Tips for new runners

Everyone starts running feeling the same way.  You step out the door feeling good, and after a block or two the heavy breathing sets in that makes you feel WAY out of shape.  "Why am I even trying?" you think.  "I'm never gonna be a runner." Its a tough road at first...but if you stick with it and are consistent for a few weeks, it will pay off and get easier!  

Here are a few tips I learned from when I started running:

1. Invest in good shoes.

You want to make sure you start out wearing good shoes.  Shoes that are very used can lead to injuries and knee pain.  Make sure you start out on the right foot! 

2. Purchase comfortable clothing

When you first start running you may not always feel good, but you want to at least know you look good!  If your clothing is comfortable, it’ll be one less thing to hold you back.  Try to run in fabrics other than cotton.  Also invest in good running socks like Balega or Smartwool made of fabrics to prevent blisters.  I find a lot of good deals at Target and TJ Max on running clothes for a reasonable price, and purchase socks at Scheels or Fleet Feet.

3. Set a goal

Setting a goal of running your first 5K, 10K, or half marathon will give you a lot more motivation to keep going.   Once you are signed up for a race and pay for it you are more likely to stick with it!

4. Be Consistent- Follow a plan

There are numerous running plans online or at Runners World.  Running at least 3-4 times a week will help you notice results, instead of running once and then waiting another week before you get back out.  You will get discouraged if you don’t notice things get easier because you’re not consistent in your running.  I would write down on my calendar how many miles I had to run each day.  That way when things came up, running was part of my schedule and I had to work around the time I needed to get my run in before doing other things.

5. Hydrate

You won’t feel as thirsty if you are well hydrated the day of your run. 

6. Eat 2 hours before

Don’t eat a big meal right before you go for a run.  It may make you feel sluggish or sick.  Eat about 2 hours before you head out to make sure your foods digested!

7.  Plan Fun Routes

I often go to Map My Run to plan different routes.  It gives you a street map of the area you live and calculates the distance for you.  Saves you from getting in your car and driving the route afterwards to see how far you went. 

Hope some of these tips help!

Did you notice that Rachelle is has a new look?   Please have patience as I continue to work on it, but take a look at the new layout and let me know what you think!

We've Grown!

Surprise!  For those of you who didn't know, the Hathaway family has grown. 

Just kidding!  Actually, we went to see our good friends the Zinglers.  They are a busy family lately with their 2 twin babies and a 1 year old.   Its good practice for Ryan and I to go over there and learn how its done.  Hopefully with all our friends having babies, we will learn all the tips and tricks by the time we have our own! 

Pictured Rocks Weekend

We had a great time in Pictured Rocks last weekend with our good friends the Putzs'.  We drove up to their family cabin in Florence, WI on friday night, and then spent the day on Saturday stopping at all my favorite sites along Lake Superior.  Growing up I spent a lot of time in Upper Michigan on family vacations.  It brings back a lot of fond memories each time I go back, and its neat to see how the beauty changes in each season.  I was excited to show Ryan this area for the first time as well.  I highly recommend this area for anyone looking for a short getaway.

First we took a short hike to Munising Falls.   This waterfall is beautiful during any season and is always breathtaking.

We were surprised when we started talking to a family from Appleton and they took our picture all together. 

Then we drove to Miners Castle.  This is another beautiful spot along Lake Superior.

During the drive to our next hike, we stopped to take a picture in this birch tree forest.  We almost fell over during this kiss. haha.

It was about a 3.5 mile hike one way to Chapel Rock.  We packed a picnic lunch and ate on the beach.  It was the perfect day for hiking! 

The log slide was so much fun.  No one expected it to be so steep. We all laughed like kids on the way down as we got our shoes filled with sand.  It wasn't till the tough walk back up that the laughter died down. :)  We all had sore muscles the next day.  On one of the park boards it said, "It may take only a few minutes to get down the dunes, but for many, almost an hour to walk back up."  I would be in great shape if I could do this everyday!

Its been an amazing fall.  I wonder what our next adventure will be?

