Five of my Favorite Things to do on the Day After Thanksgiving

The day after Thanksgiving is for many about "Black Friday" and shopping. But for me that is not the case. I've had my share of shopping with my mom when I was younger and I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, but I'd rather sleep in and enjoy not having to deal with lines and crowds of people trying to get a good deal. 

Here is a list of five of my favorite things to do on the Day After Thanksgiving:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! There will not be a throwback Thursday hiking post today, but I did want to write a bit about the things I am thankful for. 

Philly Half Marathon Race Recap 11/23/14

I ran the Philly Half Marathon that took place last Sunday in the "City of Brotherly Run and Sisterly Endurance." It was my first time doing this run and I enjoyed it. I had run in Philadelphia before for their Rock N Roll race but this was different, like a whole different magnitude, just because it was so big. The race offered both a full and half marathon and there were 30,000 runners running on race day.

5 Ways to Simplify Active Living to Make it a Sustainable Lifestyle

It's Tuesday and I am linking up with hosts Jessica Joy and Jill Conyers for their The Fit Dish Link-Up every Tuesday.

Today' s topic is "Keep it simple. How do you simplify active living to make it a sustainable lifestyle?"

Here are 5 ways that help me simplify active living to make it a sustainable lifestyle:

Half Marathon Training up to the Philly Half: 11/17-11/23

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

Monday 11/17 - Rest
Tuesday 11/18 - 4 mile run while in DC. Very cold run but at least the sun was coming out.

Last Day in Washington DC: National Postal Museum 11/19/14

It was our last day in DC and I wanted to stick close to Union Station so we headed to the National Postal Museum as it was literally across the street from our hotel. I wasn't sure what to expect at the museum because I wasn't sure how stamps and mail could be fun. However, I was pleasantly surprised on how well the museum displayed exhibits on stamps, explored postal history, and explained how mail is/has been transported throughout the years.

A cool thing we found was the Create Your Own Stamp Design station. It was neat because it was a touch screen where you got to tap what features you wanted. 

TBT Hiking Post - Yellow Aster Butte

Happy Thursday!! Today's Throwback Thursday post is of our hike to Yellow Aster Butte. We never did a formal post for this hike, so I have put together a bunch of our favorite pics during that trip. I loved this hike as not only do you get awesome views, we also got to see my favorite animal while hiking, a marmot! :)

Yellow Aster Butte 8/4/08

The hike starts at Tomyhoi Lake trailhead and early on you will get great views of Mt. Baker. 

Day 4 in Washington DC 11/18/14

Today we visited the U.S Bureau of Engraving and Printing to learn about how are money is made. Tours run every 15 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. We made it to the 10:30 tour and with it being off peak season we did not need a ticket. Tours are free like most other museums in DC. :) 

Before the actual tour you can watch a video on how money is made. During the tour no pictures, videos, or cell phones are allowed in use so I was not able to take any pics. The pics below are all from the gift shop.

My Long Run Turned DC Running Tour

On Sunday I had a 12 mile long run scheduled and when I came across running routes, I knew I would be seeing some awesome sites. I knew part of my route would hit the National Mall along with the Lincoln Memorial but I winged the rest of my run and added the Jefferson Memorial, the Tidal Basin, and the Martin Luther King Memorial. I figured why not add more sites and tour the city. What an awesome run! DC is very runner friendly. 

I started my run pretty early, I think I left the hotel around 6:35am. There weren't many runners out yet, but I did see more by the end of my run. I started right by Union Station and headed towards the National Mall. Here I am heading towards the Washington Monument.

Day 3 in Washington DC 11/17/14 National Museum of Natural History

The weather forecast called for rain all day so we checked out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It was the perfect place to spend the day. There was so much to see. 

Half Marathon Training 11/10-11/16

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

Monday- Piyo Define Lower and Define Upper Body

Day 2 in Washington DC 11/16/14

Today we ventured to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. From Union Station it is fairly easy to get there as you take the red line on the Metrorail to the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan stop. The walk was longer than expected to the zoo but not too bad.

