TBT Post from Hubby - Ingalls Lake Backpacking Trip

It's Thursday!! That means time for another "Throwback Thursday" post from Hubby. Today's post is a backpacking trip together to Ingalls Lake. It was a memorable one as we got really close to a baby goat. :) 

Ingalls Lake, October 7-8, 2006

Sharon and I wanted to go on an early Autumn trip to see the larch at their peak, so we camped at Ingalls Lake in the Teanaway area of Washington. This is one of the best places to see them.

Tyler State Park with the Fam

The last time we visited Tyler State Park was back in March when I did the Looney Leperchaun 10K. I remember running through corn fields and being surprised at how many hills there were throughout the trail run's course. Something I particularly remembered was that the kiddos really liked the playground there (they played while I ran). 

With nothing planned on Sunday, we decided to check out the park, not only for the playground but to also explore what else the park had to offer. After a picnic lunch, the kiddos enjoyed the playground. I even had a bit of fun myself. I was so proud of myself for going all the way across these monkey bars. I can't remember the last time I had ever gone across (I was probably in elementary school) but I did it! T25 has definitely made me stronger. I'm pretty sure I couldn't do this a month ago.

Last Week's Workouts 7/21-7/27

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Monday 7/21 - 4 mile run on the treadmill in the morning and Focus T25 Alpha Cardio in the evening. Felt great starting week 4! 

Biking on the D&R Canal trail with the Kiddos

With nothing planned Saturday afternoon, we decided to take the kiddos biking. Well, this time we would do the biking, while they sat in the bike trailer. They had not been in the bike trailer once this year, so we weren't sure how they would be in it for a long period. It wasn't a good sign when our 3 year old started to complain when he first got in. Turns out, it was just the strap. Phew! 

I brought a bunch of snacks and some water, so if they got hungry, they would have it there with them. I've learned many a times to always bring snacks, or else you will regret it. We didn't want whining and crying during the trip, so we are always prepared.

Vega Sport #FuelYourBetter Review

Vega Sport has a great campaign going on now, #Fuelyourbetter. If you don't have an idea of what is right for you to fuel for your training, whether you need something for before your workout, during, or if you need something for recovery, all you have to do is check out their website here and they have a great layout that will guide you in the right direction of what you may want in terms of fueling or recovery for your training. 

Gettysburg Trip Day 2

Gettysburg Trip Day 2
7/20/14

We started the day out with going to the earlier parts of the Self-Guiding Auto Tour that we did not visit yesterday. Gettysburg was a battle that lasted 3 days. The area we went to first in the morning was an area where action occurred on the first day. The pic to the left was near Seminary Ridge. The ridge looked out to an open field. 

Gettysburg Trip Day 1

Gettysburg Trip Day 1 
7/19/14

We decided to go to Gettysburg on a whim Friday night before the weekend. We didn't have any plans and by some weird coincidence we both were thinking the same thing, that is Hubby and I without even talking beforehand had Gettysburg on our minds. And with our heads on the same page, Hubby did some research on some cheap bids for hotels on Priceline and went from there. Our first bid of $60 for a 3 star hotel, was accepted so Gettysburg was definitely where we would be heading for the weekend. I love how Priceline can give great deals. We scored staying at the Courtyard Marriot!

Last Week's Workouts 7/14-7/20

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Monday 7/14 – Focus T25 Alpha Total Body Circuit

Reasons to Take your Kiddos on a Picnic Lunch at the Park

I took the kiddos yesterday to the park for a picnic lunch on a whim. It was already getting close to lunch time when I realized we needed to get outside. We had started the day late as my kids slept in a bit and I got my daily workout in late. We had not done a picnic lunch at the park in a while, so I figured why not. It'd be perfect. 

Reasons to Take your Kiddos on a Picnic Lunch at the Park

TBT Hiking Post from Hubby - Hidden Lake Lookout

It's Thursday!! I started this last week, but for those new to my blog, on Thursdays, since it is "Throw Back Thursday" I thought it would be cool to reminisce on some old posts that used to be on our (me and hubby's) old web site "hanks-hikes.com". It was discontinued when we had our first child and after we moved to the East coast. We just didn't have the time and didn't want to continue paying for the domain. 

So, now that I have this blog and a portion of it has to do with hiking, I will be adding many of those posts here on Thursday's. It would be a waste to leave these cool hikes just in files on our computer, and better for the world to see and share so many amazing places we have been. 