Perfect Fall Day in Fish Creek

After our trip to Maine we weren't quite ready for vacation to be over.  So we took a little road trip to Door County for amazing breakfast at The Cookery, one of my favorite restaurants in Fish Creek.  I have never been dissapointed!

We also did a little wine tasting at Orchard Country Winery.

Penninsula State Park still had beautiful fall foliage.  We took a nice hike to the tower for a great overlook.

 

Do you see anything hiding in this next picture?  Yes, thats my husband behind the tree playing 'Wheres Waldo'.

View from the tower

Aww.......

We also made a stop at Cana Island Lighthouse before sunset near Baileys Harbor.

It was a beautiful day and great way to end a perfect vacation!

Stalker!

First off, my husband is AmAzInG!  Being the generous man that he is, he let me use some gift cards we had to purchase a running watch I've had my eyes on.  The newest and most affordable Garmin Forerunner 10.  This is a basic gps watch for those runners who are just wanting to know their pace, distance and calories.  I like its small size, and am excited to do some trail running with it!

 

Second, for those of you who don't know, I am a stalker.......of blogs!!  I have been obsessed with blogs like the Skinny Runner and The Hungry Runner Girl.  I am so inspired by them and their dedication to fitness...the girl from hungry runner was running throughout her pregnancy!  Wow! Now I admit, I read these blogs and my first thought is, "what do they do for a living?"  I mean, it seems like running and the blog has to BE their job...how else could they stay in such great shape?!

 Since I love sports, exercise/fitness has always been such a big part of my life growing up that I never had to think twice about my weight throughout the years.  But man, you can sure tell that 30 is right around the corner!  Yikes!  It seems like the older I get the harder it is to stay motivated and to find the time.  Then I think, maybe its time to stop with the excuses about how busy life is and how I have no time and just suck it up.  I am a pretty determined person, (just ask my husband!) and I truly believe that whatever I put my mind too I can accomplish.  I am a normal everyday girl, with a job that has the same crazy hours like everyone else.  Will it take dedication...yes.  Will it take sacrifice....absolutely.   But if these bloggers can do it, why can't I?  Why can't I dedicate myself to being fit, and through the process inspire other people to do the same? 

My goal has always been to run a full marathon before I am 30.  I would also like to keep up this lifestyle so that when I do have children, I can hopefully keep doing it throughout my pregnancy.  I truly believe that if I am happy, confident, and healthy, I will be a better wife and mother someday because of it.  I think both physical and spiritual health are very important, and I want to strive to be both in this life.

 So thank you readers for joining me on this journey!

Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one receives the prize?  So run that you may obtain it.  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we are imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating air.  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

The Precipice and Beehive Trail- Maine Part 2

I spent some time trying to find the most challenging and exciting hikes in Acadia.  During my research I read alot about the Precipice Trail.  This hike reminded me alot of Longs Peak in Colorado, except being 17 miles shorter. lol.  It was about 1.5 miles to the top.  We did a lot of scrambling as we followed the blue painted dots. 

As we got higher they had alot of metal rungs to grab ahold and ladders to climb up the ledges.  I could not get over the beautiful views and colors.  It seemed like the leaves had changed even within the few days we were there.

 

We laugh looking back at the next couple pictures.  Here I am looking calm as I pose for the picture....

.........then here is my protective husband squishing me against the wall, afraid that I'll fall off the ledge.

The Precipice Trail brings you to the top of Champlain Mountain at 1,058 feet.

The trail was actually a little more scary than I had anticipated.  There were a couple wet spots on the cliffs which make it more challenging.  Since I wasn't in the mood to go back down the same way, we took the South Rim Trail along the top of the mountain to the Beehive Trail which was another couple miles.

From the top of the Beehive we got this gorgeous view of Sand Beach and the lake below.  I could have stayed there for hours just looking at the beautiful fall colors and taking it all in.

Ryan said this was his artistic photo of me.

So then I tried getting artistic too and set up the camera on the trail.