What is great about the zoo is like other Smithsonian museums, it is also free! The Zoo is fairly big so we were unable to see everything but we did see all of the animals we were hoping to see. The animal I most wanted to see were the pandas. They were along the Asia Trail which was the first area we came across.

Day 1 in Washington DC 11/15/14

We arrived in Washington DC today as Hubby has got a big conference and he invited us to tag along. We got in close to lunch time and were lucky enough to get checked in to our hotel early. We dropped off our stuff and parked our car at the Union Station garage where parking per day was $24. A lot better than $50 per day at the hotel we were staying at. 

After a quick lunch at Union Station (lots of food choices there with restaurants and a food court downstairs), we headed towards the Air and Space Museum. Btw, big thanks goes to Jenny from Run Jenny Run who gave me a list of food and place recommendations in DC to explore with the kids and also running routes! Thank you Jenny! :)

From Union Station we walked towards Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum to meet a friend with her son who is also good friends of the kiddos. I Google mapped the walk and it turned out to be a 20 minute walk, which was great especially after we had just eaten lunch. I enjoyed the walk and stopped to take pics of the kiddos. Here they are by the Capitol.

TBT Hiking Post - Tuck and Robin Lakes

Happy Thursday! Today's Throwback Thursday post is of our hike to Tuck and Robin Lakes. We never did a formal post on this hike, so I have put together a bunch of our favorite pics during that trip. I remember that the weather wasn't the best and we even went up Trico Mountain but had no view due to the clouds and fog rolling in.

Tuck and Robin Lakes - Trico Mnt. 8/2/08

We started on the Deception Pass Trail and within the first couple of miles come across Hyas Lake.

Trenton 10K Race Recap

The Trenton 10K took place in Trenton, NJ. The start is right by Arm and Hammer Park where the Trenton Thunder Baseball team plays and the finish ends right inside. I really like this race because it is close to home and I don't have to travel far to get to the start. I've done their half marathon (Inaugural year) and the 10K last year, so it's a favorite of mine.

Does Your Mind Wander? Things I think About While Running.

It's Tuesday and I am linking up with hosts Jessica Joy and Jill Conyers for their The Fit Dish Link-Up every Tuesday.

Today' s topic is "Does Your Mind Wander? Thoughts While Working Out or Running." 

For me while running, my mind can be all over the place and sometimes not. Here are some of the things that I think about while actually running:

Half Marathon Training 11/3-11/9

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

Monday 11/3- 5 mile run on the Canal trail.

The Fitness Games App Review

I received the opportunity to review The Fitness Games App through my ambassadorship with Fit Approach. I received the Gold version of the app free to review. All opinions are my own.

What is the Fitness Games App about?

TBT Hiking Post from Hubby - Esmeralda Peak

Happy Thursday! Today's Throwback Thursday post from Hubby is of a hike up Esmeralda Peak in the Teanaway area. I remember we camped the night before the hike and it was so much fun, especially since we were with good friends. The hike itself was great and the views were awesome!

7/28/08 Esmeralda Peak

Following the weather forecasts, we went east this weekend and decided on Esmeralda Peak.  You start on the trail towards Gallagher Head Lake.  We somehow coincidentally wore matching outfits. 

My First Experience Volunteering at a Race

This last weekend I was fortunate to have the chance to volunteer for The Princeton Half Marathon. Fortunate because I wasn't running a race this weekend and the run is so close to home. As a runner it was great to be on the other side for a change. 

I signed up to volunteer at a water station by the boat house which was at around mile 5.5 of the half marathon. We were told to get to our station by 6:30am. Me and my friend got there on time and met our fellow volunteers. It was a nice mix of volunteers - a couple of the volunteers were runners, a couple had a family member running in the race, and a majority were from a local pharmaceutical company. We helped set up the tables and started pouring water and the energy drink (MVP from Wegmans) that was provided for the runners.

The Difference Between An Average Vs. Awesome Run

It's Tuesday and I am linking up with hosts Jessica Joy and Jill Conyers for their The Fit Dish Link-Up every Tuesday.

Today' s topic is "What's the difference between an average vs. awesome workout/run?" I will focus here on running with this question.

Half Marathon Training 10/27-11/2

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

Monday 10/27- Rest
Tuesday 10/28- Short walk