Hiking!

I'm thinking that I may need to change the title of my blog since I have not written anything about food or finances in a while! I have, however been participating in various fitness activities. I would like to get better about my running during the week, but John and I continue to run at least once every weekend and we just added hiking to the mix!

Yesterday we hiked to the top of Hunter Mountain. It started out as a mild day with the sun shining and about 50 degrees or so. It was sunny as we began climbing up the mountain and John kept commenting on what an easy trail and easy hike it was! It was a nice wide path, grassy in the center and fairly easy to walk.  John had mentioned casually that we would most likely be seeing a little bit of snow up at the top of the mountain and about a mile and a half into our hike he turned to me and said, "Did you see the snowflakes?" No, I did not. As we continued to climb, I certainly did see the snowflakes followed by snow on the ground! We were in a winter wonderland! Except it wasn't winter!  We thoroughly enjoyed it and kept snapping pictures as we laughed happily up the snow laden trail.  It was a bit slow going for me at times because as we continued, there were portions of the trail that were a bit more difficult due to the large incline but we managed nonetheless and made it to the top without incident other than the huge blister on my heel for which I placed a bandaid over and called it good. I definitely did not have the proper shoes on for hiking!

We made it to the top where the temperature was 36 degrees! As we reached the top, there was this large metal structure (also known as a viewing tower).  This structure absolutely terrified me because of my fear of heights. I did however climb up with John behind me the entire way. As we almost reached the top, I began to feel the wind and it frightened me a little more at which point, John allowed me to begin the descent back down the tower. I will try this again at some point when it is a clear and sunny day but I do appreciate his support on the tower never leaving my side. I did take a peek at the view and it was beautiful! Due to my fear and my desire to reach the ground, I unfortunately did not get a picture. One more reason to do it again!

We relaxed for a bit and had a few snacks. John found the privy for us off in a distance, which was helpful before beginning our 3 1/2 mile hike back to the car.  Going back down hill was tricky at times due to the snow and slippery rocks and leaves.  We tried to be careful and I was about to say, "It will be a miracle if neither one of us falls" but I kept that statement to myself until...... One of us fell. :(  Thankfully there were no serious injuries and it was overall a really great day!  It is the beginning of a new series of adventures for us.  It was so nice to be out in the fresh air exploring nature.

Things that we need to do before our next hike:
1) Purchase some hiking shoes (I have a huge painful blister on my heal due to the ratty old sneakers I wore.
2) Get a new backpack (Carried my decorative girly backpack that is not meant for hiking. LOL)
3) Bring a change of clothes (Weather can be unpredictable in the mountains)

Things to think about bringing for longer hikes:
1) Headlamp in case it gets dark before getting back to the car

That's it for now! I will post more after our next adventure!

Still Running and a PR! :)

Today I ran the Olesak Lumber Half Marathon with John in Westfield, MA. I wasn't feeling well before I started but as I got going I kind of got into a mind set and just kept going. There was a tough hill at mile 3, which I walked. I love having my GPS watch because it keeps me somewhat on track. I would say I did fairly well and was feeling good up until mile 7.  Luckily the course from that point was mostly downhill with a few upward slopes and a slightly bigger hill at mile 10. I was getting tired so I did a little bit of the run/walk method in order to get me through. It helped me to decrease my overall time per mile, which helped me reach my PR! :)  I have been continuing to exercise once a week, but didn't actually run this week. John and I are working on a plan to get our mileage in during the week. We have been meeting once a week on the Watervliet bike path, which we will continue to do. :)  We are also going to make a plan for better, healthier eating habits. Today was a bit difficult after the race as I experienced severe stomach pains and fatigue. Thankfully, I am feeling better now, but I need to make some dietary changes and change my plan of action for pre and post race eating.

I am happy to say that with each subsequent half-marathon I have run this year, I have continued to improve my overall time. I started with the Colchester Half Marathon in February with a time of 2:57:49, then did the D.C. Rock and Roll Half with a time of 2:49:01 and today I completed the Olesak Lumber Half with an approximate time of 2:41:00. Official results have not been posted. I am going by my GPS. Either way it is a PR. My last PR was at the Hangover Half Marathon in 2010 with a time of 2:45:06. This makes my first PR of any distance in 2012.  I would also like to say Thank you to John for all of his love, support, and encouragement today! :) He is always waiting at the finish for me and he made me feel very proud of my accomplishment today! Thanks honey!