Here we are at the start of a new week! I will definitely say that this week feels VERY different than the previous week, but I will leave it at that…
Things are getting back to normal on my end since I spent the last full week of VACATION! I hardly had any trips this year, so this was our opportunity to finally get away from the madness! Of course, I’m still wrapping up my training for the Philadelphia Marathon, which is now less than a week away! Let me tell you how my second taper week went!
I’m linking up with Hoho Runs and Miss Sippi Piddlin for the Weekly Wrap! It’s a great way to see what your favorite health and fitness bloggers are up to each week! I’m also joining Marcia, Patty, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run!
[bctt tweet=”Recapping my latest week of marathon training! #runchat #phillymarathon” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]
Weekly Wrap: Vacation in Colorado and Nebraska
Have things seemed a little quiet around here? It’s because I was on vacation and when I’m out of town, I like to be off the grid as much as possible!
Bret and I have been due for a vacation, so we were really looking forward to getting away and enjoying his birthday with a full week off. On Sunday, we flew from Philadelphia to Omaha and then drove to Bret’s grandparent’s home in DeWitt. We stayed there for the night before taking the drive to Estes Park, Colorado, home of Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a fantastic trip!
If you have never seen the Rocky Mountains up close, let me tell you…photos simply do not do it justice. We were in complete awe everywhere we looked. We drove on Trail Ridge Road which is usually impassable this time of year but thanks to climate change we were able to have the full experience even in November. Estes Park itself is at an elevation of about 7,500 feet, and we maxed out in over 12,000 feet of elevation! I’ll admit that it did take a little adjusting, but we ended up feeling fine overall!
We stayed at the Romantic Riversong Inn, an extremely charming bed and breakfast. Every room was amazing, and ours didn’t disappoint. We had a full suite with a gas fireplace with a jetted tub right in front. We even had a huge window with views of the Continental Divide. One morning we saw a deer eating right outside our window! What a wonderful getaway!
Estes Park is a tourist town, but thankfully it was pretty sleepy when we visited so we didn’t deal with any crowds at all. The locals were pretty friendly and we quickly learned that they like to make very strong drinks!! We had some pretty solid meals during the week and I learned that I’m a big fan of elk sausage!
Of course, we had to go running in Colorado. Unfortunately, Bret has all the good pictures so I have to steal them from him! We ran on the Cub Lake Trail which was absolutely stunning and increasingly technical. Every few miles the terrain would change and we would continue to have breathtaking views. It was an unreal experience!
Sadly, we had to eventually say goodbye to Colorado, but we made our way back to Bret’s hometown in Nebraska on Thursday. The following day, we went for my 10-mile long run in Lincoln, which turned out to be really nice. On Saturday we went back to Lincoln for the Nebraska football game vs. Minnesota nd we had great seats! It was my first time going to a home game and we had a blast!
Workouts for the Week:
Monday 11/7: We spent much of the day driving from Bret’s grandparent’s place to Estes Park, Colorado. When we checked into our room, we explored the grounds and went on a really nice hike up a mountain with gorgeous views.
Tuesday 11/8: It was our first full day in Colorado. We did a few hiking trails and enjoyed being thousands of feet in the air! It was amazing to be in temperatures that were as low as 30 and as high as 55 degrees all in one day.
Wednesday 11/9: Bret’s birthday! We looked for a good running trail in Rocky Mountain National Park and ended up going on the Cub Lake trail. It was absolutely breathtaking. Normally, this was supposed to be my 6-mile run with 5 miles at goal marathon pace, but with the terrain, the cold, and the elevation, there was no way I’d be able to keep to pace. It was really challenging but I finally got in the groove for the last couple of miles.
Thursday 11/10: It was our last morning in Colorado, so we spent most of the day in the car driving back to Nebraska. What a long day!
Friday 11/11: Since we had plenty of free time, we went for my 10-mile training run in the late morning in Lincoln. The first mile went well but then I soon had a horrible pain in my left shin which traveled to my calf, back of the knee, and lower hamstring. It was unreal. Thankfully, after mile 3 the pain went away and I was fine. As you can imagine, I really freaked out over this new pain!
Saturday 11/12: No workouts as we were bar crawling most of the afternoon before the Nebraska vs. Minnesota football game. It was my first time in a stadium with over 90,000 people. It was a really fun time and Nebraska won!
