Happy Heart

 

Mt Sneffels, Ouray, Colorado. 14,150 feet. High above the clouds, birds, and life. The climb is far harder than any marathon I’ve done but way more amazing. Words can’t describe the feeling of peaking out on a 14er. It’s bigger than any runner’s high you can imagine. My heart is happy. 

 

Happy Heart

 

Early morning run in Frisco, Colorado. Crisp, fragrant air with mountains all around me. My trail is lined with aspens. My heart is happy.

 

Healthy Vacations- Boston

 

When I heard I was going to Boston, New Hampshire, and Maine for 5 days, I thought, “what a great way to practice some healthy eating tips while on vacation.” I don’t know about you but sometimes when I hear “vacation” or “wedding”, my body thinks “pig out!” Besides, I found out New Hampshire serves more ice cream per capita than any other state. Get out the stretchy black yoga pants…….

However, when we got to Boston, the vacation took a slight turn and I had to totally change my original goal. By the time I headed back to KC, my body felt as if I had run a marathon. We never stopped moving and my body was needing lots of healthy calories (sorry body, still have to limit the ice cream).

4th of July is huge in Boston and we were lucky to see the festivities. We checked into our hotel at noon and didn’t get back until midnight. I love walking around new towns to check out the sites, especially in Boston with all the old buildings and great history. We got to sit on the bank of the Charles River and watch the fireworks while listening to the Boston Pops….

We were up early the next day to sight see and quickly decided we could cover more ground if we had bikes. Hello Urban Adventours! These great folks hooked us up with bikes, helmets, and great maps that covered all the highlights of the city.

I was a little nervous about the traffic and biking in a new city but with ample bike lanes, I was soon feeling comfortable. Just when our legs were warmed up from biking, we hit the Bunker Hill monument, home of one of the first major Revolutionary War battles. The monument had 294 stairs that promised us an awesome view of the city. Why not?

I later found out that the bf and I had a silent agreement going that neither of us would stop on our way to the top unless the other person did. We are pretty competitive and the first breath came at the 294th step! Whew!

The next day I did one of my favorite things when it comes to traveling-run a new city. I love getting up early to watch a city wake up and since I’m running, I can cover more ground and the earliness helps me avoid the crowds. I totally got caught up in the piers and little Italy and found myself racing back to the hotel 1 1/2 hours later. Whoops.

After only 2 days in Boston, I was just getting warmed up. Next we headed to the countryside of New Hampshire to attend the wedding rehearsal dinner for the lovely Anne and Colin. They had it lakeside with tons of water fun throughout the evening. I had never kayaked and the moment the boats became free, I hopped in. Oh my goodness, I think I found a new love. The upper body workout was awesome and it was soooo peaceful!

Since I’m from Kansas, I get excited when I can climb anything larger than a bunny hill. Lucky for us, we were 5 miles from one of the most climbed mountains in New Hampshire, Mt. Monadnock. This 3,100 ft. mountain was a nice change from the climbing I’ve done in the Rockies. The main difference? Flatlanders like me can breath since the altitude isn’t intense. Don’t get me wrong, it was still an awesome challenge. It was mostly a straight up climb over tons of rocks and boulders. 

Despite the rain, dripping humidity, and the millions of squats and lunges getting there, the view up top was awesome. 

New England was so incredible. The White Mountains are calling my name and so is the Appalachian Trail. I can’t wait to plan another trip out here!

How do you like to stay fit while on vacation?