Time for a snack! Anyone for an apple?

After completing both the Precipice and Beehive trail, we still weren't finished for the day.  The trail ended about 1.5 miles away from where we parked the car at the start of the Precipice...so we had to hitchhiked on the side of the road back to our car.  No one even offered to pick us up....but it was such a beautiful day that we didn't mind! :)

Welcome to Bar Harbor!

Ryan and I just got back from an amazing trip to Bar Harbor, Maine. 

 

We flew into Portland, and drove a few hours up the coast to the island.  Since we have had lobster on our mind since we booked the trip months ago, it didn't take us long to find the nearest lobster pound alongside the road and stop for lunch.  Here is the famous Maine Lobster Roll and seafood chowder.  It was amazing!

We stayed at the The Coach Stop Inn B & B.  After doing alot of research we found it was one of the most reasonable places on the island.  It was about 6 minutes from downtown, but it actually was kind of nice to be away from the business of town.  Deborah, the owner, made a fantastic breakfast each morning.  She also had the dining room open at all times for us to stop in for tea, coffee, cider and her daily freshly baked dessert!





 

As you can see, we made ourselves comfortable during our stay!

One of the first things we did when we got there was walk to Bar Island.  Two hours before and after low tide each day, the sandbar is exposed to walk across from Bar Harbor to the smaller Bar Island.  They showed pictures of people who left their cars on the sandbar, only to come back and find they were underwater when high tide came in.  I definitely made sure I was back in time since I don't know how to swim!

We also celebrated a big day while we were there.............our 9 Month Anniversary! :)  We are such an old married couple!



View of Bar Harbor in the background



One of the main reasons why we were there was to check out Acadia National Park, especially during the fall foliage.  Luckily we timed it just about right.  We had a lot of great color, but their peak is actually mid to late October.  One thing we did find out though was that after Columbus Day, a lot of the businesses and restaurants will close for the season.  So you would have to be willing to deal with having less choices for places to dine if you went later.

While in Acadia we stopped at all the main attractions.  There were lots of beautiful ocean overlooks and lakes to take pictures of. 

This is Sand Beach, one of the big swimming areas in the summer.

Thunder Hole is great to see at high tide.  We saw alot of neat pictures with huge waves splashing up and it supposedly makes a large thunder noise.  Unfortunately we didn't hit it at the right time, so thunder hole was a dud.

Bass Harbor Lighthouse is the only lighthouse in the park.  We felt a little out of place with my little canon camera.  There were tons of people with expensive cameras and tripods waiting to get the perfect sunset shot.  It was a beautiful spot!

Cadillac Mountain is very famous to Acadia Park.  It is known as the place where the sun hits the United States first as it rises.  We woke up at 5am one morning to join the crowds to see the sunrise.  The only time I ever wake up earlier than that is when I hike Longs Peak.  Fortunately, we got to drive up this mountain though!  It is a beautiful 360 degree view from the top.

Jordans Pond is also another beautiful lake we hiked around and up the "Bubbles" you see in the distance.  They have a really neat restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the lake which is famous for its lunch and ice cream.

We also took a 3.5 hr whale watching tour through Bar Harbor Whales.  We saw some seals, and thats about where the excitement ended.  Its coming to the end of the season, so you take your chances getting lucky to see one.  The tour the day before saw some pilot whales, but we didn't see anything!  Boo!

We went to the restaurants recommended by our host at the B & B.  She suggested The Chartroom which was very good.  Ryan had his first whole lobster there.  We also went to Blaze, which is a new stone grilled pizza place which was very good.

To get the real authentic experience we went one night to Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound.  Now this is nothing fancy...you choose your live lobster from a fridge and they put it into the boiling pots outside.  Then when its cooked, they place it on a steal pan and your ready to eat.  Meet Larry the Lobster below.   I felt bad when he was staring at me like that, knowing what his near future looked like.  But he was tasty!

Its a messy job!

My next blog I will post about the hikes we did in Acadia.  Looking forward to sharing with you the beautiful views we captured!