Today's hike is one of my favorites, Hidden Lake Lookout in the North Cascades. I think most of my favorite hikes are lookouts as they have the best views! I believe this was my second hike with Hubby and we had a wonderful time! :)

Hidden Lake Lookout, September 5, 2006

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For Sharon's first trip to the North Cascades, we decided on the Hidden Lake Lookout trail. We drove up a bumpy gravel road to find just one other car at the TH. We quickly passed that group and barely saw any others on the trail all day.

Make Your Own Medal and Bib Holder

I was inspired by both my sister and from a runchat a couple of weeks ago (someone proudly displayed their holder in a pic) to do something about all the medals and bibs I have accrued over the years from various races. Instead of having them hang from a shelf end in the corner of our bedroom where no one can really see them unless pointed out, I figured why not get some sort of holder. I shopped online and realized that medal and bib holders are pretty darn expensive. 

Low and behold, my sister made her own back in May. Here is her blog post. From her post and just seeing what I could come up with, I decided to try and make my own. I first went to Target to see if I could find some sort of base board similar to what my sister got, but I wasn't as lucky. I then ventured to Michael's and found some wooden boards, but they were on the expensive side. 

My next stop was Home Depot. The person I asked was very friendly and led me to an aisle with some shelf boards. It looked like the perfect size and it was only $3.98. Score!

Last Week's Workouts 7/7-7/13

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Monday 7/7 - 4 miles in the morning and Focus T25 Alpha Cardio in the afternoon.

6 miler & Canoeing w/ the Fam

Got in a good 10K this morning on the D&R Canal Trail. Even got rained on but I actually didn't mind as it felt pretty refreshing in the heat. 

Lowes & Battleship New Jersey

Today was a no workout day, but a fun play day. We started off by taking the kids to Lowe's for their FREE (yes I said FREE) Build and Grow program. It's a free clinic for kids where they get to build a wooden project and all supplies are provided. You just need to sign up on their site online and many times the slots fill up fast. The kids even get a free apron, goggles, and a certificate and patch when finished. 

Today's project was Turbo the snail.

TBT Hiking Post from Hubby - Enchantments Proposal

I figure I would try something new. On Thursdays, since it is "Throw Back Thursday" I thought it would be cool to reminisce on some old posts that used to be on our (me and hubby's) old web site "hanks-hikes.com". It was discontinued when we had our first child and after we moved to the East coast. We just didn't have the time and didn't want to continue paying for the domain. 

So, now that I have this blog and a portion of it has to do with hiking, I will be adding many of those posts here on Thursday's. It would be a waste to leave these cool hikes just in files on our computer, and better for the world to see and share so many amazing places we have been. 

The first one, I would like to share is of the Proposal. It's pretty special as it was the backpacking trip where Hubby proposed to me. It was 7 years ago this week. These posts are written by Hubby. I guess you can say he will be the guest writer of my blog on Thursdays. Enjoy! :)

Enchantments Proposal, July 7th weekend, 2007 I obviously wanted my proposal to Sharon to be a special. So, I needed the right setting. The Enchantments seemed perfect. This was the location of our first backpacking trip together, and it is probably the best place to hike/backpack in the state of Washington, offering solitude and beautiful vistas around every corner. What a great place to share such a special moment.

Last Week's Workouts 6/30-7/6

My next scheduled race isn't until October (Wineglass Half Marathon), so it is pretty weird not having to run or train for anything at the moment. It is different but then it is also freeing in a way. I don't have to run a certain amount so it means I can run any amount of miles I want and not have to follow a running schedule. Turns out, I've always wanted to try the Focus T25 program, so I will be following that schedule for at least the next 5 weeks. I have the DVDs so I might as well use them. I've done some of the workouts but never really followed their schedule. I figure I might as well do it now that I have the time before I train for my half in October. I'll mix in running here and there, but I won't be running any serious mileage like I did when training for a half marathon. 

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:
Monday 6/30 - Focus T25 Alpha Cardio - Great cardio workout that left me drenched in sweat!

Torne Mountain/Osio Rock Family Hike

Today we headed out to Bloomingdale, NJ to hike Torne Mountain/Osio Rock. The drive out to the trailhead from Princeton was about an hour and 20 minutes. The weather was perfect, temps were pretty comfortable and it wasn't too humid when we got to the trailhead around 11am.

Directions to the trailhead: Rt 287 to exit 53, bottom of the ramp turn left onto Hamburg Turnpike, right onto Glenwild Ave. Parking area is next to Bloomingdale/West Milford border (look for Welcome to West Milford sign, or Welcome to Bloomingdale sign depending on which direction you are traveling.) Parking is at the "Otter Hole" parking area of Norvin.