Sunday 11/13: I finally made it back to Philly in the mid-afternoon. Since we left so long ago, I’m still not used to the end of Daylight Savings! I went for my run after 5 pm and it was already dark, ugh! Regardless, I knocked out my 4 miles.
I always love running in Nebraska – this was from last Sunday!Week 15 Report Card:
Doing your training workouts while on vacation is always a challenge, but I’m so glad that I was able to run in Colorado and Nebraska. We had an amazing time. My only misstep was that I forgot to bring my Stick to massage my tight muscles. I was very worried about that random left leg pain that occurred during my 10-miler, but I’m hoping that I was just having those “phantom pains” that I keep hearing are a part of the marathon taper.
I’m going to give Week 15 of training an A-! Sure, the 6 miler could have gone better, but I’m sure that the “elevation training” did some good despite not being able to run very fast.
These are the final days! Keep an eye out this Wednesday as I share my goals for the Philadelphia Marathon! Coach Kristy will be sharing her plan for me to execute my very first marathon. I couldn’t be more excited! This has been a dream of mine for years and it will finally come true on November 20, God willing!
How was your week of working out? When did you last go on vacation?
Glad you had a great time!I’ve been through Colorado a few times, but I don’t think we’ve ever stayed there. Our last family “vacation” was going to the Rose Bowl last year. It wasn’t too relaxing because we were constantly on the move (but I did find two different races to do while there). Back in March, the husband and I had a short trip to Ft. Pierce, FL for our son’s swim team at the NJCAA finals…that was fun (and also involved a race). Excited for “our” weekends…marathons happening everywhere 😉
Thanks, Kimberly! It was great to have a nice vacation and run in some new terrain and elevation lol! I was so nervous/excited for both of our marathons!
Glad you’re enjoying your taper! I’m thinking that a trip is a good idea during the taper–it keeps your mind occupied!
Yes it definitely helped distract me from worrying about the race…I didn’t really freak until the last week leading to the marathon!
Love Colorado! We were just there this summer and it was spectacular! Looks like you had a great time. Relax and enjoy the rest of your taper! You got this.
Colorado was a lot of fun, we definitely need to go back. Thanks, Sonia! 🙂
Looking forward to hearing about your goals. Your vacation sounds lovely!
Thanks, Courtney! We loved getting away for several days.
Sounds like an amazing trip! and I would give you an A+ for sure 😉 I am dying to get to CO one of these days. I was there as a kid and I do remember how beautiful the Rockies are. I have been to MT and Idaho and it is stunning to see the Rockies there…
I always love running somewhere new and I bet nebraska feels flat compared to home lol
I had extremely tired legs during taper, it took almost two weeks for me to feel progress, so I guess some of the aching is normal.
Go get that first marathon!!!!!!
Thanks, Karen! CO was awesome, I wish we had more days to really explore…
Nebraska does feel flat but those winds are so tough to run through! I love the scenery.
I’m due for a vacation soon too, but I’ll have Christmas up in the Rockies after moving up to Colorado. It would be nice to have the job situation settled, but I also know I need a break from this year.
I hope you have a great Christmas in the Rockies! I can see why people like living in Colorado, such a cool place!
I’ve never run on vacation. I’ve intended to a few times, and it just hasn’t panned out. I also usually have pretty active vacations though. So there isn’t a lot of extra time or energy for running – especially long runs. I’m impressed you got those 10 miles in!
Thanks, Jessie! Whenever I’m on vacation I just HAVE to have an excuse to run and thankfully my boyfriend runs too so we make it a priority.
Estes Park is a great place! My sisters both used to live close to it and we went hiking there. Glad you enjoyed your time out west.
Thanks, Christy! I would love to go back to Estes Park…absolutely beautiful!
One of my dream runs is a trail run in Colorado! I’m sure you guys had a blast!
It was awesome…Bret took the pictures on our trail run and I still need to get them from him…still they don’t do it justice, so beautiful!
Thankfully our last vacation was just a month ago. Oh wait, we were in NYC last weekend . . . but there had been many months before that with little travel.
I’m giggling at lows in the 30s & highs in the 50s — that’s normal for here, too!
