry about hitting traffic on the road, but rowing a dingy full of friends and family is a lot more work than driving a car full of people!

And you might have to worry about finding a space at the dock to tie up your dingy!

Finding a pair of shoes that matches your dress and allows you to walk on the rocks and through the brush is a challenge!

While exploring the island is fun, the terrain does provide a challenge when carrying a full glass of wine.

Trying to get my hubby to smile for a picture is impossible, no matter where we are!

When you have too much fun and stay too long, you come back and find the tide has gone out around your boat! So you have to do some not traditional maneuvering to get yourself off the rocks!

Do you have (or did you growing up) have neighborhood parties with any fun traditions?

First Anniversary Fun

Yesterday Rory and I celebrated our first anniversary. Our first year as a married couple flew by, but at the same time, the wedding seems like so long ago. 

It seemed appropriate that we head up to my Mom's on Southport Island for the weekend, since that is where we got married. 

Just like our wedding, our anniversary was a celebration of who we are as people. Time together, time with our family, good food and drink, and the beautiful place where we live are things we really value. 

We did some exploring, saw seals and harbor porpoise and even tried fishing off our boat for the first time!

Rory got 4 fish big enough to keep and we enjoyed them for dinner.

After dinner we open the special bottle of champagne that a wonderful friend gave us way back when we first got engaged. We had it with the top of our wedding cake, which we had saved from the wedding. The champagne was definitely better than the year old cake!

I can't wait to see what the next year will bring for us!

How did you spend your first anniversary?