We went to Rocky Mountain Park many years ago — it was so beautiful. We stayed in Grand Junction, though. And it was many years before I became a runner, but there was quite a bit of hiking.
I love hiking and wish that we did it more often…such a great way to enjoy nature.
Haha, I’ve been out of upstate NY for too long…my perception of cold has been warped, haha!
I went to Grand Junction for a job interview when I was in college…really pretty!
What a great idea to plan a trip during taper time- so smart!! Hope to run into you “literally” on Sunday! Good luck!
Thanks so much, Lauren and same to you!! I have no idea how to coordinate a meetup but hope to see you out there!
Sounds like a great trip! The furthest west I’ve traveled is Ohio…so not far west at all! Definitely want to see more of the country!
I’m right there with you with these phantom pains. At least, I hope they’re just “phantom”!
Thanks, Michelle! There’s so much beauty to see across the country, I have a long way to go! Grrr the phantom pains!
I always like to unplug when I go on vacation as well. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Those are beautiful pics and that bed and breakfast sounds lovely.
Thanks, Lacey! The B&B was awesome! Wish we could have stayed longer!
What a lovely trip!
Good luck for your marathon – can’t wait to read all about it!
Thanks, Karien! 🙂
Looks like a great getaway for you 2! Fun and have a great week
Thanks, Deborah!
You definitely deserve an A because training while on vacation can be so tough! We were in Estes Park two years ago on vacation! We rented a house so stayed a bit out of town, but I went into two and ran on that little trail around the lake right in Estes Park. One morning moose were blocking the path! I loved RMNP! I loved all the little lakes with the mountains surrounding them. Just beautiful. Glad you enjoyed it too!
Thanks, Jennifer! Estes Park is great, I really had no idea! I think I know which lake you’re talking about too! It was crazy seeing the elk out there! I’ll never forgot how beautiful it was there!
Sounds like a fun week. Our first family trip to CO was to Estes Park. We stayed in some “cabins” not too far from the park entrance and did all the touristy things with the kids, including hiking. She doesn’t live too far from there now, but the twisty roads keep us from going there very often.
Enjoy the final countdown to Philly!!
Thanks a lot, Coco! Yes, the winding roads were definitely scary!! Those cabins looked super cute, I was really tempted to book those instead.
Getting away during taper sounds pretty perfect to me and CO is a fave of mine. Glad you enjoyed! Now WOOT for race week! I’m so excited for you!
I can see why people love Colorado…wonderful! Thanks, Marcia!
It sounds like an amazing vacation! Great job in getting your runs in. That is an odd pain to have and then just *poof* disappear like that. I’ve been to CO twice and experienced those amazing Rockies. We stayed during one trip in a cabin at 9,000 feet and snow skied at 12,000. The air is definitely different up there. The second trip was to run a half marathon down though the canyons outside of Denver. Stunning. I’m excited as you come into the home stretch of running your first marathon! Thanks for linking, Janelle!
We had a great time on vacation! I bet skiing in the Rockies is amazing…unfortunately I am TERRIBLE at skiing! The air is so different but I actually kind of liked it!
I’ve never seen the Rockies in person. And I must. Because I keep hearing how amazing they are!
Great week of workouts!
Thanks, Rachel! I definitely recommend checking them out, they are stunning!
Wow- it looks amazing there! What a great week you had. Running on vacation gives you an automatic A+ in my world. lol
The photos just don’t do it justice…just amazing. Thanks, Patty!
Gorgeous pictures. I’ve never been to Colorado or Nebraska. Good luck with Philly this weekend! I know you’ll do great!
Thanks a lot!! It was a great vacay!
What a great trip! The Rocky’s are so different than the mountains we live in!
We had a great time and hope we’ll get to go back!
That sounds like such a great getaway! I love that you two run together as well. My husband can handle up to 4 miles, but that’s about it!
We had a great time! When Bret and I run together in a new place it’s always a lot of fun 🙂
So great that you got to get away, sounds like a fantastic holiday. I have never been out West (shame on me, my brother lives in Idaho !). I am sure the pictures do not do it justice.
Very excited for you & your race this weekend !
Thanks a lot, Karen! It’s so beautiful out west, I still need to get to the Grand Canyon and Mt. Rushmore and all those fun spots lol!